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Original poster

Teen in the 80s - were Fair Isle jumpers a big thing at your school?

51 replies

DinoRodney · 21/12/2023 20:54

I can totally remember everyone wanting one of these. And a friend’s mum making them for loads of us.

anyone else remember this quirky fashion?

OP posts:
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SirChenjins · 21/12/2023 22:56

NE Scotland here and it was Pringle and Benetton at our school - don’t remember fair isle sweaters. I wear them now though - love a fair isle.

Original poster
DinoRodney · 21/12/2023 23:05

Mine looked quite like this, but with navy grey and cream

Teen in the 80s - were Fair Isle jumpers a big thing at your school?
OP posts:
MadisonAvenue · 21/12/2023 23:08

It was Pringle jumpers and Benetton rugby shirts around here in the mid 80s. Pringles were often worn under Reebok kagouls.
I loved my Benetton shirt.

I remember that the mother of one of the boys in our class died so we had a collection to buy him something and raised enough between us for a Pringle jumper.

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MsMaraschino · 21/12/2023 23:09

I had Arran jumpers in the 80s - big and baggy with a wool pencil skirt or a micro mini.

Fairisle jumpers were more 90s around here. I had a fabulous Tommy Hilfiger one.

LilBooThang · 21/12/2023 23:24

I've just found this photo from the very early 80s. I've cropped our faces but three out of four of us were wearing them!

Later in the 80s it was the "soul" scene ... Lyle & Scott check jumpers!

Teen in the 80s - were Fair Isle jumpers a big thing at your school?
Maddy70 · 21/12/2023 23:27

Yes they were. Thankfully for a short while!

ChateauDuMont · 21/12/2023 23:28

Early 80s and I was older than a teenager!

Poor image quality as it's a photo of a photo!

Teen in the 80s - were Fair Isle jumpers a big thing at your school?
StJulian2023 · 21/12/2023 23:29

I was a 90s teen so my jumper was from The Sweater Shop

GellerYeller · 21/12/2023 23:32

Pringle argyle jumpers with a short pleated/flared skirt, knee high socks and doc marten shoes, arran jumpers with the same shoes,and navy chinos, or any Benetton jumper were the thing at my school. There was also a phase where everyone, male or female, had a trench coat!

Sgtmajormummy · 21/12/2023 23:34

There was (is?) a loophole in the law that if you buy clothes that aren’t sewn up you pay less VAT. DSis used to buy Clothkits clothes for her kids and just sew them together in a few hours.
She also bought herself a beautiful Fairisle yoke (so all the hard work was already done) and matching plain yarn to knit the body and sleeves. 1982 IIRC.

Ohyoudodoyou · 21/12/2023 23:39

Yep.
m and s did lovely fair isle tank tops and round neck cardigans and I coveted but never got either of these.
We would have looked like the cast of 'The Sullivans' - that's a challenge to you to remember that tv programme!

Margotandgerry · 21/12/2023 23:44

Was at uni early/mid eighties and yes, I had a couple of fair isle style jumpers. Benetton was also very popular and argyle socks (fake pringle in my case!)🤣

LoreleiG · 21/12/2023 23:57

My friend had a fair isle type jumper like the ones in the photos above. I had a sweater shop jumper, obvs. Early 90s this was.

NotMeNoNo · 22/12/2023 00:05

Jumpers were just a thing generally, Sweater Shop era. I laboriously knitted myself a black and white fair isle one during university. And a picture jumper which I still have, in royal blue, due to being oversized (then) it still fits. I can't quite get rid of my 1980s knitting patterns.

CluelessPadme · 22/12/2023 00:08

Endlesstissues · 21/12/2023 21:59

Fair Isle and also Norwegian jumpers in NE Scotland 😂🥰

All the posh boys wore Norwegian jumpers when I went to uni in 1990; it was like a uniform!

Lizzieregina · 22/12/2023 00:11

I used to knit them with my MIL (she wasn’t my MIL then!).

She could rattle one up in about 2 days. All the knitters were doing them (for money).

They were extremely popular.

DietrichandDiMaggio · 22/12/2023 00:23

https://images.app.goo.gl/QcKHjth9U4DbdbSJ7

I had the Benetton argyle sweater similar to this in about 1987. I also had several pairs of Burlington socks that I wore with loafers from Ravel.

30not13 · 22/12/2023 00:31

I remember the farah trousers but not these jumpers.

I do however remember huge puffy reversible jumpers with things like Mickey Mouse or Garfield on.

Copperoliverbear · 22/12/2023 01:36

Pringle jumpers, diamond jumpers, pleated skirts, sling backs, leather jackets, Burberry, Lyle and Scott, panache shoe and of course flex shampoo and conditioner and gold chains. lol x

Copperoliverbear · 22/12/2023 01:37

Oh yes and a Benetton rugby shirt and a corkscrew perm 🤣🤣

TheMadGardener · 22/12/2023 01:54

I was a sixth former in 1985-87 and was very proud of my cream Arran jumper. Most of the sixth form was wearing Arran/Fair Isle jumpers and jeans at one point, a sort of unofficial uniform (way before the days of sixth formers having to wear businesswear...)
My fashion choices were very influenced by the poster of Nick Heyward over my bed wearing a cream Arran jumper.

fridaynight1 · 22/12/2023 01:59

I don’t remember them being a thing but I did knit one and I was always up with the latest trends so they must have been trendy.

Psychoticbreak · 22/12/2023 06:29

DinoRodney · 21/12/2023 23:05

Mine looked quite like this, but with navy grey and cream

I bought one of these recently in primark!!!!

Timspam · 22/12/2023 06:35

Hi all.

I was an 80's teen and it was either Pringle jumpers or Lyle and Scott, with Farrar trousers lol oh I wish I could go back to those halcyon days !

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