Best Jumpers for Sweater Weather (You’ll Wear on Repeat)

Sweater weather is definitely upon us once more, so it’s time to dig out the knitwear and hope the moths haven’t got their first. I use these in my knitwear drawer to combat them and, touch (cedar) wood, I’ve not been plagued by those little wool-eating bastards since.

Let’s start with my rules for looking after your knits, so you can be sure they’ll last way beyond a single season. I rarely dry clean mine, though obviously it’s a great option, but here’s what I do instead…

Only wash knitwear if you REALLY have to. Use a fabric spray to refresh if they aren’t actually dirty.
If you MUST wash, use a wool-specific liquid and the lowest heat possible in the machine.
Always dry your knits as flat as you can. I put mine on a towel over the radiator, and that seems to work well.
Keep you jumpers folded in drawers rather than hung in the wardrobe.
If you must hang them, use these padded hangers so they don’t lose shape.

I’m sure there are experts out there who have plenty of better advice than I do, but this tends to work for me. Now, let’s have a look at some new knits and how to style them.

THE CASHMERE KNIT

Cashmere is the king of all knitwear and its price reflects that. But if you want something super-soft and luxurious, you need some quality cashmere in your life. On the high street, the brands that do the best-quality cashmere are COS, ME + EM, Reformation and Jigsaw. Uniqlo also do very good cashmere, but their lower price reflects that it isn’t quite as soft as those other brands. That said, Uniqlo’s new cashmere-blend Heattech tops are absolute winners for layering, as are their fine merino jumpers that I live in during the winter months. This outfit is perfect to style with a pair of my slightly sweary mittens of course.

THE POLO KNIT

This is a newer style for me this season, but it’s one that keeps cropping up all over the place. A great alternative to a simple V‑neck for those who favour that shape. Good for layering over white T‑shirts and vest tops. I’m a big fan of this cobalt blue colour for this winter.

THE FAIR ISLE KNIT

It wouldn’t be a post about winter knits without a nod to the Fair Isle style. It’s not just for Christmas, you know. Choose a more muted pattern and you can wear it all winter. This one from COS is my favourite. Nicely oversized, it’s perfect for wearing with a mini skirt and tights to stop you looking too ‘Country Casuals’ (although we’ve learnt that heritage country chic is something we CAN be doing this year).

THE INTERESTING DETAIL KNIT

It could be a frill, a fancy button, a shape that’s a little out of the ordinary… Or, like this one from Jigsaw and this one from Toast, an integrated neck tie to nail that trend without even having to think about it.

THE SMALL BRAND KNIT

There are so many great small brands making fantastic knitwear right now. So if you’d like something not everyone is wearing, do take a look at these. Five of my favourite independent UK knitwear brands are:

Hades: For very cool, unique, music-inspired knits. They also did an amazing collab last year with Tilda Swinton.

Suermondt: Small-batch designs, a lot of which are made to order. My favourite is the cashmere sticker jumper that you can have embroidered with the expression of your choice.

Slow Love: The actual sister company to Suermondt – founded by Holly, designed by Grace. Their signature style is this chunky-knit oversized cotton jumper.

Charl Knitwear: Heritage-style knits based on traditional Norfolk fisherman’s jumpers. All made from certified 100% British wool. Their signature design is the Craske sweater.

Black & Beech: Of course this is one of my favourites as I am in the 3rd year of collaborating with them. This year, along with our cashmere and merino wool mittens we have done a lambswool jumper. It’s fully reversible and embroidered with a feeling on both sides. This video here explains it further.

THE ARGYLE KNIT

Another classic – like the Fair Isle – that never really goes out of fashion but now has its turn in the spotlight. You can’t move for this pattern on the high street this year. There’s something for all price points if you fancy a outfit refresh, from less than £30 at New Look to over £400 at & Daughter plus everything in between. Special mention also has to go to these trousers from Aligne. They are probably THE perfect pair of black trousers.

THE STRIPE KNIT

We do love a good stripe, time and time again. Every year, you just can’t beat it. This one from Jigsaw mixes two of the key colours for this season. I bought this from Reformation when I was in New York (the only thing that was marginally cheaper there than here), and it’s a super-soft winner of a sweater.

Oh, and also, for de-bobbling your old knitwear, get yourself one of these sweater combs. I find them safer to use than the shavers.

K x

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