10 iconic movie sweaters, ranked by how cozy they actually look

Welcome to Cozy Week, where we’ll curl up by the glow of our screens to celebrate all that’s soft in entertainment. Pour yourself a cup of hot cocoa and sit by us as we coo over the cutest games, cry over the tenderest movie moments, and drift off to the most comforting shows. Because it can be a cold world out there, and we need something to keep us warm.

What could be cozier than the perfect sweater? If the fit is right and the fabric is soft, it’s essentially a wearable hug. When a character in a movie turns up in a statement sweater, that wardrobe choice conveys so much beyond what they (rather, the costume designer) picked out of a closet one day. 

Sweaters shed light on setting and purpose; the character is chilly, wants to be comfortable, and probably living somewhere in the northern hemisphere. A loud sweater says they’re outgoing and unafraid, while a drab, ratty sweater says the opposite. Some movie sweaters have even achieved cult status for their outsized impact on characters and their images — but some famous movie sweaters don’t look like they’d be cozy at all. This is an investigation: which movie sweaters are actually cozy, as opposed to just being memorable?

10. Freddy Krueger’s striped sweater, Nightmare on Elm Street series

No. Gross. Freddy’s sweater is iconic but it looks freakin’ nasty. It might have been cozy once, like when someone just knitted it or when it was on the sale rack before Mr. Krueger picked it out, but it’s the only thing this dream-murdering nightmare man has worn in decades and you know it has to stink by now. You ever slept in a whole sweater? Forever? This thing smells like dirty sheets and old pennies. No points awarded. Dream of laundry, Freddy. 

9. Wanda’s angora sweater, A Fish Called Wanda

This sweater is truly a look. It’s pink, it’s fluffy, it makes a statement every time you wear it. But it’s angora. That means it’s itchy as all heck. This sweater looks like she’s wearing it over something else, which means that it’s not 100% in contact with her skin, but there’s nothing cozy about coming home with a neck and wrist rash after a long day of looking fashionable (and in Wanda’s case, doing crimes). 

8. Mark Darcy’s reindeer sweater, Bridget Jones’ Diary

Truly a big moment for Christmas sweaters all around. Honestly, as far as “ugly” holiday sweaters go, this one is pretty tame as well. Nothing lights up, the reindeer is out there but not ridiculously overwrought — just the right amount of holiday flashiness and taste one would expect from Mark Darcy. 

The only issue is that Christmas sweaters usually aren’t produced with long-term wear in mind. They come out once or twice a year for parties and don’t get much use otherwise. They’re rarely comfortable, and while Mark’s looks pretty soft, the idea is that his sweater isn’t something anyone wants to spend a lot of time in. 

7. Andie’s “cerulean” sweater, The Devil Wears Prada

The blue — sorry, cerulean — sweater that sparked Miranda Priestley’s oft-quoted “oh, I see” speech has the misfortune of being famous for being unflattering. At this point in the movie Andie dresses for comfort over fashion, which awards the sweater some cozy points, but one can’t ignore how uncomfortable Andie was made to feel while she was wearing it. The sweater speech is the first turning point for her transformation into a fashionista, and she totally spent the rest of her life going through her closet and wincing whenever she saw it hanging up there. Inner comfort matters too. 

6. Ransom’s sweater, Knives Out

Ah, the sweater that launched a thousand memes. One of the underrated positives of this sweater is how worn it actually looks. Note the tear in the weave around Chris Evans’ neck that shows that the knit is well-made enough to sustain a hole but not impervious to damage. The cuffs are slightly frayed, the pattern bulges slightly over his biceps. 

It’s a great sweater. It’s probably pretty cozy too. Fisherman sweaters like Random are meant to keep out super cold weather and high wind though, so they’re not the best choice for indoor coziness. Twenty minutes sitting in front of the fire at a ski lodge would have Ransom tearing this off before he starts sweating. 

Actually, you know what? That’s fine too. 

5. Mr. Rogers’ cardigan, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood 

Is it kind of a cop-out to use A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood an an excuse to get Mr. Rogers’ cardigan on this list? No. Because the A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood cardigan had the distinction of being worn by Tom Hanks playing Fred Rogers, which makes it the single most comforting article of clothing ever weaved. 

Pleasant childhood associations aside though, it’s a fairly simple cardigan by itself. Mr. Rogers certainly looks comfortable in it, but when it comes to something you’d want to snuggle up with for hours, a zip-up sweater is rarely anyone’s first choice. 

4. Lara Jean’s striped turtleneck, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

Gen may have been sarcastic when she complimented Lara Jean’s first day of school outfit in To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, but anyone with eyes knows that Miss Covey had her colorful, romantic look on lock from day one. Her striped turtleneck sets her apart from the other students at her school and has popped up in fanart as mood boards as an essential Lara Jean statement piece. 

Lara Jean’s turtleneck is high on the list because she simply wouldn’t wear a sweater if it didn’t make her feel good. Her choices, fashion or otherwise, are never about looking cool at the expense of comfort because Lara Jean knows exactly who she is. Her striped sweater is as cozy as her warm, affectionate heart. 

3. The cutoff sweatshirt, Flashdance

Yes, this is a sweatshirt and not a sweater. For Flashdance, sweater is simply in the eye of the beholder. The extremely 80s cutoff sweatshirt look is best exemplified in Alex’s recognizable dancewear — the fashionable predecessor to today’s athleisure craze. Dancewear by definition has to be comfortable to allow a maximum range of movement, and considering the moves Alex pulled off in her soft, worn sweatshirt you know it had to be comfy as heck. 

2. The Dude’s Pendleton sweater, The Big Lebowski

It may seem strange that The Dude’s sweater is so high on this list, but the thing about his sweater is that it’s a legitimate Pendleton knit piece. Pendleton sweaters (and blankets, to be fair) do not mess around when it comes to cozy. They are also very, very expensive. 

It’s weird because  The Big Lebowski is entirely about Jeff having no money, but he somehow has a well known luxury cardigan as a wardrobe stable. That means he’s either had it as an investment piece forever or it was a hand-me-down from someone else. Either way, that Pendleton has got to be extra soft from years of wear. 

1. Weasley sweater, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

It was always going to be this sweater. No sweater is cozier than one made of magic and love. Mrs. Weasley learned that Harry never got Christmas presents and made sure her son’s best friend had something under the tree for the first time since his parents died. 

The Weasley sweater is way more than yarn, it’s family and belonging tied up in the shape of The Boy Who Lived. In its knit is the coziness of friendship, and there’s nothing softer than that.