Fair Isle knitwear - perfect for spring menswear

With the weather warming up at last, jumpers can be worn without covering jackets, so it's time to bring out colour and pattern on chilly days. One of my favourite traditional knitwear patterns is Fair Isle. Originally from a small island lying half way between the Shetland and Orkney Isles off the north of Scotland, it became popular in the twenties when adopted it was by the then Prince of Wales, snappy dresser indeed.

The increasing popularity of home-grown traditional knitwear has seen the revival of Arans, Guernseys, fisherman's and seamen's sweaters as well as the highly-decorated and complex Fair Isle.Worn with jeans and brogues, they make an unusual but traditional statement.

As the genuine article comes from the islands, I'm giving you the web address of Fair Isle's website, where you can find details of workers from whom you can commission the real thing. I would try to avoid buying cheap copies made outside the UK. See, for example, the beautiful work from Exclusively Fair Isle.

Snapshot - Fair Isle jumper and scarf

Specially for the freezing spring weather - a Fair Isle woolly jumper and scarf.

Scarf: Ralph Lauren. Jumper: Drake's

A few exciting brands for men of style - knitwear and jewellery

Over the last few weeks I've been invited to a couple of menswear trades shows - Kollective: Men at Wolf and Badger in Dover Street, London and Jacket Required. I went along to find brands that might be of interest to the man in search of style.

Inevitably there was much focus was on a younger market; contemporary fits, t-shirts, camouflage, street styles and the usual subversive edge. However, there were more classic products, fabrics and colours that would be suitable for the older man looking for something different. Here are a few of my favourites.

Fox Hunt make bespoke and ready-to-wear knitwear that is hand-made (some of these designs couldn't be made by machine). Their products are based on vintage designs and the colours and quality are superb. I hope to cover this exciting brand in more detail in a future post, but here are a few images. Inevitably, the models are young and I'd like to see some of these wonderful pieces modelled by older and more rugged gentlemen. I'm sure there's a huge market for such original and rare designs.

Smith Grey - Jewellery. I don't wear any jewellery apart from a watch, but I couldn't help being drawn to these products. Objects made in silver, sometimes oxidised or gold-plated, have a real sculptural quality to them. They are hand made in their London studio. Inevitably, the images don't show the superb finish and feel.

Howlin' - The riot of colours and designs of traditional knitwear attracted me to Howlin's stand at Jacket Required. I love Fair Isle and other traditional knitwear and it was here in profusion. There is an online shop and a showroom in Antwerp, but the website could better display the excitement of the collection.

The Grey Fox Ginormous Christmas Jumper Guide

The Christmas sweater has generally been considered as something to avoid by the discerning man of style. However, the traditionally-patterned jumper is being reassessed by even Scrooge-like sartorialists. It is finding its way back onto the ski slopes and being worn seriously in a way not seen since the sixties.

You can now be festive while retaining some semblance of good taste. Here's a selection of Scandinavian-style and other knitwear to suit most budgets.

If you market a Christmas jumper of quality that's not here, please let me know.

ADDENDUM - Having posted this I see that Save the Children are raising funds through a Christmas Jumper Day on Friday (14th December). To encourage you to donate, Jon Snow appears in his jumper at the end of this post -

Brunello Cucinelli, Harrods

Joe Casely-Hayford for John Lewis

Ami

APC

Drake's

Joe Casely-Hayford for John Lewis

Peregrine

Tommy Hilfiger

Canterbury

Moncler

Boden

D S Dundee

Ralph Lauren

Alan Paine

J Crew

J Crew

Penfield

Gant

Gant

Gant

Polo Ralph Lauren

North Sea Clothing

Gap

Save the Children

Historical Fair Isle socks - inspiration in vintage hosiery

These hand-knitted socks were worn by British biologist and photographer, George Rayner, in Antarctica between 1927 and 1939 (I hope he took them off occasionally during that time). 

Image from Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.

And what can be found now in Fair Isle style?

People Tree

Chup

Corgi

Scott Nichol

What does a man looking for style get for Christmas?

What does a man trying to find style in middle age hope for at Christmas?

Grey Fox has been a very lucky fellow.  My post of two days ago mentioned my vintage Fair isle jersey, found and tried on with a tweed jacket.  Well, I was delighted to find a beautiful Fair Isle jersey under the Christmas tree.

My amazing wife had tried to buy one on-line from Drakes.  Finding they were out of stock she visited their shop off Jermyn Street to see what they had in stock.  Luckily they found the colour she needed (and which was out of stock on-line) hidden in a stockroom and here it is.  It is more of a tan colour than is apparent in the photograph.

It is made from a slightly coarse wool, very warm in London's unseasonably mild weather.  It is an XS, described by Drakes as a 38" - the cut is quite slim.  I presume that Drakes sell to the US market, where everyone seems much larger, as describing a 38" chest garment as XS is unusual.  Until recently a 38" would be described a medium or possibly a small, but I've never seen the size marked as extra small until now!

I love this painting of Edward, Prince of Wales and later Edward VIII who started the trend for Fair Isle sweaters in the twenties.