The Cardigan's Chic Revival: From granny's armchair to fashion's frontline

There are always a few pieces that define a season. Sometimes it’s the coat, oversized, sculptural, a little bossy. Sometimes it’s the heel, square-toed, sky-high, and barely wearable. But this year, the most surprising piece to claim the crown is something that, until recently, you’d have found on your grandmother’s armchair. The cardigan: soft, slouchy, a little retro, has muscled its way back into the fashion conversation. It refuses to settle for a quiet moment and takes the lead.

At first glance, you might think it’s nostalgia dressing. After all, the cardigan has history: librarians, prep schools, Ivy League professors, and yes, grandmothers. But look closer and it’s clear this isn’t about irony. The 2025 cardigan is sharper, cooler, and more versatile. It’s chunky fisherman rib knits with weight and swing. It’s cropped mohair in bubblegum pink. It’s dense neutrals styled like tailoring.

Designers are showing them on runways. Celebrities are styling them on coffee runs. Editors are calling them the “don’t-leave-home-without-it” piece. What was once the humblest knit in your closet has become fashion’s MVP.

Even when fashion runs in cycles, this comeback feels different. After years of whiplash trends, one week rhinestone bras, the next “mob-wife” fur coats, audiences have had enough. Micro-trends burned bright and burned out. The appetite now is for pieces that feel safe, familiar, even comforting, but still stylish.

Phoebe Philo, long before this season’s obsession, articulated the logic: “Clothing has to be emotionally resonant and personal.” That could be the cardigan’s manifesto. Slip one on and it’s instantly tactile, grounding, and reassuring, the fashion equivalent of a deep breath. Yet it’s not stuck in the past. The cardigan adapts. It tucks into trousers and pretends to be a blouse. It slouches over denim and feels relaxed. It buttons halfway over a slip dress and suddenly becomes flirtatious.

Runways cemented what was happening on the street. At Miu Miu, cropped cardigans were buttoned to the chin, layered over pleated minis like school uniforms gone luxe. Molly Goddard exploded the silhouette into oversized rainbow mohair worn with prairie skirts.

Even Bottega Veneta, synonymous with leather minimalism, showed thick knits in neutral palettes, styled like jackets. Each house, in its own way, confirmed that knitwear isn’t filler, it’s the headline.

The cardigan’s credibility also owes much to celebrity culture. Harry Styles lit the fuse years ago when he rehearsed in JW Anderson’s patchwork cardigan. Fans loved it so much that Jonathan Anderson released the pattern, sparking a crochet craze on TikTok and cementing the cardi as pop-cultural icon. That same piece now lives in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, proof that a knit can carry cultural weight.

Since then, the cardigan has quietly crept back into the wardrobes of the most photographed women on earth. Gigi Hadid wore hers slouchy and half-tucked into baggy jeans during Paris Fashion Week, a look that proved a cardigan could be as cool as any bomber jacket.

Hailey Bieber leaned into beige, styling a longline version with biker boots and her signature slick bun, a masterclass in mixing softness with edge. And Zendaya, ever the chameleon, chose polish: a cropped black cardigan tucked into tailored trousers at a press junket. The effect was sleek, subtle, and entirely modern.

When women at the centre of the celebrity style machine wear something like this everyday, it becomes bigger than just a trend. It’s almost like a language. Suddenly, the cardigan isn’t ironic or “granny” at all. It’s aspirational.

Designers themselves are happy to explain why. Miuccia Prada has always defended the beauty of practicality: “I try to be creative in a way that can be worn, that can be useful.” Stella McCartney has echoed the same sentiment, calling knitwear “the most democratic luxury we have, it touches skin, it lasts, it comforts.”

Even Sophie Delafontaine of Longchamp, whose icons have always been in leather, not wool, understands the appeal. “We have always taken the time to do things well,” she said recently. “The icons are the pieces that stay.” The cardigan, like her brand’s Le Pliage tote, has officially crossed into icon territory.

What makes the cardigan so compelling is its adaptability. It’s the rare item that can swing from work to weekend to evening without ever changing its character. Picture this: a soft grey cardigan buttoned right up, tucked into wide-leg trousers, cinched with a belt. Add loafers and a structured tote and you’re boardroom-ready. Swap the tote for a cross-body bag and you’re set for after-work drinks.

For date night, the cardigan leans romantic. Cropped mohair in blush pink, buttoned just low enough, worn over a satin slip dress and layered with gold chains at the collarbone. Slingback heels complete the look, it’s sweet but not saccharine.

Weekend errands? A cream cable-knit, oversized, thrown over a ribbed tank and straight-leg denim. Sneakers, sunglasses, and a big tote bag complete what might be the most Instagrammable outfit of the season.

And yes, it can even go out. The fitted black cardigan is the stealth weapon of the after-dark wardrobe. Button it all the way and treat it as your top. Add leather trousers, stilettos, statement earrings. Hair pulled into a slick bun. It’s part minimalist, part vamp, and completely unexpected.

In the era of quiet luxury, what separates a great cardigan from a throwaway one is touch. Brushed mohair that floats. Alpaca blends with soft halo. Recycled cashmere that holds its line. Organic cotton knits that behave almost like outerwear.

A well-made cardigan doesn’t sag, doesn’t warp at the buttons, doesn’t pill after two wears. It drapes, flatters, and lasts. It justifies its price tag through quality you can feel, not a logo you can see. Even high-street labels are following suit, offering denser ribbing and elevated finishes so their cardigans look and feel like investment pieces.

Of course, the cardigan is more than a style choice. It carries emotion.. In a world still wobbling between chaos and calm, wrapping yourself in something soft yet stylish is more than a fashion decision. It’s a coping mechanism.

Fashion historian Valerie Steele has noted that knitwear resurfaces in moments of cultural stress because it represents “home, tradition, and continuity.” That insight has never felt more relevant. The cardigan is a reminder that even in turbulence; some things remain familiar, grounding, and reassuring.

The cardigan is now the piece you reach for without hesitation. It carries you from morning coffee to late-night dinner with ease. Familiar, sharper, cooler, and a little cheekier than memory allows, it proves that sometimes the quietest clothes hold the strongest style.

1. Buttoned-Up Minimalism

A candy-pink cardigan, buttoned neat and tucked into wide-leg white trousers, feels crisp and polished. Paired with strappy heels and a micro bag, the look balances playful colour with boardroom precision.

2. Belted & Longline

A long patterned knit cinched at the waist turns into instant outerwear. Styled over sleek black trousers with heels and a structured bag, it’s more statement coat than cardigan.

3. Cropped & Playful

Whimsical motifs keep a cropped knit feeling young and fresh. Paired with cream denim and sneakers, this daisy-strewn cardigan has all the optimism of spring, even in cooler months.

4. Weekend Ease

Slouchy knits bring the comfort factor. Worn oversized in deep red with relaxed trousers and pastel heels, the look nails that in-between of laidback and pulled together.

5. Evening Mood

For after dark, a black sequined knit styled with leather trousers delivers drama without effort. The shimmer catches the light, the silhouette stays sleek, and the effect is pure night-out glamour.