Cue the return of the cardigan. Last month, an image of Katie Holmes stepping out onto the streets of New York City, raising her arm to hail a taxi, in a pair of perfectly worn-in jeans and an oatmeal-coloured cashmere cardigan, the latter of which had fallen just far enough down her shoulder to reveal a matching knit bra, went viral. Internet searches for the $1,540 cardigan and $520 bralette soared, the unaccessible price-tag leaving us with a cardigan-sized hole to fill in our wardrobes.

With the revival of 70s-style dressing, the cardigan’s preppy yet nostalgic feel and ageless character means it effortlessly slides into the current fashion landscape as one of the most covetable items of the moment. Sported by fashion A-listers among the likes of Kaia Gerber, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, the celebrity cardigan phenomenon illustrates flawlessly the power of the button-down knit as an effortless, inconspicuous yet undeniably stylish wardrobe staple.

At once laid-back and indulgently chic, French girl Jeanne Damas’ collection of quintessential Parisian-inspired cardigans in fresh sorbet and warm neutral colour palettes seems to be constantly sold out, with every woman in pursuit of the Parisienne aesthetic on its waitlist. Among the sellout pieces of the highly anticipated Leandra Medine’s collaboration with Mango was a grandma-chic-style floral embroidered cardigan. Perhaps the secret to the cardigan’s comeback is its pulling power as a cross-seasonal essential, the combination of a cardigan, worn buttoned up with nothing underneath, effortlessly paired with a pair of denim, is a transitional dressing phenomenon – aesthetically pleasing and cosy in equal measures.

It may have been the Katie Holmes ‘bradigan’ moment that got us all talking about the sartorial sex-appeal of a matching bra and knit combo, but appearances of the humble cardigan on the runways the past two seasons were equally plentiful.

Its appeal lies in its ability to send a thousand sartorial messages, to work in a thousand different contexts, all while retaining its ultimate comfort power and timeless endurability. A basic, dependable wardrobe mainstay, a timeless staple that never ages or tires.

Slide along of AW19 collections from Alexander Wang, Molly Goddard, Celine, Christopher Kane, Max Mara, Miu Miu and House of Holland

Basic, however, doesn’t mean boring – and the eclectic knitwear on the AW19 catwalks proved that cardigans are only as boring as you make them. At Christopher Kane, an oversized red cardigan worn as a dress with a plunging neckline comprised an entire look, while the runway at Miu Miu featured a matching camouflage cardigan and shorts combination. Celine took the cardigan back to basics, with the traditional French-style knit layered over preppy shirts with foulards in looks offering the perfect source of autumn-winter office inspiration. Molly Goddard’s upsized argyle knit offered a take on grandad-inspired style, inspired by a jazzy 70s nostalgia. Alexander Wang unveiled a tweed mint green cardigan with silver hardware buttons, injected with a dose of grunge audacity layered over biker-black leather. The myriad of iterations of the cardigan that featured on the runways doubtlessly offers evidence enough of its versatility as a staple with the power to go from office attire, to grandma chic, to subtly-sexy.

Words by Ruby McAuliffe

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post The Cardigan Comeback appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Hedi Slimane’s AW19 runway at Celine unveiled a collection that transcended the lines between the controversial ‘new Celine’ signalled by Phoebe Philo’s successor, and ‘old Celine’, embodied by an archetypal French bourgeois dressing.

There is only one thing I seem to want to buy this season. The pieces I’m drawn to in shops, the pieces that stand out to me in magazines, the pieces I’m inclined to compliment at the office, all seem to have one thing in common: checks.

My current eye for checked attire undoubtedly traces back to earlier this year, to March 1st to be precise, when Hedi Slimane’s AW19 runway at Celine unveiled a collection that transcended the lines between the controversial ‘new Celine’ signalled by Phoebe Philo’s successor, and ‘old Celine’, embodied by an archetypal French bourgeois dressing.

An overwhelming feeling of ‘too much fashion’ swept the recent SS20 runways in New York London, Paris and Milan, the pressing issue of sustainability and the questions arising linked to fashion’s detrimental ecological impact giving rise to a wave of streamlined collections of non-trends and versatile wardrobe staples. Slimane’s return to Celine’s non-fashion origins back in spring seemed to be in some ways a reflection of this same message, at once an homage to the quintessential French bourgeois woman’s wardrobe and an appreciation of timeless staple pieces embedded with a glamorous yet wonderfully wearable allure. And no less than 18 of the looks that graced the runway featured some form of tweed or check-patterned clothing, the majority of them essentially a slightly differentiated take on a singular uniform built upon a foundation of a country-check pleated midi skirt, accessorised with printed silk foulards, glossy knee-high boots and horse-bit belts.

The beauty of trends and prints from previous decades making a comeback is that you don’t need to buy or consume anything new to wear them. You’ll find a plethora of checked blazers and skirts in charity shops and vintage stores

The seventies Parisian bourgeois-meets-British countryside aesthetic renaissance headed by Celine also swept the AW19 catwalks at Tory Burch, Chloé and Max Mara. Its ubiquity on the runways and consequent pervasion into high street stores arguably makes checked clothing a trend, but its pulling power lies in its nostalgic history – an ode to a time before trends became the swift one-in, one-out cycle that they are today, – as a timeless classic that works season after season. It slides perfectly into the broader 70s revival alongside conventional country-inspired accessories among the likes of equestrian-style boots and belts, vintage-luxe-inspired gold chain jewellery and classic tailoring.

The beauty of trends and prints from previous decades making a comeback is that you don’t need to buy or consume anything new to wear them. You’ll find a plethora of checked blazers and skirts in charity shops and vintage stores – my work colleague found a £6 vintage St Michael’s (Marks and Spencer’s old clothing brand) tweed blazer that I’m insanely jealous of in a charity shop, while I invested in a second-hand Miu Miu checked A-line skirt in a resale store in Paris.

Some of the trends we see on the runways can seem too unwearable, too niche or too out of reach for the everyday, but checks are an ode to the quotidien, the perfect source of office-dressing inspiration. A checked overcoat or blazer with gold toggle hardware is the perfect subtle yet trendy addition to a monochrome office ensemble, paired with polished pearls and loafers that look as if they’ve been plucked from a Parisian boutique. A tweed skirt with an over-the-knee hemline works wonders with a satin blouse, silk scarf and a pair of mid-heels. Warm and neutral colour palettes, dominated by brown and beige hues, mean they fit effortlessly into winter- and workwear-wardrobes that, even if they seem to be having a particular moment right now, never tire year after year.

Words by Ruby McAuliffe

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post Check Mate: Celine, Countryside Tweed And The 70s Bourgeois French Girl appeared first on Voir Fashion.