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Warm and woolly sweaters heat up winter fashion

The coming months, meteorologists have predicted, are going to be among the coldest in decades, so it's comforting to know that warm, woolly and uncommonly stylish knitwear is – pun intended – the season's hottest fashion trend.

"Canadians have always relied on chunky knits to keep warm," says Suzanne Timmins, fashion director at the Bay. "But we've been seeing a wide variety of layered and textured knits on the runway as well."

Among those experimenting with fabrics and stitches to give knits an enhanced body-conscious allure are Dolce & Gabbana, Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel and Canada's own Mark Fast, the Winnipeg-born, London-based knitwear dynamo who combines Lycra with viscose, angora and wool to hand-create collections on a domestic knitting machine. The elastic, embracing yarns cling to the body, accentuating curves. They have been used by top designers to create dresses, coats and even (by Fast) a wedding gown, but perhaps their greatest potential lies in an area of fashion in need of resuscitation: sweaters.

"There's something so luxurious and comforting about a wonderful sweater and the [new] variations of yarn textures and weights allow for endless design possibilities," says Ryan Pugsley, a spokesman for Kersh, the Vancouver-based knitwear firm.

And the sweater girl, in turn, may make a comeback as a style icon.

In the past, it was stars such as Lana Turner, Marilyn Monroe, Ava Gardner and Brigitte Bardot who wore the mantle (and their woolens) with legendary panache. Today's incarnations include Kirsten Dunst on the wholesome side and Angelina Jolie in the va-va-voom department. Witness the clingy woolen number that the latter wore to the New York premiere last month of her latest film, The Tourist. Slit to the thigh and plunging of neckline, it no doubt kept the December chill at bay, but was definitely more slinky than snuggly. As the image of the dress went viral, you could almost hear the click-click-click of knitting needles being used around the world.

Toronto designers Jennifer Wells and John Muscat are already stitches ahead of the pack, having launched their knitwear label, called Line, in 2000. Often spotted in the pages of Women's Wear Daily, Muscat and Wells's seductive knitted dresses feature intricate stitch patterns and have been coveted by such wide-ranging fashion mavens as Kate Hudson, Nicole Richie, Jennifer Garner and Oprah Winfrey. "Knitwear has evolved into a serious fashion commodity, as it can be worn close to the body and gives a structured shape and sleek silhouette to all female body types through the use of draping, layering and gathering techniques," Wells says. "Because it's comfortable to wear, it can enhance confidence and boost self-image. It isn't constricting; it moves with the body."

Carla Hogg, owner of the Vancouver knitwear label Left on Houston, agrees that knits can hold tremendous sex appeal. "Depending on the types of yarns and stitches used, the drape and consistency of knitwear can result in a sexy, fluid look. We always use new and upcoming treatments, yarn gauges and knit patterns to give Left on Houston a modern, luxurious and casual aesthetic."

At Line, the yarns are gossamer thin, ultimately looking like a second layer of skin. Some pieces are knitted so finely that they seem transparent. Muscat credits this effect to an exclusive modal/cashmere blend that he and Wells sought out to lend their knitwear a feeling of extraordinary lightness. "It's feather-weight and yields a gorgeous drape that gives us the ability to create fashion basics such as scoop necks, cowls and fitted cardigans," Muscat says. "For loftier styles, we use fantastic novelty yarns that can be translated into even gauzier drop-, open- and crochet-stitch knit patterns to create exposed panels and insets."

As such intricate patterning suggests, knits can be labour-intensive, giving them an inherent luxe factor whether the designs are casual or not. "Knitwear is far more expensive to create than other textiles," Hogg says, adding that this quality may be why it's so popular right now. "In times of economic uncertainty, consumers tend to spend their money on higher-quality pieces that they'll wear for a long time. It's this perceived value that makes them appealing in a recession."

Indeed, knitwear is on such a roll at the moment – the Economic Times in India, a big knitwear-producing nation, has called it "a boom sector" – that studios there and elsewhere are adopting knits for spring and summer lines, albeit in lighter forms. One such firm is Montreal's Furi Design, which will be expanding its line of warmer-weather trench coats and capes this year to include items in soft knit jersey and cashmere blends. "Knit fabrics emphasize comfort and breathability, using natural fibres to embrace femininity," Furi co-designer Steven Lee says. "But they can also provide an elegant look, what previously could only be done with woven [materials]."

Comfortable and assertive in one fell stitch? "This is what the modern woman wants," Lee says.

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For more information on seasonal clothing visit www.knitweardirect.info

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