Meet the swaddle sweater: this season's It knit is a wearable hug

Extra sleeves and added scarves for ultra cosiness
Mother of Pearl
Emma McCarthy12 November 2019

Joy inducer. Confidence booster. Power player.

Clothes have the ability to invoke emotions that go far beyond mere function. A jumper, for example, is not just a source of warmth but of comfort and safety, as anyone who’s ever reached for their cuddliest, cosiest knit whenever times are dark will understand.

And truly, times have rarely been as dark as this. With the country divided and the future uncertain, it is now more than ever that we look to our wardrobes to provide a sense of stability that the world is currently lacking.

This could go a long way to explaining why sweaters this season are made with swaddling in mind. By which I don’t just mean they’re big. Instead, the swaddle sweater is built with huggability in mind, from surplus scarves to knot around your neck, to double sleeves made for cocooning yourself in comfort.

Christopher Kane FW19
Catwalking.com

Sustainably minded luxury label Mother of Pearl is among those to embrace this wearable take on hygge with a cable-knit sweater, available in chocolate brown or marshmallow white, finished with a matching fringed scarf neckline to drape around your shoulders or loop snugly under your chin. Not only the perfect pairing to jeans, it also makes for the ideal Christmas party jumper when worn with a slip skirt or silky palazzo pants — not just for the way it looks, but because it makes waiting for a cab at the end of the night a far more pleasurable pursuit.

Scottish designer Christopher Kane, a master of more-than-meets-the-eye knitwear, is another to position the swaddle sweater as a viable option for cocktail hour. His intriguingly-titled Octopus knit consists of a deliciously decadent cobalt cable-knit sweater with two extra magenta sleeves wrapped around the shoulders and fastened with a rhinestone-encrusted brooch. The style, first unveiled on the catwalk as an oversized sweater dress, is now available to buy alongside two other Octopus crewneck jumpers — one blush pink, one navy and grey —which also have four sleeves, two of which are in contrasting colours and knotted across the chest like a bow. Other iterations of the swaddle sweater include options by JW Anderson and Marc Jacobs, both of which boast built-in fringed scarves and are available on Net-A-Porter, along with the convertible cashmere-blend sweater by luxury essentials label CO which has a detachable matching scarf.

Rejina Pyo AW19

For cult London-based brand Rokh, the perfect swaddle is a toffee-coloured sweater which looks like two jumpers worn together, thanks to twisted front panels which resemble a second knit shoulder-robed on top. For Rejina Pyo, interpretation is key. Her Colette sweater — available in lemon, khaki and chocolate — comes oversized with a draped front which can be wrapped across the shoulder or twisted around the neck like a scarf.

Cos

COS is also an advocate of versatility. This season the high street brand has introduced a boiled wool jumper which features a long-sleeve style layered over a short-sleeve version. When worn together, it forms a cosy double-sweater with a scoop detail front. But slip the outer layer off your shoulders and the extra sleeves can be tied around your waist whenever you’re in the market for a more modern silhouette. Or a great big hug.

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