Every year, I buy a sweater for my brother for Christmas. He is self-conscious about wearing sweaters because the vast majority of patterned sweaters have horizontal stripes. He is shorter than the average height for men and he feels horizontal stripes call attention to this fact, So every year is another search for a well made, vertical stripe sweater. Well, Christmas came in July for me with this Luigi Baldo ribbed sweater. Its dark blue, but the ribbing is black, creating a very subtle, classy vertical stripe. Cant wait for Christmas - I know hes going to LOVE this!