JFS STYLE

Michelle Obama’s neat, little 'cardies’ are so 2009. This season, big it up in supersize knitwear.

This has certainly been the year of the cardigan. Where once it warmed only the hunched and bony shoulders of EastEnders’ Dot Cotton, or strained over the ample bosoms of Nessa in Gavin & Stacey, the “cardie” is now a major fashion item.

Championed by none other than the fashion icon that is America’s First Lady, the humble, little cardigan has been elevated to superstar status. Whether they are jewelled by Junya Watanabe or canary-coloured and cannily sourced from the J.Crew catalogue, Mrs Obama has run the gamut of cardigan style, flawlessly demonstrating how these knits can look as at home on the campaign trail as they do in the White House and at No 10 Downing Street. She wore a cardigan to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen in April, and yet another one in Oslo when her husband collected the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month.

Michelle O’s personal choice is for the “little” cardigan in strong, primary colours, as bright as a box of crayons, and it has done her proud – until now.

But now, you see, as temperatures plummet on both sides of the Atlantic, the little cardigan must move into “Super-size me” mode. The time has come for it to grow ever larger, the rival to a jacket, the equal of a coat, but oh so much cosier.

Designers actually pre-empted the emergence of the “Super-Cardigan” way back in March, when their autumn/winter collections hit the runway. There were oversized, beaded and embroidered knitted flowers appliquéd onto a wraparound “coatigan” in Antonio Marras’s collection for Kenzo; “Magic Carpet” jacquards from Etro; multi-coloured tribal motifs at Diane von Furstenberg and Matthew Williamson; and hieroglyphic symbols at Missoni. More knit fantasia than fireside plain-and-purl, these were cardigans at their wildest and woolliest.

The knit frenzy was not confined just to the Super-Cardigan, either. There were matching sweater dresses and leggings, and a whole host of knitted accessories including pom-pom hats, arm warmers and leg warmers, trailing, fringed scarves and snuggly snoods. By Hilary Alexander, Fashion Director

http://jfsstyle.blogspot.com

Share

http://video2be.com

Knitwear for a warm winter

JFS STYLE

Labels

1 Step Guide To Find The Best Hotel Rates
	Compare all top travel sites at once at HotelsCombined