High Fashion Knitwear (To Make Yourself!)

Confession time: I don’t really follow the world of high fashion knitwear, or high fashion anything else really.

But I did can get behind the trend of “mega jumpers”. Here’s why:

Oversized clothes are about shielding the body and creating an exterior shield to reshape the body from the outside to ward against a sea of troubles. This is a big shift in design after years of neatly tailored clothes that hugged, reformed and supported the body.

AKA: let’s get cozy.

Here’s some sweaters from Louise Trotter via the label Joesph, as featured in Vogue (and I’ll let them provide the captions):

Etsy on acid with a degree in fashion design.

Trotter had even recruited her own mother to skein extra wool through her patched jumpers and to twist her tartan silk-blend pants with hook-and-eye corsetry.

This show was less about design than feeling: And that feeling was rip it all up and start again. Very now.

I’m not sure I’d wear the above, but look at these sweaters from the same show!

I’d wear the heck out of these.

Knit them yourself with these patterns:

Alamere Falls Pullover

Slightly oversized, with drop shoulders and a simple rib. Just like you’d see on the catwalk.

This is a slightly older pattern, so you may have trouble tracking down a copy of the book, but it might well be worth the effort!

• Yarn: Aran
• Needles: 4mm
• Price: Check your local library for a copy of the book.

Janet Pullover

Okay, there are some wee cables in here which stand in for the ribbing, and the sleeves are plain stockingette, but I think this is a pretty good match for the mustard coloured sweater above.

• Yarn: 4ply
• Needles: 4mm
• Price: $6 USD

Leo Sweater

This classic pattern from Knitty is a pretty close replica of the high fashion knitwear above! I know it’s designed for men, and most of the readers here are women, but I don’t see why this sweater wouldn’t work on ladies as well.

• Yarn: DK/8ply
• Needles: 3.5mm
• Price: $6 USD

Morning Ribbed Sweater

Can’t you picture this sweater on the catwalk?

Again, you might have to hunt a little to find the pattern, as it’s in an older Rowen collection. But if you’re keen, the pattern will be out there!

• Yarn: Worsted/10ply
• Needles: 4 and 5mm
• Price: Not listed – check your local libraries for the book.

We’re coming into summer in the Northern hemisphere, but if you cast on now, you’ve got plenty of time to knit one of these beauties by autumn!