Running into a prolonged dearth of blog-writing time, I’m slower to click the “Delete” button on Drafts I’ve abandoned earlier. This one, for example, which you’ll notice I began writing long enough ago that our Christmas tree is clearly visible in the background of the photos below. Luckily, we’re still in the kind of damp, grey, occasionally even freezing days where lusciously fuzzy sweaters make sense. So with your indulgence . . . . Italics are for the updating; regular font for the words I typed once upon a time. . . .
Saw this outfit on Veronica Slater’s Pinterest Board and tracked the image tothis poston Kensington Way, a new-to-me fashion blog. While it seems obvious that VS pinned it for the proportions as much as for the textures, it made me think immediately of a sweater I knit years ago (pattern, etc. on my Ravelry page) and still wear when I want something cozy.
In fact, I’ve had many occasions to wear this angora-wool blend cabled pullover over the winter break, although never with the stylish flair modeled top-of-post. Here, for example, I’m wearing it with these oh-so-comfy J. Crew “Tailored Wool Pant.” (Don’t let the name fool you — these have an elasticized waistband, but I think the pintuck down the front smartens them up, disguises their sweatpant fit).
No makeup, chin and neck revealed so that I can show you the fit of the turtleneck and the softening haloed effect of the angora on the cables.
I love that I knit this back in 2003 and I’m still wearing it 12 years later.
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Somehow, truth be told, I love that fact more than I care about its proportions not being as flattering as the outfit on the model above. That said, I’m thinking I could wear this sweater with my black waxed-cotton skinny jeans and I have a perfect pair of flats to go with. Not sure I could ever wear this anywhere that the temperature might rise above 20 degrees Celsius, though. Turtlenecks, you know, and the post-menopausal thermostat. . . .
So tell me, what’s the oldest garment you still keep in relatively regular rotation? Are you ever inspired by a blog or magazine image to bring something out from the back of your closet? And how does that translate, in reality?
The oldest garment I still own and wear us a Johnsons of Elgin cashmere black sweater…it was a gift from my husband before I gained weight and since I lost thone pounds I can wear it again!
I love the texture and colour of your turtleneck…versatile and it looks so cozy.
You'll live in this one for a long time !
What a treat being able to wear that very special gift again. A black cashmere sweater is so classic.
Cashmere here too. A couple of Cardis from 2004. Also a pair of Levi 501s bought in San francisco in 2006 in the fulfilment of a suburban English once teenage girl's dream and in anticipation of starting at grad school. Too tight at the time and by the time my weight had gone up and then down again (2013), I discovered that they were not a bit flattering… I shall keep them for gardening. They are work clothes after all. And there's a historic black dress which I wear only for funerals. Another utility garment.
Similar age to my sweater, then, and so sorry to hear your dream was crushed 😉 But at least they have their use value and will see wear in the garden!
My Levis 510s, that have just recently gone from nicely distressed to completely tattered:). I also have a gray cashmere turtleneck, very baggy, that I keep for total comfort on our rare truly cold days.
It's a fine line, isn't it, that move from distressed to tattered! And I love the sound of that baggy grey t-neck.
The oldest garment that I still wear is a black cashmere cardigan given to me by my future mother-in-law for Christmas 1985. The oldest garment that I have knitted and still wear dates from sometime in the late 90s.
Cashmere sweaters, we're learning, are the gift that keeps on giving! Good for you, hanging on to a late 90s handknit. I would still be wearing an Aran knit from the early 80s except one of the daughters absconded with it at some point . . . ;-(
The texture and subtle colors of that sweater are gorgeous! Is it as soft as it looks? What a lovely piece. I find sometimes that it's hard to get that slouchy fit as in your inspiration picture without sizing up to the point that one appears to be wearing a tent!
It's not quite as soft as it looks, but it is cozy. I don't think I could ever get a slouchy fit like the one in the inspiration photo — her height-to-weight ratio is so very, very different from mine. . .
I've got a pair of red floral cotton pants that I've had since I was a student – I never wear them (apart from once as an experiment on the blog), I'm just reluctant to throw them out
Now I'm thinking I'll have to trawl through your old blogposts to find those…
Oh, I had a similar jumper I knitted about 20 years ago – a sort of grey-blue marle in a fisherman's rib – that I wore and wore and wore until our dog chewed it. Actually, after he chewed it I managed to do some repairs so that I could still wear it around the house, but I finally gave it up last winter. I need to knit another just the same 🙂 I do believe I still have the pattern. Otherwise the oldest thing I still wear is a dress I bought for a wedding 17 years ago – I still love it and will probably wear it to yet another wedding next month 🙂
17 and 20 years, that's some longevity. Somehow I love noting persistence in my aesthetic as manifest through those items (sartorial and otherwise) that I can love for years and years, adding the years into decades. . . The cpw on that dress must be impressively low!
I can't resist adding that I have a red Pringle cashmere cardi that my Dad bought me when I was 17- so that makes it more than 40 years old and it is still soft and beautiful. The color is brighter than I usually wear now, but is fun for the occasional outing!
Wow! Worth noting indeed! Being a gift from your dad makes it even more a treasure.