In “Wicked: For Good,” Elphaba and Fiyero finally hook up in her little treehouse hideaway. It’s supposed to be the big swoony payoff, but the actual star of the scene is… a gigantic grey cardigan. The internet promptly named it the “sex cardigan,” a chunky, holey knit that multiple outlets have compared to a discarded fishing net, and yet, somehow, the collective brain has decided it’s hot now.
Cynthia Erivo is in mild black lingerie, Jonathan Bailey’s chest hair is doing its own form of acting, tween girls are giggling as if they’ve never seen exposed collarbones before, and adults (read: gay men like myself) are sitting there thinking, “This man has had a foot in his mouth on TV and this is the scene you’re clutching pearls over?” Still, the cardigan works. It keeps things PG while implying “we are absolutely not just up here to talk about Ozian politics.”
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Plus, Here Are Other Cardigans You’d Actually Wear
So if you, too, would like a “please ignore how unsexy this knit technically is” sweater that still radiates “we’re about to make some questionable decisions,” here are three other cardigans to throw on before your next night of making terrible decisions with someone you like.
Buck Mason Seastack Wool Tweed Cable Cardigan
This one looks like what Fiyero would wear if he left Glinda at the altar and moved to a coastal town to “figure himself out.” It’s knit from Italian-spun merino wool with a chunky cable body, genuine horn buttons, and that nubby tweed texture. Leave it half-buttoned over a tank so there’s just enough chest showing to say, “Yes, I know what Fellow Travelers is.”
Celtic & Co Waffle Stitch Cardigan
This is a bro version of Elphaba’s cardigan if she had escaped to a windy British cliff instead of a treehouse in Oz. It’s 100% British wool in a chunky waffle stitch, with a shawl collar and round buttons that make you look like you just came in from checking the sheep… but, like, in a hot way. It’s not overtly sexy, but it has that “I’ll make you tea and wink a little” energy, which is frankly more powerful than just flexing your muscles.
J.Crew Rugged Merino Wool-Blend Cardigan Sweater
If you want a Fiyero-coded sex cardigan from a brand your dad has heard of, this is it. J.Crew blends soft, naturally breathable merino wool with durable nylon in a shawl-collar cardigan that looks like you just stepped out of a holiday movie where you are both the problem and the love interest.
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