Mulling over the coming season, it has become glaringly obvious to me that there’s a gaping hole in the knitwear market. Namely the ‘evening jumper’ category.
Let me clarify. An evening jumper is a dressy jumper with a little bit of quirky flair. It needs some sort of excitement or surprise, or extravagant detail. But not too much. I admit, I like a hint of novelty in my evening jumpers but only a hint, and it must be juxtaposed against a backdrop of simplicity. So if it’s going to have a bonkers print or motif, the colour, shape and details must be absolutely plain and fuss-free. To quote my styling idol, Polly Allen Mellen in Unzipped, ‘Fussy, finished‘. Indeed. I like Peter Pan collars, some jolly stripage, loveheart-shaped buttons, red, even a jaunty pompom or two, just not all on the same jumper.
The perfect evening jumper needs to be warm and dressy. And crucially for me, mustn’t have a low neckline as I will be wearing about 3 layers of long-sleeve thermal top underneath. My go-to label for getting evening jumpers just right is Sonia Rykiel. Rykiel’s knits are consistently jazzy without being clownish. Bella Freud and Erotokritos do a nice line in them too and to show some skin, I just push the sleeves up and add my Hermes Medor watch or a Cartier-like jewelled bangle. Also – news just in – menswear knit label Sibling is about to launch its first womenswear line. Famed for its primary-coloured leopard-print cardigans and twisted twinsets, it launches at Topshop on September 9th. See, the evening jumper is catching on already…
Blue cashmere-mix sweater, £605, Sonia Rykiel at Net-a-Porter.com
Pompom jumper, £216, Sonia by Sonia Rykiel at Mywardrobe.com
Je T’aime Jane merino wool sweater, £200, Bella Freud
Ginsberg is God merino wool sweater, £200, Bella Freud
Black merino wool jumper, £200, Bella Freud at Net-a-Porter.com
[Catwalk image: Harper's Bazaar]
I have a few good evening sweaters and am desperately wanting more. But I am looking for low necklines and a tight fit. I feel like everything shown is so loose and drape-y these days! I guess I have to hit the stores rather than trying to judge just from online.
This is where vintage can help. The likes of Biba, Ossie Clark and Bus Stop were producing exactly the kind of thing you need. I sold a great Biba jumper with gigantic sequins a while ago, and own a very sexy Ossie jumper with bare shoulders and some weird criss-crossing things going on, and a Bus Stop jumper with strawberries on the front.
Cardigans with novelty buttons are also a weakness of mine
Betsey Johnson
xoxo
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