I’ve been on the West Coast and back on my cookbook tour, and while it might still be unseasonably warm, I wanted to dial in closer on knitwear, the one cold-weather clothing category I didn’t tackle in last week’s big fall dressing list.
Before going into some excellent knitwear discoveries I’ve made, a word about my general rotation through the fall and winter seasons. Unless I’m on a plane — where I typically like to wear a V-neck sweater because the temperature can vary so much — I cycle between crew and turtleneck sweaters, and more often that not, the turtleneck wins. If my neck is warm, my body is warm, and I doubt anyone else who lives in the Northeast would disagree with me.
From October to March, most of the time I'm in a turtleneck of varying density, from light cashmere to heavy lambswool depending on the conditions, and whether I’m pairing it with a suit (where I’ll opt for a lighter knit), or a Barbour (where I’ll go heavier). For years my closet has been filled with Submariner sweaters from Drake’s, Sunspel’s cable knit and lambswool sweaters (which feel like cashmere), and cashmere cable crews and Fair Isle sweaters from Polo Ralph Lauren. And no wardrobe is complete without at least one Shaggy Dog from J. Press.
Here are some of my current favorites:
COLHAY’S
“The chicest guests at the fasting clinic” isn’t a description I thought would ever apply to me, but that’s exactly what Yolanda and I were called during our detoxifying visit last January to Buchinger Wilhelmi. And that is entirely thanks to the great knitwear minds over at Colhay’s.
I first met Ronnie Chiu, Colhay’s founder and creative director, at Pitti in Florence. He was wearing this belted shawl cardigan that I had to ask him about. Turns out he’d designed it — and it was milled in Scotland, like all of Colhay’s beautiful, heavy knit sweaters. I eventually got my hands on my own shawl-collar cardigan, and I don’t think Yolanda or I took ours off for days. The lambswool is so soft and luxurious that it’s almost like you’re wearing cashmere, and also very thick and cozy, but not weighty. They function as great indoor loungewear, but also work outside for lighter outerwear on a cool fall day.
I visited Ronnie last month in London to see the new season's cable knits, and was impressed all over again. I also think the price points are not at all insane for the quality and the thoughtfulness that he puts in. Colhay’s is not reinventing the wheel—they're just doing a beautiful version of it, and that’s a practice that I always think deserves some attention.
CAMPBELL’S OF BEAULY
This shop, which has operated out of the Scottish Highlands since 1858, has the most epic collection of Shetland crewnecks, Donegal turtlenecks (which I find can be pretty hard to find), and Fair Isles. The Shetlands come in beautiful, unexpected bright colors that I never thought would suit my palette, but they do. I first met John Sudgen, the current owner, at Pitti also, and we became fast friends. As many of you may know, I love Scotland, and since meeting John, I’ve visited Beauly several times—the first visit was to make my shooting tweed plus fours. (They’ve made them for King Charles!) Campbell’s has a had a long history with many of the nearby estates, keeping gamekeepers and royals alike well tweeded.
That being said, beyond sweaters, it is also a great place to buy a length or two of vintage tweeds, welly socks and flat caps. Their shop fulfills all of my Scotland retail fantasies, with shelves and racks of knits and woolens, a full bespoke tailoring service, and plenty of smart products to keep the moths at bay.
QUAKER MARINE SUPPLY
Back on this side of the Atlantic, I’ve become a big fan of Quaker Marine Supply. Founded by a Coast Guard vet in Philly in 1949, they supplied Ernest Hemingway with his long-billed Oysterman hats, and to this day make great Americana knits. My personal favorites are the Inverness, and their North Sea. I really appreciate their aesthetic, and recommend them heartily to anyone looking for knits at a slightly lower price point.
In other news, I’m very excited to be a guest tonight on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon so tune in if you get the chance!
Picked up a Shetland jumper in Lovat from Campbell’s. Great quality and honestly doesn’t make sense it’s as lightweight as it is. Plus a handwritten note in the packaging, nice touch
You may be the next Carson. How did I not think of that already? You were great. Could single-handedly revitalize the whole late night format.