'Tis the season of resolutions, and a good one would, of course, be to wear more Shetland wool sweaters. Although I've got a feeling that most of the folks kind enough to read this blog already wear a lot of Shetland sweaters. Still, the coldest months of winter are yet ahead and staying warm has never sounded better. Tweed jackets along with flannel and corduroy trousers are to the fore of the closet, and all manner of foul weather gear and heavy shoddings are probably close at hand in the front hall. It is not surprising that during these coldest of months, Shetland wool sweaters get worn a lot.
The Shetland wool sweater is a much loved garment with a long history. Brooks Brothers introduced Shetland wool sweaters to America in 1904. As the image above illustrates, Brooks Brothers offered Shetland sweaters in both men's and women's versions. The Shetland sweater can be easily dressed up or down, and therein lies part of its appeal. Worn with cords or flannels and loafers, it might be worn out to dinner or even to work in today's casual surroundings. Dressed down, it can be worn around the house, raking leaves or out and about running errands. I suspect that much of the appeal of this sweater lies in its warmth and adaptability. Like a tweed jacket, it takes the chill off, and is supremely comfortable. The elbows will bag, the cuffs and hem will eventually begin to fray, and the sweater will pill a bit, but this will only work to elevate its appeal.
Over the past century, the Shetland sweater has been loved by both men and women. The images below offer a glance across the decades at the humble, yet ever present, Shetland wool sweater.
Over the past century, the Shetland sweater has been loved by both men and women. The images below offer a glance across the decades at the humble, yet ever present, Shetland wool sweater.
1939, Nantucket. It might be warm on the mainland, but here a Shetland cardigan offers warmth and adaptability. My wife, and I suspect that she is not alone, has been known to complain that such sweaters have become harder for women to find today.
1959, Brown University. Androgyny is a hallmark of the Shetland sweater. Is looks equally good on either sex. There have to be very few garments that one can say that about. Though in prep terms, there seem to be a terribly large amount of them: oxford cloth shirts, khakis, bean boots, engineer boots, Sperrys, down vests, duffle coats, turtlenecks, hunting coats, corduroy trousers, and the list goes on.
1979, East Coast Prep. Shetland sweaters were a key component of that scruffy prep style. Once graduated from college and out in the world, guys will often continue to dress like this on the weekends, even if they always can't during the week.
1979, East Coast Prep. Surging about the campus in the basic uniform, which will remained relatively unchanged for years to come. In cold weather, the khakis will be replaced with tan cords. Some hearty fellows will continue to surge about sockless, though I'm at an age when that is no longer a sound idea if I wish to remain in stout health during the winter.
1981, UNC Kenan Memorial Stadium. In a sea of casual collegiate blue jeans, the Shetland man stands out. He is an outdoors man, indeed, a Sportsman. Hunter orange or salmon, either way, it's an excellent color for a Shetland sweater.
1981, UNC. Outside of Kenan Memorial Stadium. Shetland sweaters also came in striped versions, some of them regimental, and of course that über-preppy version, the patchwork Shetland.
1981, UNC. This trio of lovely women show the classic Shetland sweater options for women: crew neck, cardigan and Fair Isle. Come to think of it, everything else is pretty well done, from loafers and clogs, to tartan and corduroy skirts.
1980, Cambridge, England. Simply lovely. Nothing else to say.
The advertisement reads "Only Brooks Brothers has real Shetland." Herein lies the problem: It is not as easy to find a genuine Shetland wool sweater today as it was in the past. The obvious question is: Are all "Shetland" wool sweaters the same today? Of course, the answer is, "No." To qualify as the genuine article, a Shetland wool sweater must be made in Scotland. The point might be stretched to include sweaters knit in Ireland, but I suspect that these couldn't be called "Shetland," unless they were made with Shetland yarns. The problem is that "Shetland" sweaters are so popular that the name has come to signify a style of sweater rather than a name that indicates its provenance. It seems like it was not very long ago when genuine Shetland wool sweaters were plentiful and inexpensive. However, today that is not the case. Genuine Shetland wool sweaters are relatively costly and somewhat hard to find.
The images that follow show a number of well known clothiers' offerings of Shetland wool sweaters over several decades.
Brooks Brothers, Christmas 1971. Over half of the sweaters offered on this page came from Scotland. The sheer number of colors offered for crew neck sweaters was staggering. Every guy needs a good shawl collar cardigan, too. Mine came from Inverness many years ago. It is still bullet-proof and still fits, too.
L.L. Bean, Christmas 1985. Like J. Press above, L.L. Bean had their Shetland sweaters made in Hong Kong of Shetland yarns.
Until very recently, O'Connell's offered genuine Shetland sweaters made by McGeorge of Scotland. Sadly, these no longer seem to be available.
Which brings us to today. Where can one find genuine Shetland wool sweaters today? J. Press, O'Connell's and Bahle's of Suttons Bay all offer the genuine article. Though I do not have any, The Andover Shop also offers both plain knit and cable knit Shetland wool sweaters, as well.
