Style & Advice
Tailoring and knitwear: how to pair them properly
- Written by
- The Roomten tailors
- Published
- 2026-03-14
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-01
- Reading time
- 5 min
- knitwear
- roll neck
- cardigan
- smart casual
- cashmere
In short
Knitwear works with tailoring when the gauge is right and the colour is considered: a roll neck should be fine enough not to distort the jacket, and a cardigan should be treated as a replacement for a waistcoat, worn with a shirt and tie.
Workplace dress has relaxed, and a shirt, tie and three-piece is no longer automatic. That has driven a steady rise in tailoring worn with knitwear. The only firm rule is quality: we use nothing but fine merino, cotton and cashmere.
Roll neck
The easiest place to start. Watch the gauge — too thin looks flimsy, too thick reads as chunky and destroys the line of the jacket. On a bold suiting, a complementary or muted tone lifts the cloth instead of competing with it.
Cardigan
Think of it as a waistcoat. Wear it with a shirt and tie so the outfit does not slide into casual. Complementary colours are the safe route; contrasting colours and stronger patterns both work once you are confident.
Crew and V-neck
A tie is not necessary with either, which makes them the most relaxed option. If knitwear with tailoring is new to you, start with blues, burgundies and beiges, and add colour with a contrasting pocket square.
Having knitwear made
Made-to-measure knitwear lets you set body length, sleeve length and width, as well as gauge, fibre and colour. Fit matters as much here as in tailoring: knitwear that is wrong through the body will distort a jacket worn over it.