History Main / DorkInASweater

* UsefulNotes/SteveJobs was famously associated with this look, but thanks to his success running Apple and turning it into one of the most powerful tech companies in the world, he turned it into a subversion. He may have looked the part and had a background in a stereotypically nerdy industry, but at the height of his fame, his IconicOutfit of a black turtleneck sweater and glasses was seen as less "dorky" than "techno-wizard CEO".

[[caption-width-right:209:Sweaters? Jinkies!]]

* Charles Xavier in ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' is definitely a dork of the HiddenBadass variety. The {{Fandom}} loves to affectionately mock his "old man cardigans," but this endearingly geeky man can [[PsychicPowers melt people's brains]].
* ''Film/TheSantaClause'': Neil wears goofy sweaters, one of which Bernard thinks was made at the North Pole.

* The HitmanWithAHeart protagonist of Russian cult neo-noir ''Film/Brother1997'' wears a cable knit sweater that makes him look less threatening and more relatable. Out in the real world, the film single-handedly made this article of clothing seem manly and badass.

* In ''Literature/BridgetJones'' the LoveInterest is introduced wearing a cheesy Christmas jumper with a reindeer's head on it.
* Lady Margolotta, {{Uberwald}}'s regional political [[TheChessmaster Chessmistress]] in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' series, wears a pink sweater with little embroidered bats to [[ExploitedTrope make herself look like an unassuming middle-aged mom]].
* In the non-fiction book ''Stitch and Bitch'', Debbie Stoller invokes this in her explanation for the superstition that knitting your boyfriend or girlfriend a sweater dooms the relationship: if you put all that work into a sweater but your special someone never wears it because it looks wrong, you could end up resenting each other.

* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'': John Watson isn't exactly a nerd, but he has a few dorky qualities and under ordinary circumstances, he's rather less intimidating than his six-foot-tall EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette best friend. Under [[BewareTheNiceOnes extraordinary circumstances]], however, he's a BAMF.

* The guys in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', all of whom are [[PlanetOfHats dorks]]. Raj and Howard occasionally wear sweater vests more than the others. This also extends to Bernadette, whose usual ensemble pairs a dress with a cardigan sweater, and who has a doctorate in microbiology.

* ''Series/{{Friends}}'':
** Chandler Bing is a geeky guy who usually wears a sweater.
** Ross is a dinosaur nerd -- he's a paleontologist who works in a museum and later becomes a professor at university. He often wears turtleneck sweaters.
* James May of ''Series/TopGearUK'', considered TheSmartGuy of the three presenters, is also the only one of them seen on the show in brightly-colored sweaters and cardigans.

* Poked fun at in a ''Series/MadTV1995'' sketch making fun at ''Film/FreedomWriters'' and the SaveOurStudents trope. The "Nice White Lady" wears a non-threatening sweater and floral blouse, which gets mentioned by a student during a rant.
-->''Look at you in that sweater vest you're wearing and that adorable patterned blouse! What you think is gonna happen here? You think you gonna inspire me? You think you're gonna break through my "tough girl" act and teach me the beauty that's inside? You think you gonna make me do and feel things that I've never had before? All because you're a non-threatening, kindhearted, beautiful white lady?''
* Dr. Spencer Reid of ''Series/CriminalMinds'' often wears sweaters or sweater vests; he ''is'' nerdy and sometimes awkward (mainly because he just [[MotorMouth blurts out]] [[WeirdAside everything he knows]]) but definitely a BadassBookworm.

* At the end of wrestler Freddie Blassie's "Pencil Neck Geek," Freddie wonders why the recording engineer is in the booth wearing a turtleneck sweater in the middle of summer. He enters the booth and rips the sweater open to show the RE has a pencil neck. Freddie proceeds to demolish the studio with him.

* In ''[[VideoGame/PokemonRubyAndSapphire Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire]]'', Maxie, the leader of Team Magma, wears a turtleneck sweater underneath his BadassLongcoat. This befits his characterization as a stern scientist, complete with NerdGlasses that he uses to Mega Evolve his Pokémon.

* In ''Webcomic/DumbingOfAge'', most of Joyce's outfits involve sweater vests. This fashion-backward look fits her status as the sheltered [[TheFundamentalist fundie]].
* ''[[http://www.therebusquestwebsite.com/ Rebusquest]]'': Carson. It's not so much because Carson is a nerd, but rather because the comics are a throwback to TheSeventies when turtlenecks sweaters were very fashionable.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Ned Flanders, the Simpson family's overly-cheery neighbor, always wears a bright green sweater with a pink collar.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': Dean Venture, being an {{expy}} of a young [[ComicBook/SpiderMan Peter Parker]], typically wears a sweater vest. He can be a formidable character even though he's [[CowardlyLion easily terrified]].
* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'': In his civilian identity, the 'terror that flaps in the night' wears a pink and green dorky sweater, which makes for amusing dissonance when he acts like his superhero identity around his family and friends. Also, he (and all his evil counterparts) all wear a turtleneck sweater underneath their suit jacket costume.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', Timmy's genius friend A.J. wears a sweater vest. In Season 4 "Who's Your Daddy", Timmy and Cosmo call the sweater vest a "girl magnet" and when Jorgen poofs himself a sweater vest it attracts the attention of the Tooth Fairy.
-->'''Jorgen:''' You would think that without the sleeves it would be less of a sweater, but it's actually more!
* ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'': Velma Dinkley's most iconic outfit consists of a pleated red skirt, orange knee-socks, red Mary Jane-shoes, NerdGlasses, and a bulky orange sweater. She's also the most intelligent member of the gang (being the one who typically figures out almost all of their mysteries) and is arguably the most fearless member of the group as well.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheCritic'': Jay Sherman, the eponymous Critic, usually wears an argyle sweater vest.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'': The title character wears a green sweater vest as part of his main outfit.
* ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'': Cricket’s nerdy friend Remy is usually seen wearing a sweater-vest.
* ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987'': Irma, April's dorky best friend, usually wears a light blue sweater with a turtleneck. To further drive home the dork factor, she wears glasses that are almost too big for her face, pairs the sweater with a long gray skirt and tennis shoes, and spends most of her screen time moping about her unsuccessful love life.

* ''WesternAnimation/MiloMurphysLaw'': Milo himself. He wears a sweater vest and the theme song makes it clear that he thinks it's cool.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': Lisa, the nerdiest Loud sister, wears a green turtleneck.
* One of the key items of [[Characters/GravityFallsTheAuthor the Author]] from ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' is a dark red turtleneck sweater. Considering that he wrote the GreatBigBookOfEverything that doubles as a TomeOfEldritchLore describing all of the weird stuff going on in the titular town and [[spoiler:that he was the bookish, nerdy twin contrasting his boisterous brother Stanley]], he's an example.

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaPresentsTheRidonculousRace'' has the Geniuses, a team consisting of two highly intelligent college students. Both of them wear sweaters.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Beetlejuice}}'' cartoon, a couple episodes introduce Donny, BJ's annoying brother. Donny is a colossal dork who works on almost everyone's nerves eventually because he's so ''nice'', and this is accentuated by his sweater ensemble and bow tie.
** Also, in one episode Beetlejuice himself dons a sweater specifically to invoke this trope. He enters a contest in which the participants have to dress like living people, and his costume includes a letterman sweater and glasses. The contest announcer lampshades it, observing that BJ has opted for "a traditional 1950s dork look."

* One of the key items of the Author from ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' is a dark red turtleneck sweater. Considering that he wrote the GreatBigBookOfEverything that doubles as a TomeOfEldritchLore describing all of the weird stuff going on in the titular town and [[spoiler:that he was the bookish, nerdy twin contrasting his boisterous brother Stanley]], he's an example.

** Courtney is a downplayed example; she wears a gray sweater over a white collared shirt, and is an AcademicAlphaBitch.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': Dean Venture, being an {{expy}} of a young [[Franchise/SpiderMan Peter Parker]], typically wears a sweater vest. He can be a formidable character even though he's [[CowardlyLion easily terrified]].

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'': Peter Parker often wore sweaters before being bitten by the spider. He rarely does after.
* During Creator/TerryMoore's run on ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'', [[FishOutOfTemporalWater Klara]] was frequently seen in sweaters, symbolizing just how out of place she was in 21st century Malibu.

Keep in mind, however, that while Dorks In Sweaters don't ''look'' dangerous, that does not mean they are necessarily harmless. The various HiddenBadass tropes may apply. A character may look like this when he's (or she's) obligated to wear the HomemadeSweaterFromHell. This trope can overlap with SweaterGirl if the lady in question is more of a HotLibrarian than a conventional bombshell, and CuteOversizedSleeves if the character is adorably dorky. Also TheSmartGuy of a group usually could dress this.

* From ''Series/DoctorWho'', the [[https://blog.lovarzi.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/seventh-doctor-15255a09-cf05-4e2e-81e4-d8ae78ac32d-resize-750.jpeg Seventh Doctor]] starts his tenure off as a pratfalling goof who rocks an astonishingly tacky question-mark sweater vest. Later adventures in the ExpandedUniverse have him as much more of a [[TheChessmaster Chessmaster]] and upgrade his outfit to a WaistcoatOfStyle instead.

* In ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'', two of the [[AnthropomorphicPersonification Anthropomorphic Personifications]] of emotions, both decidedly dorky, wear sweaters. The first, [[TheEeyore Sadness]], has an oversized white turtleneck that comes across as the kind of thing someone would wear on a gray, gloomy day. The second, [[NervousWreck Fear]], has an argyle sweater vest paired with a bow tie. Both Sadness and Fear are among the smarter members of the emotion team: Sadness studies operation manuals and knows the most about inner workings of the brain, while Fear's duty involves him being CrazyPrepared and thus researching as much about danger as he can.

* James May of ''Series/TopGear'', considered TheSmartGuy of the three presenters, is also the only one of them seen on the show in brightly-colored sweaters and cardigans.

* Poked fun at in a ''Series/MadTV'' sketch making fun at ''Film/FreedomWriters'' and the SaveOurStudents trope. The "Nice White Lady" wears a non-threatening sweater and floral blouse, which gets mentioned by a student during a rant.