As an avid knitter, Gabriela Tilevitz has had, as she put it, “a lifelong relationship to sweaters.”
The ones that Ms. Tilevitz, a 33-year-old sex therapist in New York City, has recently been wearing are woolly, thick and extremely oversize — traits shared by many sweaters that she has lately noticed on a growing number of women, she said.
Most styles swallow torsos, hiding any view of the waist. Some are so exaggerated that their shoulder seams hit halfway down the biceps. They have silhouettes that may have once been considered dowdy, but are now increasingly seen as fashionable.
Often made of natural fibers like alpaca, cashmere, mohair and other wools, these body-obscuring sweaters have been embraced by brands of all sizes and price points: from chains like H&M and Cos to a number of independent labels. Among them are Cordera, a Spanish brand known for its fluffy mohair blends; Ound, which sells pieces made in Uruguay; and Lauren Manoogian, a New York label that offers sweaters in a variety of warm neutrals.
Some buzzy brands, like Navygrey, &Daughter and Babaà, which offers most of its billowy sweaters in one size that it says fits various body types, have helped popularize the look with a heavy social media presence. And not all specialize in woolens: Aliya Wanek, a designer in the Bay Area, makes her namesake label’s knits using a heavy-gauge (and less itchy) cotton.
Many of the sweaters are made using undyed wool — which, like the animals from which it comes, ranges in color from warm ecru to murky brown — and some recall maritime or country woolens, styles that have historically been associated with men’s wear. Their generous proportions evoke those of sweaters that Phoebe Philo designed for Celine during her near decade as the label’s creative director, which still has an influence on the way women dress long after her tenure ended in 2017.
Ms. Tilevitz, the sex therapist, said that a certain confidence can be gained by wearing generously sized sweaters. “There is a sexiness women can feel internally when they wear something that allows them to disappear from anyone else,” she said, comparing the garments to a security blanket.
At a time when women in America have lost rights to their bodily autonomy, sweaters that “obfuscate the body” can also serve as a sort of armor, said Kat Henning, 37, a senior footwear designer at Tory Burch in New York. “You feel a little under attack and being swaddled in a beautiful knit that completely covers you, not being available as a sex object, makes women feel better,” said Ms. Henning, whose has knits from Lauren Manoogian and Wol Hide, a brand in Philadelphia.
Kelsey Keith, 40, a creative director in Berkeley, Calif., who has bought figure-shrouding styles from &Daughter and the French brand Le Tricoteur, described their appeal this way: “It’s about dressing on your own terms. The male gaze is not even a consideration.”
To keep up with the demand for hefty sweaters, the website Old Stone Trade has recently increased its inventory of styles made in places known for artisanal knitwear, like Vermont and the Aran Islands of Ireland, said Melissa Ventosa Martin, the site’s founder.
“The feedback I get is, ‘I feel so cozy and safe and warm,’” she said. “I think women are shopping for their own comfort and security.”
The wider interest in big, bulky sweaters has been encouraging for Zoe Latta, a founder of the brand Eckhaus Latta, which has offered them for years. “Getting away from these priorities of your hip, waist and bust measurement as a symbol of how attractive you are is liberating,” she said.
Anna Wallack, a founder of Misha & Puff, a brand with locations in Brooklyn and Newburyport, Mass., said her label had mostly sold out of its oversize sweaters this year — and noted that roomy styles have an enduring appeal.
“It’s one of those things you can wear and feel good about wherever you are in your journey with your body,” she said. “A giant sweater is a bit of a ‘F you’ vibe, which I think is incredibly sexy.”
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