Girl Wearing A Christmas Sweater

A garment of this type was originally named a sweater either because it was designed to absorb sweat, or the garment was designed to promote a sweat during exercise. It has now become a household name, and other styles of garment (as named above) have kept the original term. A thermal t-shirt is not considered a sweater.
Sweater
Even within these groups, there is a great variety of design. All the various types of necklines are found, although the V-neck, turtleneck and the crew neck are the most popular. The waistline is typically at hip height, but can vary significantly. A typical sweater for woman is waist length, slightly overlapping the waist of the pants or skirt. In contrast to the more "skin revealing tops" for women that can be seen today, the sweater remains a conservative garment. A normal waist-length sweater, worn alone, will only show the arms if short sleeved. Although some sweaters are cropped by design and expose the midriff (in more modern styles), the hip height sweater is modest, typically only revealing a slight amount of skin in the back, near the waist, if the wearer is sitting or bending. The sleeve length is likewise variable, ranging from small cap sleeves to short sleeves to three-quarter sleeves to full-length sleeves. The front seam of a cardigan allows for further possibilities, such as a surplice or a bolero jacket. All the hems may have various types of borders, such as picots, ribbing (knitting) and frills.