Forget April in Paris. The best time to be here is in the fall.
The city comes back to life with a burst of energy sparked by
the snap of cooler temperatures. In October, with the weather
vacillating between the first crisp days of autumn and nature’s
last “warm kiss” of Indian summer — before the onset of single
digit degree days — sweater dressing is a natural choice for the
transition into winter.
Today, knits represent a bridge between past and future fashion
trends. Coupled with innovation in materials and weaving techniques,
the sleek, sculptural simplicity of jersey attracts a wide range
of customers from jet-set style mavens with million dollar figures
(and budgets), to busy working women. In contrast, handmade knits
are back in vogue, as a backlash to the over-clean minimalist
coordinates promoted by multi-national firms.
Far removed from the weather-beaten lifestyle to which it was
originally geared, the Aran sweater is now considered a chic item,
on display in the world’s top boutiques. Knitting was a collective
activity transmitted from one generation to the next. Patterns
were passed on visually from person to person, and any new discovery
spread like wildfire in the community.
The most creative knitters devised their own stitches and arrangements,
so a typical sweater might contain up to eight different patterns.
Today, Aran knitwear made on or off the Islands, either on machines
or by hand, is a standard product in Irish tourist shops. Younger,
more adventurous, local designers rework traditional motifs in
innovative and imaginative ways.
Though knitting has been around for more than 2,000 years, it
was not until the 15th century that knitted shirts and tunics
appeared on the British islands of Guernsey and Jersey. (Hence,
the name... jersey.) Originally, it was fishermens wives who produced
for their husbands the distinctive sweaters that later “took off”
among the working classes of Europe. The oil in the wool kept
the sailors warm even when wet. By the 1890s the “jersey,” a heavy
blue garment, was adopted by American athletes who wore it before
and after competitions, calling their equivalent “sweat-ers.”
In the 1920s, legendary designers such as Chanel and Lanvin put
a high fashion spin on this otherwise rough attire. Coco Chanel
featured “poor girl” jersey dresses and turtleneck sweaters in
her early collections, which were snapped up by wealthy elegantes
as a comfortable alternative to the corseted silhouettes of the
day. Ten years later, Mainbocher refined these garments even more,
including cardigans with jeweled buttons in his evening collection.
In the late 1950s, Yves Saint Laurent introduced “streetwear”
— turtleneck sweaters worn with navy peacoats — to the world of
French couture, and was tossed out of Dior for doing so. Then,
by the end of the 1960s, as weaving techniques improved, the Italians
made a name for themselves with their infinitely elegant knitwear.
Missoni, Sonia Rykiel, and even Donna Karan in the early days
of her label, all based their image on modern knits.
With today’s youth-oriented market, status is no longer measured
in terms of mink coats and couture ballgowns, rather via cashmere.
Light, soft and incredibly warm, this is the ultimate discreet
luxury. And while there’s “inexpensive” 2-ply cashmere from China
for small budgets (about 595F at Monoprix, in early winter), the
best is from Scotland, where 4-ply is the norm, (fetching from
1,700F to several thousands of francs). The difference between
the two is largely in the texture of the goat’s fleece, the most
prized coming from the soft underbelly of the animal. A top quality
pullover will last for decades with little pilling, while the
cheaper variety start to wear out at the elbows and sleeves, within
a year.
