Stylish Knitwear 2010

Cute, but really, really itchy.

One of the biggest trends this season is oversized knitwear. The high street is full of baggy, holey jumper and grandad cardigans. I love them: teamed with a body-con skirt or belted over a cute dress they look great, de-slutitise your outfit and keep you warm! I went with my friend Sarah to Oxford street in the hope of finding a gorgeous layering piece. Topshop have a huge selection of these cute jumpers, so we went there first. But shock horror! Despite finding 4 different styles to try on, the jumpers were: a) too tight and b) itchy. And one of my ten shopping commandments is NEVER EVER BUY ANYTHING TOO ITCHY. You will never wear it. Peculiarly, an itchy jumper doesn't necessary mean bad quality, as it often means it is made mainly with merino wool rather then acrylic wool. Still, for the higher prices at Topshop, you expect ultra-soft fabric.
       For the record, I'm not in the habit of slating Topshop, which i love. Maybe some of their other jumpers are softer. But me and Sarah tried on a number of jumpers between 

New Look jumper: v.soft and cheap.

us, and couldn't find anything. Which was annoying. We were beginning to despair until we hit the mark at New Look! I found the most gorgeous long, holey cream cardigan, which is so ridiculously soft. Sarah on the other hand got a jumper in a similar style, also amazingly soft. They were both the styles we 
wanted but only cost £20! Bargain alert, and I know this will turn out ridiculously cheap for cost-per-wear. I'm going to wear my cardigan belted over cute mini-dresses or bodycon skirts, or just as a cosy layering piece with jeans. (Unfortunately New Look doesn't seem to have my cardigan or Sarah's jumper on ts website but this one is a similar style) Just goes to show, don't rely on the usual suspects (eg Topshop) to fulfil your fashion needs. So for knitwear this season, I recommend New Look. It's worth checking out Next as well, as they do a great range on their website, though I unfortunately didn't have time to go in the actual shop.
Keep shopping everyone! xxxx