Knitwear! Possibly my favourite thing in the world…. after dancing, cocktails and the almighty combo of fresh sheets after a hot bath.
Every autumn, I can be found rubbing my hands with glee as the cold weather approaches. Bring me fallen leaves and crisp mornings! I am the girl with all the layers, and the start of autumn is prime shopping time for me.
This autumn I actually cried little happy tears at the huge knitwear delivery we had. (I was grumbling the next day when I realized I had to put it all away and write all the labels, but still).
Charli was in store with me, and we made the executive decision that trying everything on was far more important than anything else we had on our to-do list. (which is why I couldn’t grumble too hard the next day as I’d brought it on myself!)
First out of the box were the Fair Isle sweaters, cardigans and dresses. Oh. Em. Gee. The colours!! How beautifully seasonal (and tastefully executed too. One does see some garish knits oftentimes from the high street.)
The Fair Isle cardigan is an excellent shape, and as a buxom 12-14 I found the medium to be perfect. It felt fitted in a relaxed way, but without excess fabric. It’s a short length shape, but not as cropped as the Fabulous 1940s style. The Fair Isle cardigan has a strong shoulder shape when you first wear it, but I know from owning MANY cardigans from the maker that the silhouette calms down after a few wears. (I do know some of our regular ladies puff the shoulders as much as possible though)
The Fair Isle sweater TOTALLY stole my heart. We’ve never stocked it before and I can’t fathom why- as it was so totally adorable. It’s got short sleeves (although it covered a good part of my upper arm still) but it was still very warm. I just loved it.
It’s a close fit, so it’s more of a top than something you’d wear as a jumper, and I can see it going nicely over our silk cami tops for that ultimate in luxurious layered warmth, or under the cardigan for maximum knit!
The Fair Isle Knit Dress was an absolute revelation. We’ve had knitted dresses before that have been insanely popular, and this dress just leaves them all standing, really. Why? I mean, apart from the gorgeous colours, it has what looks like a defined waistband section, meaning you don’t feel like a woolly box. Huzzah! Unless you are extremely tall, you’ll be able to put this waistband where it suits you (a real blessing). The only thing to decide now is which colour? I love the wine, as it makes me feel all festive, but I love the tone of the blue- I think it might have an edge over the wine in terms of rewearability.
Last but not least we have our much beloved Fabulous 40s cardigan. Once again it’s that perfect cropped length for high-waisted trousers and skirts (…and ladies less blessed with height.) Choose from a lovely minty Leaf Green, golden hued Mustard, or wait for Wine which arrives later this month. (We got a couple of samples so we could see the colour, obviously we’ll let you know once it’s available in store and online).
I don’t need to go into raptures about this cardi, it should be enough for me to say that there are some ladies on the team who have many, and get a new one every winter. But I'm not going to mention any names :)