why I own this jumper in three colours
on a cold weather signature piece
Foreword: A little-known fact, but Reilly’s newsletter, clipboard, was my first foray back into writing after my stint at Newspread some years ago. It’s beautifully written, and charming, and inspires people to appreciate the things in the city they’re in (in this case, Auckland). He’s also sharply dressed and brings us this thoughtful piece on signatures and statements.
As I settle into adulthood, I've always wanted to have a signature look, or signature piece in my wardrobe. Think Chris Black's pre-Lasik Moscots, Tyler the Creator's loafers, Paul Mescal's short shorts. Something that feels so congruent with one's sense of self that it slots into every look, the first piece that gets pulled out when getting dressed in the morning.
This idea of a signature look probably ties into Arantxa's piece in these very virtual pages, about the ways that dressing in a school uniform for 13 years creates an itch to scratch down the line. While I admire those who can try on new styles and fashion languages every day, I'm generally looking for a consistency, an ability to hit shuffle on my tops, bottoms and shoes and get a reliable result.
It also comes from a struggle I've felt ever since entering the creative-adjacent email workplace. In the absence of the suit and tie wardrobe, how can you dress for the office in a way that hits the middle of the Venn diagram between self-expression, professionalism and the modern male allergy to being too dressed up. I mean, I've been asked why I'm so dressed up just for wearing a white oxford cloth button down into the office. It's a tricky balance, and one that is aided by having some solid foundations to build on.
Enter what has become, at least in the colder months, my signature piece. Ever since Thom Morison opened its doors, I've craved a full wardrobe of designer Thom Sussex's clothes. His eye for silhouette, care for fabrication and sense of what could be a modern Antipodean men's wardrobe aligns remarkably with mine, much like how those guys at GQ must feel about Evan Kinori. Over the years, I've picked up a selection of Thom's wares, including shirts long and short-sleeved, jackets, trousers and even a mug, created in collaboration with ceramicist Richard Beauchamp.
The line of Thom's that has burrowed itself into my daily rotation most fully is knitwear. As an eczema sufferer, I'm very particular about knits: as much as I'd love to have one of those fisherman jumpers that Daniel Day-Lewis loves, my skin won't allow it, and so I'm mostly reduced to cotton and very fine merino knits.
When Thom launched a line of merino knitwear, then, my ears pricked up immediately. The most elegant piece in that selection is the knit polo, which I believe is the perfect date night piece (I wore mine to my wedding rehearsal dinner), but the one which has captured my imagination is his jacquard sweater. A classic crew neck style knitted in a double layer style means that my skin gets the benefit of ZQ merino while my fits get the benefit of a chunky, weightier texture that can works just as well layered under a sport coat as on its own.
I got my first one two years ago, in an off white colour, a birthday gift from my now wife. I was heading to Pōneke for a family weekend in winter and wore it to every single event, from a set menu at Ortega Fish Shack to the Waitangi Park Sunday markets. Wearing it was like armour against the wind, and while we had a bit of "Welly on a good day" weather luck, it held up perfectly against the elements. By the time the end of season sale came around, I picked up another, this time in navy. This year, another gift from my wife, I got a third, this time in a murdered out black.
To say these jumpers have infiltrated my wardrobe would be an understatement. These past few months, I have probably worn one, or multiple of them, 4 days out of every week. I wear them to the office with tailored trousers and a jacket, to a cafe with jeans and Vans, on a walk through the park with shorts and sneakers (Brendan Babenzien running style). Feeling uninspired? I just pull one on with a pair of Dickies. In the last couple of weeks, I've also discovered the joy of wearing them with a little pin or brooch to step out of graphic design person and towards art person.
I'm not the only one who's besotted with these jumpers, either. I frequently spot the IYKYK ribbed cuffs and neckline on filter coffee enjoyers, art gallery owners and comedian Chris Parker (#bratwinter) when I'm wandering around Tāmaki catching up on podcasts.
Now over two years into absolutely thrashing these jumpers, I'm starting to feel the magic not just of a piece that goes with everything, but of wearing high quality pieces over and over. These things get better with age! The texture has become less uniform as use leads to pilling and pulling, and the shape has adjusted to my body ever so subtly, opening up extra room at the elbow from hours typing words including these. I'm looking forward to wearing them through in places, patching and darning and continuing to make them my own.
For me, personal style comes not just from the pieces that shout, but those that speak quietly and consistently, holding everything together. The white tee that fits just right, the daily driver watch, and for me, the jumper that goes with everything. Now I just need to figure out what item to make my whole personality once the weather tops 17 degrees.
Brb gonna go cop one now lol
Talk soon,
Mitch