I must congratulate the retail industry for offering a greater assortment of sleeved dresses this Winter. While we’re still yearning for a greater assortment of hem lengths, at least we can keep our arms covered sans the extra layer. 

• Eliza J Leather Shoulder Trim Shift Dress: A retro shift with just enough structure to look flattering. Fab leather shoulder insets. 
• Calvin Klein Long Sleeve Cowl Neck Sweater Dress: A little fit and flare for those who prefer frocks that move as they stride. Excellent on a pear shaped body type.
• Eliza J Striped Colorblock Sweater Dress: This dress worked really well on a petite client with an inverted triangle body type, shorter neck and larger bust. Forgiving and comfortable. It’s a pity that the photos do not do this super cute dress justice. 
• Tahari Stripe Sweater Dress: Tailored, refined and ladylike. Nice for the office. 
• Old Navy Snakeskin Print Sweater Dress: One of our curvy forum members recently wowed us when she paired the grey colourway with sheer black hose and flat mid-calf lace-up boots. It’s quite short though, so consider yourself warned. 
• Eliza J Stripe Ponte Shift Dress: As retro as it is modern. A-line, yet streamlined and tailored. Looks even better in person. 
• Amanda Uprichard Ponte Knit Fit & Flare Dress: Excellent on a curvy petite with a shorter neck. 
• Helmut Lang Sonar Wool Asymmetrical Sleeve Dress: A little sheer, but forgiving around the midriff, tummy and hip area nonetheless. The diagonal sleeves are short, but still pretty covered. Wear shapewear if it’s too sheer, and enjoy its avant-garde integrity. One of my clients bought this in grey and looks like a million bucks. 

Match Winter dresses with hose and pumps, or tall slim-fitting boots to elongate the leg line. Wear booties or mid-calf boots for a more fashionable look. Wear dressy slipper flats if you bat for Team Flats.

To clarify, by knitwear I mean knitted sweaters, and not tops made of T-shirt fabric or jersey knits. In my 22 years in the fashion industry I haven’t seen knitwear make as big a statement as it has this year. It has absolutely exploded, with sweaters becoming the fashionable piece, paired with every style of bottom. And there is no stopping the trend. 

In Spring and Summer we saw an abundance of warm weather knitwear in breezy cotton, silk and linen yarns, across all sorts of silhouettes and colours. In Fall and Winter we’re seeing an even larger assortment, and my head is spinning just thinking about it. Fine gauge, semi-chunky, and chunky knitwear in body con, tailored, fluid and oversized fits. Cropped, regular and longer lengths. Pullovers, cardigans, and sweater coats. High-low hemlines, welts, swingy styles, and peplums. V-necks, scoops, boat necks, crews, cowls and turtlenecks. Neutrals, brights, jewel tones, earth tones and pastels. Patterns, heathered yarns, and solids. Merino wool, cashmere, angora, alpaca and man-made fibres. Hardware, cables, mixed media, leather trim, elbow patches, pockets, hoods and asymmetry. Sleeveless, short sleeves, three quarter, and long sleeves. Set-in sleeves, dropped shoulder seams, raglans, round shoulders, and dolmans. Dressy, casual, distressed and sparkly. And textures galore in plenty of non-scratchy fabrications.

WOW. Knitwear is the star of 2013.  

Retail has also offered a wider assortment of coats to complement the knitwear, because coats layer more easily over knitwear than do blazers and jackets. As a result, blazers and jackets have taken a back seat, allowing their knitwear mates to shine. Very unusual. 

I’m a huge yay for the bumper knitwear season. I often find on trend and fashionable pieces lacking in insulation, which is bad news for me because I run cold and live in a chilly city. But not this year. It’s been a brilliant season for me and those of my clients who welcome cozy and warm trendy fashion. We stocked up accordingly. It’s also a breath of fresh air to see knitwear being offered as professional and dressy options. Especially in the middle of Winter when it makes no sense to freeze in a little black sleeveless dress or skimpy blouse. 

Even in Summer, I loved wearing soft slubby fluid and oversized cotton, linen and silk knitwear as an alternative to shirts and blouses. It was a nice modern and extra comfortable addition to my style. I look forward to doing the same in 2014. 

I do realize that I’m very biased in favour of this trend. I love wearing knitwear year round, in all sorts of weights and yarns, depending on the weather. It’s comfortable and a good way to dress down dressy bottoms. You will probably feel different if you’re generally not a knitwear fan, live in a warm climate, and feel hot at the drop of a hat. Or if you prefer to wear dresses and blouses with blazers. 

Are you enjoying the explosion of knitwear styles this year, or are you more of a T-shirt, blouse and shirt person? Perhaps you prefer to layer knitwear over shirts and blouses. Have you noticed your own blazers and jackets taking a back seat because knitwear is making a fashionable statement, either on its own or layered under a coat?

One way to reinvent the skinnies tucked into tall boots uniform is by wearing the combination with on trend, roomy, semi-chunky or chunky pullovers. Before I get started you might want to refresh your memory on how to feel streamlined in chunky pullovers. Here are a few extra thoughts on that topic:

• To some extent, you have to accept the less conventionally flattering aspects of chunky knitwear. It’s going to create a larger silhouette on top, which is not all bad. Think of how easily we wore this look in the ‘80s, and added shoulder pads for extra linebacker effect. Inverted triangle body types can absolutely wear chunky knitwear when the shape is structured in the right places, and not overly long. Keep the colour contrast between the top and bottom low if you want to reduce the effect of larger proportions on top. 

• If you still can’t get your head around chunky knits, wear semi-chunky knitwear like the toffee pullover in yesterday’s post. Leave off the cables, or wear oversized fine gauge knitwear with a welt to add structure to the volume.  

Choose any colour palette. Here are the components of the formula: 

Bottoms: Choose bottoms that are tuck-able into tall boots. For some that means skinnies and jeggings. For others it’s slouchy skinnies, straight legs, or slim boyfriend jeans. Black ponte pants and blue jeans are not your only options. Think light neutrals, colours, patterns, and different fabrications like leather, corduroy and velveteen. I’ve chosen a pair of tartan skinnies and slim fit boyfriend jeans to change things up. 

Chunky Knitwear: You’re after a style that is fluid or oversized, in a semi-chunky or chunky knit. If it’s too hot to wear wool, wear an oversized, upscale cotton sweatshirt. Think mixed media, high-low hemlines, hardware, and side slits. Wear the length an inch or two above crotch point, or longer. Don’t wear the length too long if you are petite, and remember that welted styles, or styles that taper back in at the waist, are key to giving the oversized silhouette sufficient structure. Scrunch those sleeves for extra structure. 

Tall Boots: Think knee-length flat riding boots, Dr. Martens, lace-up styles, Fryes, or moto boots. Snow boots and duck boots can look cute too. Choose crisp tailored styling, or distressed slouchy styling. Mid-calf boots work particularly well with roomier bottoms like boyfriend jeans, straight legs, and slouchy skinnies because the shorter boot height streamlines the “poufing out” of baggier bottoms. 

Coat: Pop a coat over the lot, like a peacoat, toggle coat, puffer, man coat, cocoon coat, faux fur coat, shearling coat or sweater coat. Or leave it off if the weather is mild.

Accessories: I’ve chosen a large shopping tote to work with the heavy coats. A cross-body is another option. If you’re leaving off the coat, a large casual clutch is a good option. Finish off the outfit with jewellery, eyewear, watch, hat and gloves as desired. Throw on a scarf if you like the effect, or if you need the insulation. 

This is a casual outfit that works in relaxed environments like a very casual office, or over the weekend when you’re out and about with friends or family.

Fab Links from Our Members

Care2 sums up seven ways clothes can be bad for your health. Joy says some of these dangers are obvious, but she hadn’t given much thought to the fact that jewellery and clothing could contain dangerous chemicals.

Annagybe was intrigued by this article on how spandex almost ruined America’s money.

E recently discovered American Age Fashion, a blog written by a retired historian that gives us a fascinating look into historical clothing choices of women over fifty in the US.

Makeup artist Tal Peleg creates miniature works of art with eye makeup. Her Princess and the Pea is Manidipa’s favourite.

Geargirl has been enjoying the capsule wardrobes and Style Advent Calendars on Into Mind.

Angie thinks the brilliant proportions in this outfit are genius: “An A-line midi with flat high-vamped shoes is hard to wear, yet this wearer makes the proportions look flattering. I attribute that to three important details: pointy toe shoes, a defined high-rise waistband in the same low-contrast colour (black), and a high-contrast, waist-revealing crop top. All of which elongate the leg line to prevent the ‘stumpy-factor’.”

Pil would like to share an envy-inducing article about tailoring.

Ironkurtin disapproves of feminism being linked with marketing, but finds it interesting that it is in fact a trend, examples of which you can see in “The 7 Most Inspiring Campaigns for Women in 2013“.

As an inherently RATE person, Shevia found “The Politics of Looking ‘Sloppy” very interesting.

Here are two books that Vicki thinks will put some humour into the holidays and new year: Freeman Hall’s “Retail Hell: How I sold My Soul to the Store“. And for those who love cats in character: “Downton Tabby” by Chris Kelly.

Caro enjoyed this clip about the collaboration between Yohji Yamamoto, one of her favourite designers, and former editor at Vogue Paris, Irene Silvagni.

Linda Grant’s article “When Mods Grow Up” caught Vildy’s attention because she describes how youthful style tends to evolve, and postulates that hippies have aged the worst by “despising what fashion is all about: surface, appearance”.

“Why I Love History“, the latest post at The Fashion Historian made La Belle Demimondaine giggle and think at the same time.

FlorenceFearne discovered The Brain Scoop, an awesome science-y YouTube channel hosted by Emiliy Graslie who in this episode addresses some of her concerns about sexism and internet bullying.