© Rex FeaturesEveryone who is brilliant at a desk has one
Harper Lee's was drop-shouldered; Michelle Obama wears hers with pearls and dresses; and Toni Morrison likes hers with a shawl collar. Elsewhere, Carrie Bradshaw's was fluffy and fabulous, Bridget Jones wore hers with big pants and fancy PJs and Jessica Fletcher was fond of alphabet and farmyard-animal intarsia.
We are, in case you hadn't guessed, talking about the desk cardi - the forever favourite of wordsmiths around the world in life and in art and now the unlikely stye saviour of our working from home during lockdown. While tracksuit bottoms may have taken the lion's share of the fashion headlines for their comfortable, practical and fuss-free credentials, the desk cardi is all those things and more.
It's an item that adapts to those days when you want to make an effort so wear a Zoom-approved blouse or shirt, but not sit shivering in chiffon; a piece that sits happily on the back of your chair ready to be pulled over your shoulders or knees in the winter and the summer; easier than a jumper for regulating body temperature without ripping an earring out; and, basically, the wardrobe equivalent of a mug of tea or XL glass of wine (you decide) which we've all needed while sat solo at our desks or kitchen tables over the last 12 months.
"It makes perfect sense for us to choose a cardi when working from home," says fashion psychologist Dr Carolyn Mair, author of author of The Psychology of Fashion. "When we're alone, cardis in fluffy or saft yarns feel comforting and they encourage us to feel warmth and 'hug ourselves'."
Helen Seamons, menswear fashion editor at The Guardian concurs that wearing one is akin to a cuddle. While working from home her lockdown cardigan of choice is by The Knotty Ones, a slow fashion knitwear brand from Lithuania. "It's been my favourite piece of lockdown clothing," she says. "It's my only cardigan, I don't feel like I need another one, it's been my lockdown comfort blanket."
"Desk cardigans are a must for me whether I'm in the office or working from home," says Cat Tsang, deputy editor at Farfetch. She has styles that she wears depending on the day's schedule. "For 'on-camera' days, a neon pink and green argyle style from Molly Goddard, a soft red fuzzy one from & Other Stories or a long Ralph Lauren one with tassels and a hood." When the Zoom camera is turned off, she reaches for an oversized Zara style - "which is essentially like wearing a blanket" - and vintage cable knits that "have probably seen better days but I will keep forever".
Christina Norton, group communications manager at the Maybourne Hotel Group, chimes with the two. Normally to be found in relaxed tailoring pre lockdown, she says her desk cardi "has been the perfect solution to my WFH-induced wardrobe ennui". Hers is an oversized Weekend Max Mara style she picked up in Bicester Village years ago and came into its own over the last year. "I can basically wrap myself in it like a dressing gown, but the push fringing around the neckline helps elevate it, and it's neutral so goes with everything."
© Courtesy of Christina NortonChristina Norton's work from home cardigan set-up
Whether your style icons herald from The Big Lebowski or Little Women, there has been a desk cardi for everyone lately. There were plenty to draw inspiration from on the spring/summer 2021 collections last September - see Cecilie Bahnsen, Marni and Gabriela Hearst dropping around now - while Toast, Zara, and Marks & Sparks (always reliable for a classic knit) have plenty of sumptuous options. You might have even stuck to old faithfuls like me with my grandma's cream Aran hand-me-down that is suitably bobbly and somehow still smells like her lavender washing detergent (almost definitely psychosomatic at this point).
The desk cardi, it seems, is the most comforting of investment pieces - even when we come out of lockdown. "As we go from lockdown to some sort of normality, cardis are a good transitional piece while still keeping comfort in mind," says Mair.
© GothamKaia Gerber in her cropped cardigan in 2019
© Tim GrahamDiana, Princess of Wales, wearing a cardigan in 1985
© WPA PoolMichelle Obama teams her cardigan with pearls
Seamons is on board. She bought her desk cardi to wrap up as it started to get cold ("my dad loved to tell us growing up that we didn't need the heating on, we just needed another jumper!"), but plans on wearing it outside when some kind of semblance of normality returns. Tsang is bringing hers with her when she goes back to being in the office ("air-con is not my friend! But I'll upgrade to cashmere and leave the bobbly ones at home"), while Norton - a desk cardi convert - won't be throwing it to the back of her wardrobe. "I'll certainly consider bringing it with me into the office - at this time, comfort is key."
With some time left on the lockdown clock, forget about your "desktop", it's all about the desk cardi.
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