What to Wear with Knitwear

One of the upsides to the weather starting to turn is the chance to layer up with some fine knits. We asked our Creative Director Michael Hill which pieces of knitwear he was looking forward to wearing this season and how he likes to wear his.

The Shawl Collar Cardigan

There’s something a bit nostalgic about it, I think. Guys are like “oh, it’s that cardigan that my dad used to wear”  - it’s warm and cosy and classic. On the one hand it’s got that Steve McQueen factor with a pair of chinos and a pair of plimsoles. On the other hand it kind of has that slight grandpa thing going on. It toes that line quite nicely. I wear one all the time; I find it incredibly useful as a jacket substitute. I wear it quite often with a shirt and tie, instead of a jacket; grey flannel trousers, and oxford shirt, a tie and a pair of chukka boots. It’s kind of like an informal, smart-ish look. You can also wear it casually with jeans at the weekend for sure, it’s damn comfortable. It’s a beautifully made thing as well - it’s made without compromise.

The Sleeveless Cardigan

It’s almost as Drake’s as it gets, isn’t it? I think it’s a brilliant interface between the jacket and the shirt. It joins those articles together and it somehow relaxes the jacket as well. Having another layer is always very useful - it’s another element of texture and colour, and you can use it to play off other textures and colours. It’s incredibly practical, I think. Things without sleeves are so easy to wear I find. I wear mine with just about all the obvious stuff. Very easy with jacket combinations, but it’s also great with suits. It also can be worn instead of a waistcoat, or under a double-breasted suit or jacket. It breaks it up really nicely. I think the horn button really elevates what is a fairly normal waistcoat and gives it a little something extra. The easy colours - natural, grey, navy or what have you - they all work really well, but it’s great having the seasonal colours like the green or the orange too. I like the way they can pick something out of one of the colours that might be in the tweed of your jacket. They work great with madder ties, cashmere ties, wool ties. It’s an item that fits seamlessly with our aesthetic and also helps to define it. They’re an integral part of what we do.

The Brushed Shetland Jumper

To me the brushed shetland jumper is a bit of fun. I think of it as a little bit Ivy in a really good way. My mum always says when I wear those jumpers that she feels like I’ve been set on by dogs. I have to tell her “it’s part of the look mum!” It actually goes through a set of, essentially, thistles to get that finish - it’s interacting with something from the landscape to give it that shaggy look. It’s a great, wiry yarn; it’s not supposed to feel like cashmere, it’s supposed to feel a bit rough and a bit rugged. I put it with everything. Obviously casual things - it’s great with jeans - but I think it works great under a jacket, or with a pair of flannels or cords. You want to wear them with a shirt that has a bit of heft to it though, like an oxford or brushed cotton I think. The reason that pieces like this resonate is because they come from somewhere. It’s not a jumper that’s been invented last year, it’s a jumper that’s stood the test of time, and I think that’s important. We’re using materials that are rooted in something that was developed a long time ago and that has stood the test of time. I’m not sure jumpers get any better - give me that over a cashmere jumper any day of the week. They’re just so much more fun.

The Donegal Jumper

I think the Donegals are great. Not as coarse as the Shetlands, but they have that same kind of feel; that integrity of yarn. If you think of where these jumpers are knitted, one up in Shetland and the other one out on the Aran Isles - they’re both right on the sea. Literally the factories look like they could be blown into the water at any minute. These garments come from very windswept climes, so that tells you that you’re talking about something that’s going to do what it's made to do. The provenance is all there - it’s a jumper to do a job, and, hey, it looks great as well. It’s the real thing.