Ralph Lauren men's sweatshirts and jumpers

Ralph Lauren knitwear is the category where the house shows the biggest gap between its lines: a merino wool jumper from a carefully made line and a logo sweatshirt from a diffusion line share neither the same fabric nor the same longevity. So the composition label should be read before the price. On size, the brand moved from a roomy cut to Custom Fit and Slim Fit cuts, so two pieces of the same size can hang very differently depending on their year. On a pre-owned knit, wear shows first at the ribbed edges - cuffs, hem, neckline - which lose their spring before the knit itself suffers. Then look for pilling at the elbows and under the arms, and on wool inspect the inside seams, where any moth damage appears before it shows on the surface.