Catwalk cardigans…
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If you wish to part with £1,000, Balenciaga is currently selling a cashmere blend cardigan with a hem sliced to mimic the effect of being trapped and ripped by a car door. Or perhaps you’d prefer to splash that cash (and a bit more) on a reversible version by Gucci that really pushes the brand’s so-gaudyit’s-good aesthetic to the limit? Fashion: bonkers, isn’t it?
While four-figure knitwear created to look destroyed may seem a little too indulgent for many, what it does prove is this: the cardigan is back, and it’s better than ever. After all, if it’s good enough for Balenciaga and Gucci — the two fashion houses that have been setting the style agenda and fluently capturing the zeitgeist for the past few seasons — it’s certainly good enough for us.
Banish all thoughts of that bobbled grey cardy stuffed in the bottom of your wardrobe though as it just won’t cut it this season. On the AW17 catwalks it was all about taking the traditional button-up silhouette and elevating it to statement knit status.
At Christopher Kane, one Angel Delight pink number featured multiple pockets stacked up the arms and oversized mother-of-pearl buttons. Another was formed in holographic-looking coated wool, and another had its buttons replaced with Velcro and was fastened to look as though the model had dressed in a hurry, buttoning it mistakenly.
Meanwhile at Prada, the focus was on embellishment with jewel-tone angora sprinkled with delicate beaded floral motifs, worn with prim pencil skirts. Granny chic at its finest. And at Miu Miu they were short and sweet and cinched at the waist with a belt.
For styling inspiration, the best source remains the street style set — the well-heeled women who attend the bi-annual fashion shows. Fashion director Lisa Aiken has been seen wearing one shrugged off-theshoulders and belted at the waist, while Thora Valdimars has been sporting a cherry red cardy in place of a shirt with a pale blue trouser suit.
But the most popular styling choice is refreshingly simple: pair one with a logo T-shirt and your favourite jeans. If you’re looking to really invest in the trend, opt for
Gucci’s rainbowstriped cashmere cardigan — a modern-day icon from the Italian brand’s creative director Alessandro Michele — or for a more affordable thrill go for Zara’s Western-inspired “coatigan”: it’s cosy, bright and the perfect balm to the dipping temperatures and shortening days.