Is there another garment as ubiquitous yet hard to find the perfect match for as the sweater? It might be due to the never-ending list of options, or that every person has such specific preferences, or the blanket-like comfort that we’re constantly chasing (in other people and our knitwear decisions). Everyone needs a sweater and everyone has their own opinion on which one. We’re flipping the strategy this season and testing the theory that maybe we’re just looking in the wrong places for the wrong things when it comes to that one sweater that’s going to finally put an end to sweater shopping for the season. I call those my “sweaters of the season,” and luckily for me (and my bank account) I found mine early on and proceeded to wear it for two weeks straight, letting it collect lint and experimenting with every styling iteration possible.
Take a chance on a novelty knit. A colorful, intarsia, wild one that may not function in the same way as yet another black crewneck, but can promise to satisfy and leave you brainstorming the next opportunity to wear it.
We scoured the fashion market for some of the most heart-sparking knits and took them for a spin on a crispy, misty autumn afternoon. Scroll through for the fall knits worth playing in this season.
Sweater-scaping
A Bob Ross painting: the knitwear edition. Escape to greener, warmer times via your sweater. Go full-on art-teacher mode with a flowery slip skirt and tights to match or take an art-student approach with casual color-block pants and contrasting sneakers. Either way, you'll be set up for a very creative hibernation. Stock up on oil paints and watercolors.
Impressionable Knit Kit
The phrase sweater weather may no longer provoke the same whimsical, fuzzy feelings that it used to, but the sentiment remains. When the leaves crunch, our sweaters also get the opportunity to breathe in the autumn air. Don’t shy away from the colorful technicolor pieces. It might feel like they’re so memorable that they leave an impression that makes it difficult to re-wear again and again, but we’re as bold as these sweaters and don’t subscribe to the ideology of outfit-repeating being something negative.
Be Prep-ared
Grab your backpack, we’re heading back to school — that is, only if your school is in the Shetlands surrounded by cliffs and probably requires a horseback-riding course. Intarsia Fair Isle knit sweaters, deconstructed or not, put us in the mood to up and leave for the countryside. Best when paired with Chopova Lowena skirts that marry Bulgarian tradition with folkloric rock-climbing ropes. Love, your Fair Isle friend.
Lightweight Knit Champion
Lest we forget that chunky knits are not the only knits around. While a good, heavy sweater can provide the same anxiety-reducing comfort as a weighted blanket (except on the go), a light knit is for the days where you want to be nimble. Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean we won’t emerge from hibernation at all and in those events we’ll opt for our ribbed-knit sweaters, aka thicker, winter-ready long sleeves. Throw on something more substantial when you’re layering up, but don’t overlook the heating power of something less chunky and hunky too.
Don’t fall into the black hole of endless knitwear purchases this season and don’t let neutral sweaters keep you from having lots and lots of fun.
Credits:
Photographer: Emily Lipson
Stylist: Michelle Li
Hair: Kiyonori Sudo
Makeup: Tracy Alfajora
Models: Sahara Lin, Beauty Thet Thinn, Eftagine Fevilien
Producer: Paige Viti
Casting: Morgan Senesi
