It is inevitable that, as a functioning member of society, you have probably had to venture outdoors in the past few weeks for one reason or another. So even if your only contact with the elements involves the trip from the front door to the bus stop, braving the quad (which is rapidly transforming into its winter state of a blustery, wind-swept tundra) or dealing with the smoking ban being enforced on all bars and restaurants in the state, you are inevitably noticing the climate change. The season is autumn, the leaves are brown and the weather is sweater. That’s right kids, it’s layerin’ time! Autumn brings with it a new freedom that we haven’t been experiencing since the weather got warm. You see, in the summer, there’s only so much you can strip off to combat the heat; but in cooler weather, you can add as many layers as you need to be comfortable! That is the beauty of fall collections- more clothes, more to love.
At the first signs of temperature drop, we observe the appearance of all these lovely, gauzy knit cardigans. Cardigans, of course, are classics, but they spent much of their time before roughly two springs ago tied around the shoulders of little old ladies and the waists of tennis-playing yuppies. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against little old ladies and yuppies, but I never said they were traditionally icons of younger style, either. With the popularization of preppy chic among the hipsters (forming a bizarre race of half-breeds that I like to call ‘prepsters’) the cardigan has been reborn as an important staple in the modern wardrobe. If you look hard enough, you can find a cardigan in any color, cut, weight or style to match any casual outfit. A wonderful by-product of the cardigan trend is its impact on the ‘blocks of color’ style philosophy that has been popularized by the onset of jersey cotton being used in so many more ways than the t-shirt lately. My good friend, “A,” is just about as close to an expert (however incidentally) as you can get on ‘blocks of color.’ Her outfits rarely involve patterns, include the occasional print but mostly use simple colors on basic shapes- the tee, the tank, simple summer dresses, tunics, even into shoes and pants. Stripes or polka-dots now and then, but in tasteful moderation. These outfits always come together beautifully and often involve layers and sometimes our beloved cardigan. The beauty of her style is that, in its simplicity, it pays tribute to each and every color as independent yet complementary bodies. Cardigans are a splendid medium to get into this. It can pump up a drab color scheme with say, a yellow on grey (HUGE colors last season) or with the stand-by black, you can bring sophistication to something as simple as a solid color tee.
Another current trend in sweaters that I’ve been a fan of for quite some time is the shawl-neck. A shawl-neck appears on knit sweaters as that extra fold going around the sides and back of the neck and coming to a “V” on the chest. It’s called a shawl-neck for the obvious reason- it resembles a little shawl hugging the collar of a heavier v-neck sweater. A few years back, my vintage beige cable-knit shawl-neck cardigan earned me the nickname ‘grampaw,’ but now I just get compliments and people ask where I got it. I tell them the truth: for 25 cents at a crummy thrift store six years ago. Your personal style and informed foresight will bring you plenty of great finds. Nowadays, the shawl-neck is all over the place. It’s weaseled its way into the men’s and women’s collections of the hottest designers and is garnering much better widespread appreciation. You go, shawl-neck!
Sweaters keep you warm, add sharpness to your look and work almost as an accessory with such ease of wear. A favorite sweater can be like wearing a favorite blanket on your shoulders all day. Comfort and style- isn’t that what it’s all about?
BRING IT ON! I’d like to do a few pieces with a question-and-answer section. I invite ANYONE to e-mail questions, comments or topic suggestions to me at thestamp1@gmail.com. I’d like to include you in future issues!