The Knit Ones Are Pearls Too
Go ahead, pick knits. There’s probably no better way to stretch your fashion dollar from day to day, season to season, year to year--especially if you travel a lot or hate ironing or spending $$$ for professional pressing. If you cultivate an eye for color mixing, fiber contents and knit gauges, then wherever you are, you’ll never have to worry about having “nothing to wear.”
In fact, knits just might be the quintessentially modern way to dress. Coco Chanel owed much of her dress-design reputation to jersey, and she is only one of many who have recognized how much can be done with knits.
The trick to building a long-lasting knit wardrobe is to pick a color family (such as blacks and clear colors, say, or browns and other earth colors), then to decide on a particular one or two as a base to add to.
After several seasons of such buying, you might have, say, a red double-knit jacket that, with the help of accessories such as scarves and colored jewelry, will go with a matching short red straight skirt, with a pair of slim gray pants, with a slim long black skirt, with a black pleated skirt, with a navy skirt, with a brown skirt, with a beige skirt.
As for picking the types of knits, that’s, of course, a matter of taste. If you like a crunchy wool/rayon blend, you might be able to put, for example, a Steve Fabrikant neo-Deco tunic with a pair of St. John Knits pull-on pants. If you enjoy that soft, supremely comfortable “cashmere” cotton knit, you could mix, say, a Kirsten Scarcelli T-style pullover or a Zero II Sixty polo top with one of Joan Vass’ long straight or knife-pleated skirts.
However, the greatest number of choices for mixing and matching, at least for this time of year, are in wool knits and double knits. Major better-sportswear manufacturers such as Ellen Tracy, Andrea Jovine, Anne Klein II and Dana Buchman typically offer at least some pieces in wool, often merino wool, in their fall and holiday collections, and these labels are widely available in major department stores.
In addition, there are those retailers and store departments that emphasize knits. Here, a listing of some of those offering wools:
CLIFFORD & WILLS
A mail-order company offering better-quality career wear and sportswear, with knits in plentiful supply. Some standouts in the fall/winter ’92 catalogue: the deep-V-neck cardigan sweater-dress--it can be worn as either--in blue, green or black merino wool ($89); a similarly styled but shorter version, also in merino, with gold buttons, in pink, blue or black ($59); the French-style shaped cardigan with contrasting bands on the center front, welt pockets and sleeve edges, in dark gray, orchid, turquoise or camel ($59); a fitted merino crew-neck pullover in orchid, cream, orange, Kelly green, cobalt blue or black ($59).
To order a catalogue, call (800) 633-3485.
JAEGER
The 108-year-old British company can count George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde among those who’ve endorsed its clothes. It’s also one of those old dependables that will often use the same fabrics and dye lots from season to season--”particularly the navy,” says store manager Susan Reynolds.
There’s a good selection now of wool knit styles. In heavier coverings, there are the collarless double-breasted sweater-jacket in black with gold buttons and grosgrain ribbon trim ($380) and the shawl-collared ribbed sweater-jacket in a sand color ($345).
Go-anywhere basics include stitched-crease, pull-on stirrup pants in gray ($195) and a lightweight extra-fine merino turtleneck in gray or cream ($155). There’s also the whimsical (sweaters featuring dogs ($245) or horses ($235)), the wild (a zebra-pattern pullover ($245) and turtleneck cardigan ($295)) and even the psychedelic (wiggles of ‘60s-light show shades on a black pullover ($295) or cardigan ($295)).
South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, (714) 549-8703.
MONDI
Another dependable, high-quality knit resource. The most versatile and least pricey piece: what the company calls its “signature sweater”--a soft wool pullover that can be worn in or out, tailored or dressy. This year it’s offered in gold, dark olive, black, dark gray, red, winter white, lemon yellow, navy, taupe, forest green and rose pink ($140).
One group of modern-looking shapes features a terrific ivory ribbed shaped sweater with a high funnel collar ($390) and a deep-V’d long gray pullover with ribbed sleeves, back and patch pockets ($290). Patterned sweaters include a white-and-black intarsia crew-neck pullover with Deco motifs ($290), a gold mock turtleneck with bands of scroll figures in green, black and gold ($270) and a black-and-white oversized shepherd’s check trapeze jacket ($590).
Fashion Island Newport Beach, (714) 759-3203. Some items also available at MainPlace/Santa Ana, (714) 836-8983.
NORDSTROM CLASSIQUES
A good grouping of wool knit pieces, any two of which will mix, in a variety of colors--although not every piece will be in every color in every store--black, ivory, electric blue, gold, red, gray, yellow, navy, fuchsia.
A monochromatic or color-contrast look might start with a simple short-waisted jewel-neck pullover ($64), be topped with a cardigan featuring a ribbed back and matte-gold square buttons ($110) and be finished with a pair of stitched-pleat, pull-on stirrup pants ($98) or a short, straight pull-on skirt ($64). Another versatile piece is the Donna Karanish tunic ($98) with patch pockets trimmed in square gold buttons.
In the Individualist departments at Brea Mall, (714) 529-0123; MainPlace/Santa Ana, (714) 972-2020 and South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, (714) 549-8300.
PORTS INTERNATIONAL
Classy contemporary sportswear and career wear are arranged in nicely edited color groupings with merino knits in basic styles always in the fall/winter stock.
Among the wool knits in the company’s two Orange County stores are a black, fine-gauge merino wool cardigan trimmed with narrow white bands and fastening with pearl-and-gold buttons ($170) and a matching short pull-on skirt ($110); a classic, versatile narrow-rib oyster turtleneck in a lightweight wool ($95), and a lightweight oyster or black crystal-pleat skirt ($115).
On one wall is a collection of fine-gauge merino cardigan sweaters trimmed with gold buttons ($140) and jewel-neck pullovers ($95) in orchid, navy, winter white, forest green, red and black. Particularly attractive is a deep-rose-colored pullover in a horizontal rib with a split collar ($120; also in a cardinal red, black, royal blue, cream and brown) and a plain slim dress in a princess cut, in rose pink, cobalt blue or black ($165).
Fashion Island Newport Beach, (714) 720-0800 and South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, (714) 850-0505.
THE WORKS, SAKS FIFTH AVENUE
The Works is Saks’ career-wear private label, and it can be counted on to have several knit pieces every season.
Among the items available in merino wool: a gray grouping that includes an oversized sweater jacket with notched lapels in a medium shade ($188), matching pants ($128) and a matching short pull-on pleated skirt ($94); a tunic-length pullover in wide gray stripes ($98), and a long black knife-pleated skirt ($128). There’s also a basic jewel-neck pullover in oatmeal, purple, gray or black merino wool ($59).
South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, (714) 540-3233. (Works pieces listed are also available to Saks Fifth Avenue charge account customers through the Folio Collections catalogues.)
