How to style a quarter zip sweater
To style a quarter zip, wear it over a collared shirt with tailored trousers for work, or over a tee with chinos on weekends. Keep it close at the shoulder and ending at the hip, and add an overcoat on top when it turns cold. Below are the outfits, how a quarter zip should fit and what the Masidas quarter zips are made of.
Quarter zip or half zip?
The names are used loosely. A quarter zip has a short zip below a stand collar, and a half zip opens further down the chest. Both are worn the same way, so choose by the collar and the knit.
Our ribbed quarter zip sweater and our quarter zip sweater have stand collars. The cable knit half zip sweater has a ribbed stand collar with a small pull tab. The collared half zip sweater has a soft spread collar.
How to style a quarter zip with a collared shirt
This is the classic way to wear one. Wear it over a button down shirt, with the collar points inside the stand collar or lying flat over it. With tailored trousers and leather shoes, it suits a business casual office, as our guide on what to wear to a business casual office shows.
Our cotton button down shirt is 70% cotton and 30% polyester, with a contrast chambray lining the collar stand and the cuffs. Over it, the cable knit half zip works well, and its page suggests it on its own or over a collared shirt. Finish with the pleated tapered trousers, which have a single front pleat and a pressed crease. For shoes, the leather medallion toe oxfords are in men’s shoes.
Quarter zip outfits for the weekend
Over a plain tee, a quarter zip is more relaxed. Our quarter zip sweater has a stand collar, a plain knit and a little stretch. Its page suggests it over a tee or a shirt, and it comes in eleven colors, in sizes S to 5XL. Wear it with the stretch tapered chinos, smart enough for work and easy enough for weekends, and split leather low top sneakers.
The collared half zip does both jobs. Its page puts it simply: zipped, it goes with trousers; open, it layers over a tee.
How to wear a quarter zip under a coat
A quarter zip sits neatly under a coat, because the stand collar fills the neckline. The ribbed quarter zip sweater has a ribbed stand collar, raglan sleeves and a chevron of raised seams on each side of the chest. Its page says it layers well under a coat. For the office, add the single breasted overcoat, a slim coat with notch lapels and a little stretch. For the weekend, the stand collar field jacket is a light layer over a knit from early autumn to spring.
Quarter zip: zipped up or open?
Both are right, so choose by the layer underneath. Zipped to the collar, a quarter zip looks neat under a coat or over a tee. Open by a few inches, it shows a shirt collar. Leave it untucked, because a quarter zip is cut to sit over the waistband with its hem at the hip.
How a quarter zip should fit
- Shoulders: the seam sits at the edge of your shoulder. Raglan sleeves run in one piece to the collar, so judge those by the chest instead.
- Chest: close enough to look neat, with room for a shirt underneath.
- Length: the ribbed hem ends at the hip, over the belt.
- Sleeves: the cuffs reach the wrist bone, so a shirt cuff can just show.
Read the size table on each page, because makers size differently. The ribbed quarter zip starts at size M, and its page asks you to compare the measurements with a piece you own. The collared half zip is cut in Asian sizing. Its size M measures 40.9 in around the chest, close to a US S or M with room. Our measuring guide shows how to take your own measurements.
What our quarter zips are made of
Three of our four zip neck sweaters are 95% polyester and 5% elastane. They are the quarter zip sweater, the ribbed quarter zip and the cable knit half zip. The elastane gives them stretch and helps them keep their shape. The collared half zip is listed by the supplier as cotton, with no percentage given, so we give none.
Quarter zips for women
For women, there is the quarter zip sweater dress. It is a rib knit dress with a ribbed stand collar and a short zip to the top of the bust. Its straight skirt falls to mid calf. Our guide to sweater dress outfits shows how to wear it. For days at home, the half zip sweatshirt set pairs a half zip sweatshirt with straight pants.
How to wash a quarter zip sweater
The quarter zip sweater, the ribbed quarter zip and the cable knit half zip are machine wash cold, tumble dry low. The collared half zip is hand wash cold, dry flat. Close the zip and turn the sweater inside out before washing, so the teeth do not catch the yarn. Our guide on how to wash a sweater covers the rest.
Questions about quarter zips
Is a quarter zip business casual?
Yes. Over a collared shirt, with tailored trousers and leather shoes, a quarter zip in a plain or cable knit is a business casual outfit. A formal office still calls for a blazer.
What do you wear under a quarter zip?
A collared shirt for work, or a plain tee for weekends. A crew neck tee stays hidden under the stand collar when the zip is closed.
Should you tuck in a quarter zip?
No. A quarter zip is cut to sit over the waistband, with its ribbed hem at the hip. Tuck in the shirt underneath, not the sweater.
What is the difference between a quarter zip and a half zip?
The length of the zip. A quarter zip opens a short way below the collar, and a half zip opens further down the chest. Both are worn the same way.
What pants go with a quarter zip?
Tailored trousers or chinos for work, and chinos or jeans for weekends. Our pleated tapered trousers have a single front pleat and a pressed crease, and the stretch tapered chinos are smart enough for work.
Masidas sells knitwear, coats and dresses for women and men. See all four in men’s knitwear, with shirts in men’s shirts, trousers in men’s trousers and coats in men’s coats and jackets.
