I just can't help it. When I think about men wearing cardigans, Mr. Rogers pops up in my head, hanging up his sweater at the start of every show. It's a wholesome look, for sure, but that's all the good I can say about it. So needless to say it wasn't my idea to do a blog about cardigans. It was my assistant Chelsea's idea, and when the subject first came up, I'm sure I made a suspicious face. But because Chelsea's instincts are usually spot-on, I promised her I would keep cardigans on my mind while man-scouting.

I've now had a few months of cardigan observation, and I have seen enough guys doing it well to convince me that it's a look that absolutely works in today's context. A Fair-Isle sleeveless cardigan worn with a button-down shirt was toned down by rolled jeans and flip-flops; a shaved head seems to do wonders to counteract the inherent fifties "ideal husband" look; and, in one case, silver Vans (I know it sounds weird) worked to lessen the overt preppiness of a primary-colored striped cardigan.

It may have been Kurt Vonnegut who, once and for all, sealed the deal on cardigans for me. A picture I found of him in the seventies made it clear that the disheveled cardigan is by far the most masculine cardigan. And while it is possible to look good in a tidy, buttoned-up cardigan--as British jockey Billy Cook did in the late forties--it does require you to keep Mr. Rogers out of your neighborhood.

   I like how casual and not overly considered Kurt Vonnegut looks in his clothes. I don't know what he wore all the other days of his life, but this would have made for a good daily uniform. There's something very attractive about men who know themselves well enough to figure out what suits them and stick with it. 1970s. (credit: Getty Images)

Just from looking at his athletic build and shaved head, I would have never suspected this guy would be a cardigan wearer. He looks great though. Mercer Street, NYC, October 2007.

I LOVE the sweater-as-jacket idea that this 1950s school boy has adopted. (credit: Getty Images)

A friend sent me this picture. It took me a moment to see why this guy's look was remarkable. Then I realized that his tux jacket was actually a knit cardigan. I've never seen this before. I'm really into it. Ludwig Heissmeyer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, November 2007.

David Hockney shows a more artsy side of the cardigan look in his studio. 1978. (credit: Getty Images)

I can't quite figure out what this guy was trying to accomplish with his hairstyle, but I like his outfit a lot. Spring Street, NYC, October 2007.

Legendary Penn football coach and Heisman trophy namesake John Heisman shows us the masculine extreme of the cardigan spectrum. 1920. (credit: Corbis)

This guy clearly has his own think going on--prepster on top and hipster on bottom. I can get with it. Broadway and Prince Street, NYC, June 2007.

I love this guy. It's Ian Gillian, lead singer of a band called Deep Purple. I've never heard of him or his band, but his layered sweaters with the contrasting long hair and classic watch look particularly good. 1971. (credit: Corbis)

Famed Art Historian Meyer Schapiro stands for his portrait in a more academic layered-sweater look in 1981. (credit: Getty Images)

While I wouldn't necessarily recommend wearing a wool fisherman's cardigan with nothing underneath, Elliot Gould (shown at his opening of Drat! The Cat! with his then-wife, Barbra Streisand) stands out from all the other pictures of men in cardigans--so I felt he deserved some attention. 1965. (credit: Corbis)

My editor, Ned Martel, is a confirmed cardigan enthusiast--although I didn't know that until recently because I rarely see him in his office. So I made the trip to catch him in action. The Conde Nast building, Times Square, NYC, November 2007.

Prince Philip leads his carriage team back to their paddock at Windsor Castle after the Royal Windsor Horse Show. His look is about as old-school English as you can get. 1973. (credit: Corbis)

Thomas Ince, the silent film director and producer who died mysteriously onboard the yacht of William Randolph Hearst, shows that the cardigan-as-jacket idea goes way back. 1918. (credit: Getty Images)

This guy's look is somewhere between Chariots of Fire and a Prada store salesman. I hope it reads as more the former than the latter. Prince Street, NYC, July 2007.

Legendary Blues musician Little Walter defines sixties cool. Its the soul version of classic menswear. Theresa's Lounge, Chicago, IL, early sixties. (credit: Getty Images)

This guy was better in person. He must have been frightened by having his picture taken because he looked great walking down the street. I hope his modern take on preppy comes across. Lafayette Street, NYC, August 2007.

You must know by now that I love Bing Crosby's cool cat style. Seeing him in a cardigan AND standing next to David Bowie hits it out of the park for me. 1977. (credit: Getty Images)

Australian jockey Billy Cook (in a sporty fully buttoned-up cardigan) with trainer Walter Nightingall watch an exercise session at Epsom Race Track, England, 1949. (credit: Corbis)