Where would our winter capsule wardrobes be without knitwear? Whether you’ve invested in the best cashmere jumpers or love affordable pieces, one thing we can all agree on is how useful sweaters and cardigans are as an outfit staple.
They keep us warm and can be dressed down or up with everything from jeans to leather trousers and skirts. However, knitwear doesn’t only mean tops and Mary Berry has just got me wondering why I’ve never matched my jumpers and scarves before.
She did this for promotional pictures and a video for her upcoming series, A Mary Berry Christmas. The queen of baking styled a snowy-white, crew-knit with a matching chunky scarf, which she looped round her neck.
Recreate Mary's Cosy Outfit
This cashmere jumper from M&S is a luxurious addition to anyone's knitwear collection and is more streamlined than Mary's thick knit. However, it would also work well with a matching scarf and the rich brown-taupe tone is very versatile.
Slouchy and relaxed, this off-white jumper is a gorgeous piece to incorporate into winter outfits. It would look great with blue or black jeans, as well as with leather trousers. Like Mary's jumper, this has a crew-neckline and ribbed trims. The fabric blend features alpaca and wool.
Now back in stock on the Nobody's Child website, this white cable-knit jumper is sure to fly off the shelves again soon as it's so timeless and easy to style. It's deliberately oversized and has ribbed trims and the cable pattern running down the sleeves.
This scarf perfectly matches the M&S cashmere jumper in the colour 'mole' and would look equally chic worn with a contrasting jumper or shirt too. It's one of those pieces that would make a lovely gift for someone, or a treat for yourself for Christmas.
Part of the H&M Premium Collection, this scarf is made from a wool and cashmere-blend which makes it soft, warm and breathable. The ends are ribbed and the rest of the scarf is covered with a traditional cable-knit design.
Available in a variety of other colours too, this white scarf from GAP has a brushed finish that makes it look extra cosy. There is fringing on the ends and the material has 20% wool in it to keep you warm throughout the colder months.
Both the jumper and scarf had ribbed detailing on the ends and appeared like they could’ve been part of a set. I wasn’t sold on the scarfigan trend (designs that combine scarfs and cardigans) earlier this year and Mary clearly isn’t a fan of it either.
Her way of styling a coordinating jumper and scarf is much more versatile, as you can wear them separately as well as together. There is something about how perfectly they go together, though, that made her simple jeans-and-a-jumper ensemble feel very elegant and cohesive.
Even small amounts of coordination within an outfit can have a big impact and Mary Berry’s choice of a white scarf and sweater was clever. If she’d picked a brighter colour like festive red, the two pieces would have been very bold when worn together and might have been trickier to style separately with other outfits too.
The pale tone also allowed the soft texture of the knitwear to really show up. The food writer paired them with indigo jeans and left the jumper draped over the top to create a relaxed silhouette.
When you’re styling oversized knitwear I think it works best to lean into the casualness with the rest of your clothing. We sadly couldn’t see Mary’s shoes (perhaps we will when A Mary Berry Christmas airs on 17th December), though I would have finished this look off with flat ankle boots or white trainers to tie in with the scarf and jumper.
If winter whites are never going to be your go-to colour palette for the season, I’d recommend picking out a scarf and jumper in another neutral colour you wear all the time and styling them similarly to Mary, with jeans. To make a chic statement if you’re venturing outside in the cold, why not layer over a coat in the same colour to tie everything in together?
She appeared to be inside, with a very festively decorated backdrop, in the video and pictures so a coat wasn’t necessary for her. The scarf was there to help keep her extra cosy as well as bringing a fashionable flourish - and she often does this with her outfits.
When Mary appeared on chef Angela Hartnett and broadcaster Nick Grimshaw’s Dish podcast in December 2022 she wore a rose-pink jumper with a pastel lilac and pink leopard print scarf. Whilst this wasn’t an exact match like her white ones, she clearly loves a coordinated scarf/knitwear look.
