DARLENE | Dropped shoulder with a drawstring hood

My shoulders ache if a sleeve is set too tight. I noticed within an hour that this one is not.

Shoulders are where most knitwear starts to hurt. The seam sits right on the joint, and every time you reach for a top shelf or fasten a seatbelt the whole garment pulls. You stop noticing it as pain and start noticing it as a sweater you never choose. Darlene moves that seam off the shoulder entirely.

The shoulder is dropped, which means the seam sits partway down the upper arm and the fabric across the back has room to move when you do. The knit has a fine surface texture and stays light, so the relaxed drape does not turn into bulk. The front closes with buttons rather than a zip, and the hood has a working drawstring, so you can pull it close on a windy walk and leave it loose the rest of the time.

Why women our age keep coming back to it

• The dropped shoulder takes the strain off the joint. With the seam sitting below the shoulder, reaching and driving stop pulling the whole garment sideways.
• The hood actually adjusts. A working drawstring means it stays up in wind instead of sliding back the moment you turn your head.
• Buttons let you set the neckline. Fastened to the top when it is cold, open at the collar when it is not.
• Light enough to wear indoors. The textured knit is breathable rather than heavy, so it does not become a coat the moment you step inside.

Buy more, save more

• Buy 2, save 10%
• Buy 3, save 15%
• Buy 4, save 20%

The discount is applied automatically at checkout.

How it fits

Relaxed with a dropped shoulder, in S through 3XL. Take your usual size. If you are between two, take the larger one, because a dropped shoulder only works when there is room for it to fall. Measure across the chest rather than the shoulder when you check the chart, since the shoulder seam is deliberately not where you would expect it. Returns are covered below.

30 days to change your mind

Wear it for an afternoon and see how your shoulders feel at the end of it. If it is not right, send it back within 30 days for a full refund. No restocking fee and no conditions attached.

A few recent reviews

I have had frozen shoulder twice and most sweaters remind me of it. This one I can put on one-handed. Sylvia N., Tempe

The drawstring is a small thing until you are walking the dog in March. Then it is not. Constance E., Boise

Bought the beige and wear it around the house and to the store both. Nobody would know. Geraldine H., Mesa