THE CARDIGAN

This season, designers have taken inspiration from our grandparents: Gucci’s big on florals and carpet prints, while Loewe presents eiderdown patches and loose knits. The fortunes of the cardigan have fluctuated since it was named after the seventh Earl of Cardigan who wore a knitted jacket leading the charge of The Light Brigade in 1854. In the Sixties, cool men wore them on the weekend instead of blazers, in the Seventies they were chunky and belted, and by the early Noughties they had been adopted by indie kids in skinny jeans and Converse. Today, the cardigan is best as a layer — over something simple for contrast, or over a suit, to unnerve. French label Ami layers them between neck-tied shirts and dramatic overcoats, while Miuccia Prada styles hers over classic tailoring. CT Red mohair-wool cardigan, £585, by PRADA