If you were going to design the perfect material for dealing with autumn and winter, it would probably look a lot like merino. Warm without being bulky, soft enough to wear against the skin and breathable enough to cope with overheated offices, this wonder fabric is about as well suited to autumn and winter layering as a fabric gets.
It’s for these reasons that Amsterdam’s ETQ has made the stuff a key part of its latest knitwear offering, applying fine merino wool to a range of clean, understated silhouettes that cover all cold-weather bases.
These are the sorts of knits that can slot straight into your cold-weather capsule wardrobe and work with almost everything already in it. Here are the four styles worth welcoming into your wardrobe this season.
Zip-through cardigan
Cardigans are firmly back in menswear’s good books, but buttons aren’t the only way to go. A zip-through version feels cleaner, more contemporary and slightly sportier, borrowing something from the track top while retaining the softness and polish of knitted wool.
It’s a strong choice if you like your knitwear to function as more than a simple midlayer. Wear it in place of a lightweight jacket through early autumn, then move it underneath heavier outerwear when temperatures drop further. The off-white colour works particularly well here, highlighting the clean lines and bringing some lightness to the moody, muted tones of a typical cold-weather wardrobe.
Crewneck sweater
Trends come and go, but a good crewneck is about as permanent as menswear gets. Born as sportswear in the early 20th century, it’s simple, relatively smart and thin enough to layer without overinflating your carefully considered autumn outfit. There’s a reason it’s been on rotation for over a century.
The key is getting the details right. A neat fit and fine knit make it feel considerably more polished than a chunky cable-knit jumper, allowing it to work just as well with tailoring as it does with denim. Dark fig is an especially good colour for autumn too: richer than navy, less obvious than grey and easy to combine with earthy neutrals.
Half-zip
Few items have undergone a reputational turnaround quite like the half-zip. The finance-bro associations haven’t disappeared completely, but menswear has embraced the style again, and the current crop feels sharper, cleaner and far removed from the shapeless corporate fleeces of old.
Fine merino helps. It keeps the silhouette streamlined and allows the collar to sit neatly rather than bunching around the neck. There’s also something to be said for resisting the temptation to buy another one in grey or navy. ETQ’s blueberry provides enough colour to make things interesting while remaining subdued enough for everyday wear.
Turtleneck
The turtleneck is perhaps the easiest way to make cold-weather dressing look more sophisticated. Sub one in for a crewneck beneath a jacket or coat and suddenly the whole thing feels sharper, even if everything else stays exactly the same.
Merino lends itself particularly well to the style. A fine gauge keeps the neck neat and avoids the bulk of heavier roll necks, making it easier to layer beneath tailoring and outerwear. Black doubles down on the minimalist feel and leaves plenty of room to experiment elsewhere – whether that means textured wool, raw denim, suede or a particularly good coat.
