I cannot write, talk or even think about “sweater weather” without imagining this clip. But as we enter the last month of autumn, the season of cosy knits has undoubtedly arrived.
Since I moved to Sydney last year, my knitwear hardly ever gets worn (in fact most of it is still in storage at my mum’s house in Melbourne). I miss it – there is something soothing about cool mornings and shuffling around the house in layers of knitwear.
My favourite jumper is a thick navy cable knit made from a three-ply merino wool yarn. It’s so heavy it’s warmer than most of my jackets. Wearing it really does feel like a hug. But I’m not the only one with a soft spot for cosy jumpers and cardigans. Here, five stylists and designers describe their favourite knitwear.
‘The vibe is very cottage by the sea or après-ski’
“I think the sign of a good knit is when there’s something comforting about wearing it,” the Melbourne designer Jason Hewitt says. He’s had his favourite – a cream and black striped roll-neck from Gucci – for almost 10 years. It’s made from a wool and cotton blend with a thick horizontal rib.
“I bought it at an insane markdown online after too many wines,” he says. “The vibe is very cottage by the sea or après-ski.”
Hewitt usually wears it under a long, oversize coat or a leather jacket with baggy jeans. The stripes make it trans-seasonal too, so when the weather is a bit unpredictable in autumn and spring he pairs it with loose shorts. “I know it sounds silly, but it works.”
‘It isn’t so hot … and I love the colour’
The Melbourne designer Christian Kimber’s favourite knit is a deep shade of inky cornflower blue with a polo neck and buttons that open at the top of the chest. It’s made from a cashmere and wool mouliné yarn (a yarn made with two different coloured threads twisted together).
“The buttons allow for the open neck, which means it isn’t so hot because it can let some heat out,” he says. “And I really love the colour.”
The jumper is a relaxed fit and is versatile – he tends to wear it with lighter denim and a navy T-shirt underneath. “It also looks lovely with a navy cashmere overcoat or a charcoal blazer,” he says. “But it’s more suited to casual looks.”
‘I get a lot of compliments on it’
“I find good knits very hard to come by,” the stylist Thomas Townsend says. “If the knit is too thick somehow I always end up looking like George Michael in a Christmas movie and if the knit is too thin then what’s the point?”
In Sydney’s mild winters, he prefers knits made from cotton – his favourite is from Acne Studios. “I get a lot of compliments on it,” he says.
It has an acid wash that gives it an irregular, mottled finish. “It’s thick enough for those cold autumn mornings and light enough to wear over your shoulders when it inevitably gets warmer around lunch,” he says. “It also breathes!”
‘It’s like a blanket’
The best cardigan Mikey Ayoubi has ever owned is from the Melbourne label Nique. It’s made of black Australian merino wool and has a thick, tight knit. “It’s so good because it’s like a blanket you can grab and wrap,” says Ayoubi, a Sydney-based stylist. “I use it when I’m in the mountains where it’s absolutely freezing from April to October.”
He wears the cardigan with a white T-shirt and long loose shorts, in a style he describes as “American sport”, reminiscent of designers like Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren in the 1990s.
But he prizes it for its structure and warmth. “I’m a larger frame so I prefer when it’s not just about the fit to create warmth and it is also about getting it to work in an outfit and look stylish,” he says.
The jumper with pockets
Jeremy Hershan, the Sydney-based designer and founder of Haulier, collects vintage clothing including military, sportswear and workwear. “I firmly believe that clothing only gets better with age and wear,” he says.
For his label Haulier, he’s created a modern version of the Guernsey sweater – the traditional fisher’s jumpers of the Channel Islands – that has become his favourite knit. It’s bright red with a deep V-neck and is made from a blend of fine Australian merino wool and cashmere. It also has pockets. He wears it with denim and a cotton mesh T-shirt or singlet; in the evenings, he pairs it with leather trousers.
