The fair isle sweater is the knit everyone saves once the weather turns. It has a patterned band, often around the yoke, that looks like it was handmade in a fishing village, and it instantly makes jeans look cozy. I went deeper on a related idea in Best Fair Isle Knits.

 

The way to wear one now is to keep everything else plain. Straight jeans or a long skirt, tall boots, and maybe a collared shirt peeking out at the neck. Muted colors like cream, oatmeal, brown and forest green look more grown up than bright reds and blues.

 

Below are the pullovers and cardigans I would wear all season.

A fair isle pullover with a patterned yoke is the classic. The cream and brown crewneck with an all over pattern looks great with a striped shirt underneath. The oatmeal sweater with a bold yoke is the easiest to wear with jeans, and the alpaca crew in oatmeal is the softest of the group.

 

If you like color, the bright orange turtleneck with a brown yoke is a mood booster. The camel turtleneck with a black and white yoke feels like a ski lodge. The forest green crew and the grey alpaca sweater are the deeper options.

 

My fitting room test: hold the sleeve up to the light. Good wool and alpaca blends are dense, and you should not see your hand. What I would skip: very tight fits, which stretch the pattern and look dated.

A fair isle cardigan is easier to layer than a pullover. Wear it buttoned as a top or open over a white tee.

 

The light blue cardigan with a snowflake band is fresh and pretty. The light brown cardigan with a snowflake pattern has a slightly cropped length. The charcoal cardigan with a yoke and the dark brown collared cardigan are more polished. The ecru zip cardigan has a cozy shawl collar.

 

For a sporty feel, the black and white zip up and the cream half zip with a green pattern are both easy to throw on. The chestnut lodge cardigan is the coziest piece here.

 

What I check: the pattern should line up at the seams and the buttonholes should be clean. What I would skip: thin acrylic, which pills fast.

Buy one pullover in a muted color first. Then add a cardigan if you want something easier to layer.

 

Keep the rest of the outfit simple: straight jeans, a tall boot and a plain coat. Let the knit be the only pattern.

 

For more in the same spirit, take a look at Alp N Rock Sweaters and Christmas Sweaters for Women.