A cardigan can be sexy: How to make your ‘mumsy’ wardrobe feel exciting
Basile blue cardigan, £130, sezane.com
‘Usually, I play cardigan-wearing mums,’ the actress Sheridan Smith recently told The Telegraph. ‘Here I’m a badass’. Smith’s sartorial change of pace came courtesy of her role in Boxing Day’s big drama, The Castaways. But was she right to relegate the classic cardigan to the apparent bin of ‘mumsiness’?
Cardigans are just one fashion-world favourite that routinely gets labelled as ‘mumsy’. Usually, the adjective is being used to insult – implying frumpiness, an ill-fit, or an out-of-date sense of style. It is perhaps ageist, rather than sexist (see also ‘bad dad style’ for an equivalent).
Yet, as we go into the spring 2024 fashion season, the cardigan has never looked better. See the catwalk cardigans by Prada and Molly Goddard – the latter laces hers with ribbons. Or for the sexiest cardigan advert visit Sezane’s website, where the French label has more than 70 style variations each being modelled in a half-done-up, sultry pose.
We are told all too often to avoid certain items, for fear of their ‘mumsy’ associations. Cardigans, yes, but also denim jackets, Breton tops, flat shoes and, more recently, midi dresses. If we adhered to these rulings, truly, what would be left to wear?
That said, there are ways to make all wardrobe stalwarts feel fresh and exciting, especially as we head for a new year. As ever, it is all in the fit, styling and proportions.
The cardigan
Can a cardigan ever be “badass”? Yes, says Marie Louise Pumfrey, a fashion publicist, if you layer it in the right way.
“My love of cardigans was sparked by Katie Holmes when she was photographed hailing a cab in a cropped grey cardigan with only a bra underneath,” Pumfrey says. “She looked so chic and sexy. This look has to be one of the easiest to recreate; with straight jeans, ballet pumps, and layered necklaces.”
Pumfrey will flit between maxi-length cardigans by Hayley Menzies, cashmere bombers and hoodies by Brodie, and styles with statement balloon sleeves by Madeleine Thompson.
Pavo cashmere cardigan, £365, Madeleine Thompson, madeleine-thompson.com
Cashmere cardigan, £350, Me + Em, meandem.com
Cardigan, £49.99, Mango, mango.com
The Breton top
A Breton is a common sighting on both mums and dads at the nursery and school gates, I can attest – and for good reason. The stripe is a timeless style, and a T-shirt is the easiest thing to put on in a hurry. A carefully selected colour palette and an interesting thickness and distribution of stripes can offer a fresh update to the seemingly simple style. Tuck it into wide-leg jeans, add loafers, and it’s a deliberate Fashion Look.
Striped T-shirt, £45, Brora, broraonline.com
Trainers and a midi dress
Feeling jaded with this once-favourite sartorial double act? The trainers and midi dress pairing served to balance smart with casual, and dressy with comfort. It can still be done and look interesting – why not swap the ubiquitous florals for a knitted or denim dress, for an update?
Suede trainers, £60, Adidas at jdsports.co.uk
Knitted dress, £95, COS, cos.com
The denim jacket
The key to making a denim jacket look current is to avoid tight fits, advises Claudia Berresford. The Suffolk-based stylist has two favourites in her wardrobe – a cropped style from New York label Khaite, and a long denim ‘barn coat’ from Free People.
“I would style the longline jacket with an oversized white T-shirt and barrel-leg jeans, and finish off the look with a pair of red Adidas trainers,” she says. “I also like to wear a denim jacket over a midi dress to toughen up the look and dress it down for the day – it allows me to extend the wear of my occasion dresses outside of weddings and events.”
Texas jacket, £170, The Frankie Shop, thefrankieshop.com
Washed-out denim jacket, £134.50, Claudie Pierlot, claudiepierlot.com
Cassie jacket, £79, Whistles, whistles.com
The giant bag
The ‘overflow bag’, the ‘canvas shopper’, the ‘tote of random shizzle’. None of these names feels glamorous, per se. And yet the bag which is triple-stuffed with objects that are not your own is likely an everyday essential (and perhaps the one tell-tale sign on this list that shows you are a parent). Look for something with just as much inside space and pocket wizardry, but in a glossy leather, or suede. Sezane’s ‘Romie’ would hold it all, but never lose its structure.
Romie bag, £350, Sezane, sezane.com
