Cardigan

I am in the United Kingdom at a small café in Hampstead writing this piece. I have a warm cup of tea next to me. Half-eaten carrot cake by my side and a blank sheet of paper staring at me. Oh yes, let me not forget I am wearing a knitted Wolfen cardigan I recently purchased in Berlin. Some may not blink an eye at me given I am between two elderly couples eating their crustless sandwiches and talking about the weather. By my description, I fit right in. However, at second glance I could be Clark Kent or Steve McQueen. I’ll save my daydreaming for another day. I need to tell you about why it is the perfect time to get a cardigan.

It is no coincidence that I am writing this piece in a small café in Hampstead, drinking tea on a morose rainy day here in London, because the cardigan itself hails from British descent.

James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, a British Army Lieutenant-General was the one who populated this fashionable sweater. He is famous for his leadership and wins in the Battle of Balaclava and the Charge of the Light Brigade, where he became a public figure. The story goes: his coat caught on fire during evening cocktail hour, which made his dinner jacket into the cardigan as we know it today.

There are quite a few ways to style the cardigan. I am between two options these days. The first, being the plain white t-shirt with underneath a cardigan of your choosing. I would go for neutral colours. For example, an Informal t-shirt and Colhays cardigan, would work very well for a weekend stroll around the city. If you are looking to dress it up a bit more and take it into the office or out to dinner with friends, a white button down—tucked in of course—would work as well. However, one thing to note, if you’re choosing the button-down shirt option, then make sure your cardigan is always buttoned. If you undo the buttons, you lose the “formal” look. As I mentioned before, I am wearing my cardigan from Wolfen, which can be dressed up or dressed down. It can be worn on a lazy Sunday stroll through the park or going to cocktail hour with friends. At least there are no tails on these sweaters to catch on fire! We can thank the Earl of Cardigan for that.

Enjoy.