The Best Professional Sweater Sets

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Sure, we all know what basics professional women are supposed to have in their closets, but if you're buying one for the first time or replacing one you've worn into the ground, it can be a pain to find exactly the right incarnation in stores. In “The Hunt,” we search the stores for a basic item that every woman should have.

It has literally been more than a decade since we've rounded up sweater sets — and I've been seeing so many lately that I thought we should do a mini roundup. Readers, are you buying and wearing sweater sets these days? Any latest favorite purchases?

Sweater sets, aka twinsets, have always been a great basic for working women, and it's always been nice that you can split them up. Wear just the cardigan by itself, wear just the sweater tee by itself. It may feel like it's best left to the Emily Gilmores of the world, but I can absolutely see it having a place for a lot of women in 2025.

Factors to consider: the matchy matchy look has been in for several years now, especially with the linen shirt/shorts trend, and I've seen more and more sweater skirts with matching tops in recent years as well. Individually, it feels like classic cardigans are back after a few years of waterfall/circle/cozy cardigans — and sweater tees have also become really popular in recent years. Finally: it seems like wearing the sweater-thrown-over-your-shoulders is a very popular look right now, so having a matching cardigan to throw over your shoulders just makes sense, particularly if you like a minimal, clean aesthetic.

We've talked a lot about sweaters for work outfits over the years, including rounding up our favorite classic sweaters for work, giving tips on how to wash “dry clean” items, and discussing what makes a sweater appropriate for the office — as well as how to do business casual in cold weather!

Pictured at top: beige / navy / beige / ivory

Our Latest Favorite Sweater Sets In General

How to Style Sweater Sets

In years past we've discussed how to button your cardigans (e.g., top few buttons, bottom few buttons) as well as how to style sweaters as layering pieces.

I'm not noticing any real trends with cardigan buttoning (or unbuttoning)– anything goes, I think, except for sweater clips unless you want a very vintage look. (In fact, now that I think about it, it's interesting that cardigans have missed the cape styling that blazers have gone through lately — you know the influencer look, with the blazer not actually being worn but merely settled on your shoulders.)

I'm also noticing a lot of people wearing cardigans by themselves without a shirt, shell, or camisole beneath — this can be a great way to get another wearing out of the cardigan if you have a capsule wardrobe, but pay attention to any gaping issues just as you would with regular button-front tops.

There's also a trend to wear the cardigan reversed, with the buttons going up the back — Sézane even suggests this on the product page for their very popular cardigan.

For 2025 purposes, the two main ways that I'm seeing people style sweaters as layering pieces include sweaters worn over shoulders and sweaters worn diagonally (see below). You can do either style with any kind of sweater, but I will note that buttoning a cardigan before wearing it like this makes the whole look a lot more polished.

Sweater Worn Over Your Shoulders

This is the main way I'm seeing sweaters worn right now — laid across your shoulders, not necessarily knotted or tied. You can technically do this with any kind of sweater or cardigan, obviously.

Sweater Worn Diagonally Across Your Body

Here's a random picture from M.M.LaFleur that I noticed recently.

Great Professional Sweater Sets in 2025

Aritzia

I like that Aritzia has a crew-necked version of its “bare cashmere” cardigan as well as a V-necked version — and there is also a V-neck shell and a crew neck shell. (You can find links to all of those on the product page for the crew-necked cardigan.) They have a bunch of colors in stock at the moment.

J.Crew

I like that J.Crew's version is a cashmere-silk blend — soft and warm but also thin! — and I like the buttons on the sweater shell/vest. The “bit of belly” styling is another big one I'm seeing, which makes sense considering all the cropped sweaters and high-waisted pants we've seen recently. That said, know your office before wearing it to yours — it will not be appropriate everywhere! Both the cardigan and shell are 40% off with code SHOPFALL today.

They also have “cropped” cardigans and matching tees that don't look all that cropped — there are a lot of nice bright colors.

Boden

Boden's cashmere Eva cardigan and sweater tee look great — and they come in a bunch of rich, saturated colors. If you're looking for a jewel toned sweater, start here.

La Ligne

I love the ribbed detailing on the slightly longer sleeves in this great sweater set from La Ligne — they offer it in 11 colors at the moment in sizes XXS-XL. The cardigan is $325.

More Professional Sweater Sets

Others that we're seeing that are not pictured here: Ann Taylor (matching tee), Kilte, and Tuckernuck. M.M.LaFleur also has a number of cute non-basic ones. How about you, readers — seen any other great ones?

Old Favorites: Classic, Professional Sweater Sets

Brooks Brothers

Brooks Brothers, not surprisingly, is a great place to find classic sweater sets and twinsets. They often have them in merino, cotton, cashmere, and sometimes blends like silk/cashmere and silk/cotton. Love!

Talbots

A loooongtime reader favorite is the Charming cardigan (often with matching shell) from Talbots. They come in a ton of colors and patterns, often in cashmere as well as other knits.

Veronica Beard

Veronica Beard's best-selling cashmere cardigan comes in a number of different colors, and often has a matching shell. The cardigan itself is $458, and the shell is $398.

Readers, which are your favorite sweater sets for work?