Add cozy style with a cardigan sweater

The humble cardigan, a sometimes forgotten wardrobe staple, is enjoying a surge in popularity this season -- perfect for economy-rocked consumers.

"They're super cozy and comforting and cover a multitude of body imperfections," says Jasmine Chang, executive fashion editor at O, the Oprah magazine.

Cardigans were named for the seventh Earl of Cardigan, a British commander who found the Crimean War a tad chilly, poor guy, and required an extra layer under his uniform. Since then, they've signaled all things preppy and wholesome (Mr. Rogers) or frumpy (Queen Elizabeth II). And this year, they've even gone first-lady chic.

To keep the look modern, try an oversized boyfriend cardigan with leggings or skinny pants, Chang suggests. Or, if the sweater is fitted, pair it with looser pants or A-line skirts.

There are all types out there, from high-end (Long Island's own Christopher Fischer Cashmere) to lower-priced (Gap). Chang usually snaps up something from J. Crew, but this year she inherited a cable sweater, "a favorite of my dad's, who passed this summer," she says. "It's a great reminder that he's still with me." That's the beauty of a cardigan. It's not so much how it looks, but how it makes you feel.