While critics agree that the main themes of the season were
sophisticated femininity, the
slouch pant,
winter florals, and the return of the
Little Black Dress, as knitters, we want to know what the trends will be for our craft of choice. Unfortunately, fiber was not as prevalent this winter, as fur made a big comeback, especially in daytime
vests, neck-wraps, stoles, and over-the-top coats.
However, wool wasn’t completely ignored and ranged from the classic lean cardigans to punk dresses and laddered tights.
Alexander Wang, who began his career with classic cashmere basics has moved on a complete collection, presenting a tough girl dressed in black, aided by her volumized ribbed skullcaps and nubby knit vests. These are knits with ATTITUDE! While not on the runway, but from Project Runway, it has been announced that Jillian Lewis’ knit collection,
seen here, will soon hit the retail market. Expect to see fitted knit jackets with ruffled collars and cabled dresses in full effect.
Vera Wang Lavender Label stays true to its classic look and continues the long lean cardigan from last season, as well as adding in muted striped cardigans in browns and grays.
DNKY was all about wild intarsia moderated by the season’s new IT color: grey, as well as oversized scarves, hats, and arm warmers.
Doo Ri, who some may remember from the fashion documentary “Seamless” has broken out of her jersey-dress comfort zone to create some over the top 80s mohair sweaters in shocking green, which was thankfully toned down by a beautiful ivory sweater adorned with diagonal cables.
Issac Mizrahi, who jumped ship at Target to pursue a position at Liz Claiborne, used the classic grey cardigan to anchor his ladylike dresses, sending the message that if you only buy one cardigan this season, steer clear of boring black. Mizrahi also used his signature pink and orange combination to create color-blocked yoke sweaters, a modern take on a classic Bohus idea.
But the real knit-sation of the runways are the punk knits of
Rodarte. While the structure of the knits was demure, with scoop neck dresses and bracelet-length sleeves, that’s where traditional knit influences ended. The bodices were laddered, the skirts ribbed by dropped stitches, and the colors were a hard-edged palette of black, white, and red stripes.
But the real knitted star of the season is the hat. Across all collections the theme was consistent: cables, lots of ribbing, and above all, BIG. If you do one fashionable knit the season, aim for the top!