Knit-wear. We all have it…
It’s that lumpy, multicolored crocheted sweater hanging in the far reaches of your closet. It’s the one we rarely wear. But why? Is it because of the underwhelming weight of knitted sweaters? Or is it perhaps that they’re deemed repulsive by the general public? Knit-wear has popped up all over the runway for spring collections. It is making a stance as both chic, effortless, and comfortable. This is not the first time knit-wear has sprung into spring collections, though. Throughout the 1990’s, knit-wear was common in couture, and this time is no different. Designers are highlighting the various uses of stitches, as well as cheerful spring colors. Some examples of the most popular stitches would be wale, purl, cables, and right and left plaited stitches. Ordinarily, wale stitches are knitted in the same order in every row, and the wales of the fabric run both parallel and vertically along the fabric. However, this need not be so.
The order in which stitches are knitted may also be permuted so that wales cross over one another, forming a singular cable pattern. Cables patterns tend to draw the fabric together, making it denser and less elastic, and this is why your cable knit sweater isn’t worn often; it’s heavy. Yet, cable knit continues to be the favored knit of choice by designers. They choose cable knit both for its simplicity, but also for the durability.
Lets talk spring color. While we expected to see bright hues, and luxurious patterns for the collections of spring 2013, we didn’t expect the use of technicolor. Bright tones were thrown together with mixed patterns that created something very bold. What also stood out to me, was the use of soft, luxurious navy blues. Navy you say? Yes, NAVY. I readily wondered how could this be? Navy is often used in winter collections, but the saturation is dummed down. For spring 2013, this was not the case. Navy blues were bright, extravagant, and worked flawlessly on blazers. They also functioned beautifully as a casual chino, or a simple spring skirt. I am in love with these bright navy blues for spring 2013!
Here’s what I recommend: Go out, and find that heavy, complex knit sweater, and throw it on top of a pair of jeans, or spring shorts. Once that is accomplished, seek out a navy that talks to you. I believe that navy is an up and coming spring color that has turned out way better that I anticipated. But, there are numerous spring colors to choose from. Trending 2013 colors are bold and bright. Another color that jumps out at me is bright yellow, almost neon like. This color works under a navy blazer to work, or perhaps on a blouse out to a club. Though we have been rather lucky with the sunshine this winter, spring is right around the corner. Get ready!