Sweater: Fair Isle
History by Lynne: Fair Isle is a single tiny island in the Shetlands, halfway between Scotland
and Norway. It’s a traditional knitting technique used to create patterns with multiple colors. Something interesting I discovered was that although knitting was common on Fair Isle as early as the 1500s, the bright colors they used in
knitting were supposedly influenced by shipwrecked Spaniards who crashed on the shores in 1588. The Prince of Wales first brought the patterns into popularity in the early 1920s.

Although there are traditional rules about the usage of colors and these authentic versions can still be bought from companies on Shetland Island, designers these days use artistic license to create some really interesting patterns that would not be considered traditional. I’ve probably created a modern version of a Fair Isle for each designer I ever worked for. I think Fair Isles are so unusual because their patterns can be so classic or can be manipulated with crazy colors to look really fresh and new.

Buy: Fair Isle Sweater, OpeningCeremony.us
Everything about this Fair Isle from Opening Ceremony is so awesome. I love the fitted shape and I love the unusual colors that are used in this particular version. It’s so fun and I could see myself wearing it all winter! This particular pattern reference is from a traditional “granddad” pattern. Well, I don’t see my granddad wearing this colorful combo!