Novelty…It’s in the Knit

Novelty Knitwear 2011/12

That fact, plus the chilly temperatures and dark, misty mornings has got us reaching for the knitwear and feeling decidedly festive. On the autumn/winter 11 catwalks, the jumper was reborn.

While in previous years jumpers and sweaters had received little attention from designers, who felt them too unremarkable to put into a ready-to-wear collection, this was a season in which knitwear, in both unfussy and experimental forms, came into its own. At Jil Sander, a simple yet beautifully made series of intarsia knit sweaters was the order of the season. At Céline, imagining the interiors of luxury cars, Phoebe Philo unveiled a geometric-print sweater inspired by the Seventies.

Now, as we enter the festive period, a time in which jumpers in all shapes and forms have always been in favour, we turn to Christmas jumpers. No longer considered a novelty purchase, the Christmas jumper - be it detailed with reindeers or snowflakes - is a favourite with stylish Londoners.

Even though knitted jumpers have often been considered one of the most ugly things you could wear when it comes to high fashion, nowadays it seems that they’re back in business, and not just to complete the Christmas looks, but to grace the catwalks of designers such as Missoni, Givenchy or Sonia Rykiel and then to find their way onto the high street.

Among all the big, important trends every season, there are always couple of the more quirky, so called mini trends. Most popular are the knits with animal faces such as the Balenciaga dog sweater or one with the brilliant wolf image from Ungaro. Nowadays, eye-catching jumpers and cardigans seem to gain more and more terrain when it comes to the latest fashions. Knitwear with Aztec and geometrical designs are in the moment and can be seen paraded in the latest fashion shows.

Monochrome knitwear is also more and more popular as well as the multi-coloured knitwear. For those seeking something that screams Christmas, a sweater detailed with prancing reindeer and jolly teddy bears is a popular option. London-based illustration studio Lazy Oaf has a broad selection of sweaters bearing snowy motifs, while Stella McCartney's polar-bear knit is certain to go down well with fashion- forward Frozen Planet fans.

As novelty knitwear has appeared on the catwalks, celebrities have started to wear it too. Katy Perry and Karen Gillan are just two of the stars who’ve adopted the new trend and have also transformed it into kooky clothing. Even novelty jumpers are in for the men, so some can become totally unisex. If you too decide to adopt novelty knitwear on the fashion market, then try to wear it as originally as you can.

Don’t only wear jumpers and cardigans combined with jeans, but try adding some glamour to your look by wearing over party dresses or going out skirts.

Also, try the jumpers in natural rustic colours or those with fox printing around the shoulders and animal-inspired knitwear is always fun. And if you don’t want to wear a novelty jumper, how about making a statement with your headgear like beanie hats.