Cardigans!

[mauvishagain]

Oh wise ladies of S&B, I need your help because I am totally CRAP at clothes shopping --

I'd like a cardigan. It needs to fulfil the following criteria:

1. Nice material. Lambswool/merino/cashmere - or a blend is fine, but definitely not full synthetic.
2. Black, or charcoal, or a warm cream. Definitely not a dull greige. Navy might do at a (big) push.
3. A style I can wear either buttoned up, or open. I find so many cardis that look good open, don't sit well buttoned and vice versa. They gape if they're buttoned, of the neckline hangs miserably if open!
4. Preferably no more than £100 but I'm prepared to go a little higher for the perfect cardi.
5. Available from an outlet where I can try it on, ie not just online. This is probably the most important thing; I need to try the size and fit but feeling the fabric is absolutely vital for me. I HATE buying clothes online for this reason! I can get to Manchester or Leeds within an hour (other cities are also available!) so hopefully that will give plenty of choice of shops.

For further reference, I'm a size 10-12 and C cup (ie not flat chested).

I'm excited to see what people suggest! Many thanks in advance!

NavyGrey make my favourite jumpers. The cardis look gorgeous too, but I’m not sure about the itch factor.

NavyGrey

Sezane cardigans are gorgeous - I have 3 at the moment. I usually get a Medium and I am a 10/12. Not at all itchy 😊

However you can't try them on as their only UK shop is in London (I believe?!).

I have the Gaspard cardigan in cream, Basile in Charcoal and Emile in Black.

Gaspard Cardigan Beige

Basile Cardigan Charcoal

Emile Cardigan Black

Your requirements are very similar to mine so happy to find this thread.

Everytime I buy a cardigan, within a few weeks they look incredibly scruffy. I’m prepared to spend more on a decent one if they don’t do that, but I’m scared to take the risk.

Uniqlo. I’ve got a cashmere jumper from them that’s about 16 years old and been worn and washed every year. Quality probably isn’t quite what it was 16 years ago but still excellent and you can often get new things on EBay. Their classic button styles are really good and you can size up or down for the fit you want.

This year I’m going to try M&S men’s cashmere but only a jumper, not cardigan. Their men’s cotton jumpers are amazing quality for the price imo.

I have an M&S cashmere jumper which is incredibly soft and has held its shape and size through umpteen washes, but it has bobbles badly under the arms.

Eribe ? look lovely on the website 😀 expensive tho'

White Stuff Lulu cardigan is my favourite. Currently, I have three of them in a couple of different blues and a green.

It is a fine knit, crew neck with raglan sleeves in a super soft organic cotton. I think it looks equally good buttoned. It comes in lots of colours and even the occasional pattern.

https://www.whitestuff.com/p/2178/lulu-cardi/NAT_WHITE

Sorry, this link is only for a few of the colourways. Search Lulu cardigan on Whitestuff.com for the full range.

Happy shopping!

I always dream every year of finding a lovely cardigan....and I never bloody do. I rhink I remember lovely cardies from when I was young, but now Im starting to wonder if I just imagined it. I think it might be that natural fabric, well designed cardigans are now an absolute fortune whereas years ago they weren't. Have I imagined that, or am I right.

Yep you’re talking about a Sezane Gaspard- only issue is I think they only have stores in London.

I’m a 10-12 with large bust (otherwise would be 8-10) but I find the S pretty spot on- they come up fairly large. I do have an M sized one as I wanted a specific colour and found it on Vinted and it definitely looks quite slouchy on me and I rely on my boobs to fill it out so for a C cup I’d stick to S.

I find them beautifully soft.

I've honestly given up trying to find other than very basic M&S merino cardigan and have started knitting my own!

@mauvishagain - I was walking past our local ‘Edinburgh Woollen Mill’ and there were a couple of Fair Isle designs in cardigans and jumpers which I really liked (in their ‘Country Rose’ range:

www.ewm.co.uk

There is no place for Edinburgh Woollen Mill on the Style and Beauty threads.
What have we come to?

It's probably too chunky for this thread but I have a hankering for this cardigan

Olive Esme cardigan

This twinset is lovely too

twinset link won't post sorry

I can vouch for NavyGrey. Was coming to recommend them. I assumed lambswool would be scratchy but it is beautifully soft. They need a bit of care, mine needed debobbling regularly when I first started wearing them but 2 years and on it’s rare if that they need it.

They’re the polar opposite of Sézane though, style-wise. I sold my Gaspard cardigan. I love the idea of Sézane but I found it very hard to put an outfit together with. I think I get seduced by the Jeanne Damas being décontracté in a Parisian loft of it all and forget I live in the East Midlands and require sturdy foundation garments. Also it was very itchy.

I think that the current cardigan styles are awkward. I have been looking for a dove grey one, mainly to wear with a bra or cami, cropped jeans and flats for evenings out.

I echo the gaping buttons and the floppy bits annoyance.

A lot are slightly too long so if I wear them fastened they’re pulling across the waistband of whatever I have on underneath. Despite not being shaped at all to accommodate a curve, they hit right in the middle of the hips, cutting me in half in the worst way. Unfasten the lower buttons and they pull wide so the cardigan that fits elsewhere looks like it’s doing battle with my hips. Presumably I should tuck it in but I find that a bulky faff.

Also the too tight ribbing. A cardigan that fits otherwise will be too tight at the bottom and start to creep up and balloon out like a bomber jacket.

The shorter styles without the tight ribbing tend to be chunkier which isn’t really what I’m after.

I feel your pain OP. Cardigan rant over

This got a good review in a blog I was reading this week
https://www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-cashmere-v-neck-cardigan/chocolate/p114013789

Doesn't it fit with the Victorian waif themes?