Wrapping Up

It’s late October, which means it’s time to wrap up warm and what better way to do that than with a nice cozy cardigan. But cardigans are useful not only as a means of keeping us warm in wintry weather, but also as a way of dressing down a Topshop tea dress or making an outfit less “obvious”. There is nothing I hate more than an ensemble derived from only one shop because even though it might look quite on-trend, it smacks of a lack of imagination and can appear embarrassingly new. A cardigan is a simple solution, its comforting, battered woolliness an ideal antidote to satins, polyesters and all the other man-made fabrics that our dresses are made of.

I usually buy my simple black or grey cardigans from Marks and Spencer and aim for the plainest knits I can find. I think that when teamed with more colourful and interesting pieces, they create a nice contrast, counteracting any hint of shiny high street-ness. Replacing the plain plastic buttons with brass, leather or wooden ones can brighten things up and also helps to ensure that you’re not wearing exactly the same cardigan as your granny.

There are lots of big chunky knits and colourful Fair Isle cardis around this winter and you have a couple of choices with these. You can team them with plainer partners, but that may mean that you end up looking a little like a German exchange student who’s picked up their cardigan in a craft shop. Instead, embrace their propensity to clash, layering them over check shirts, floral dresses and stripy t-shirts.