Here at T&C, we pride ourselves on our discerning eye for quality. With Tried & True, our editors will give you an inside look at the pieces they simply cannot live without.
This will come as news to absolutely no one, but sweater season is the best. Nothing quite compares to those first few nippy days when you need an extra layer and get to break into your sweater collection. Better still if you have a new knit waiting to be worn for the first time. My love for a good wear-anywhere-with-anything piece has been well documented, so it’s not shocking that the sweater I had ready to go the minute temperatures first hit 60 degrees was the Jenni Kayne Cashmere Fisherman Sweater.
It’s a piece that has a cult following, with everyone from California cool girls to influencers, to editors owning one, much like its sister the Cooper Cardigan. And the thing is… when a piece takes off like wildfire like that, there generally is a reason why. Now that I’ve got one of my own, I too can extoll its many virtues. Let’s start with the basics: holy heck is this sweater soft. Like can’t stop touching it soft. It’s no wonder why it’s easily made into a wear-with-anything piece—why on earth would anyone want to take it off? I’m talking the kind of soft that makes you tie it around your shoulders even if it’s too hot to actually wear it.
As for the cut, it’s boxy but not too boxy and because of where it hits at the hips, you get a wonderful suggestion of a figure while still having an easy fit. I think that’s what makes it so easy to pair with outfits. Add it to a jeans look and you have a touch more polish thanks to the texture of the knit and details like the fisherman crewneck. But paired with a skirt and top, it gives ease to a more effortful outfit. And the best part is that you know it’s going to look just as great in 5 years as it will now. In other words: it’s a piece that actually is timeless.
For whatever reason, I have never really owned grey anything, but I chose the heather gray colorway for this piece and I don’t have an ounce of regret. The tone of the gray (plus the dimension of the heather) is actually quite brightening for the complexion, and it pairs so well with blues and blacks, but also browns and camels. I may add another slightly warmer hue like un-dyed stone or mink, just because I both love it so much and imagine that those colors could pair well with the pieces that my gray sweater might not work with.
In short, I wore this sweater almost every day this week and the only reason I’m not wearing it as I write is because it was time for a wash. TLDR: It’s so worth it.