At 62, I used to pack four cardigans for three days away. Now I pack one.
At 62, I used to pack four cardigans for three days away. Now I pack one.
Six things the Doris gets right that my suitcase full of cardigans got wrong, from a woman who is not a fashion writer.
Caroline Richards · Customer · Nottinghamshire · 5 min read Let me be plain about who is talking. I am Caroline, I am 62, I live in Nottinghamshire, and I have never once sat down to write about a cardigan. But every time we go away, even for three nights, I have the same battle with the suitcase. A thick one in case it is cold. A thin one in case it is not. A smart one for dinner. And one more, just in case. My husband sits on the lid while I do the zip. This half-term we took the grandchildren to the seaside for three days, and for the first time in my life I packed one cardigan. So this is not a review. It is a woman who finally travelled light, saying so.
What I found is from Nottingham Boutique, a small boutique that has been quietly dressing women our age for a few years now. It is a whole collection of soft hooded cardigans, and mine is the Doris, in a deep navy: a fine, light knit with a drawstring hood, little brown buttons down the front and ribbed cuffs and hem. When the boutique later asked if they could put my letter up for others to read, I said yes, on the condition I could be completely honest in it.
One cardigan for three days. At 62. Read on.
Here is how it happens, and I suspect it happens to most of us. We pack for the weather we are afraid of. The thick cardigan is too hot in the car and the café, the thin one is useless on a windy seafront, and the smart one only comes out for an hour at dinner. So we carry all of them, and still end up wearing the wrong one at the wrong moment.
I did not need more cardigans in my case. I needed one that could do all of their jobs.
The Doris is the first cardigan I have owned that did every job on a trip away, and having worn it most days since, I can tell you it comes down to six things.
The afternoon it came. A lovely deep navy, and so soft.
Light enough to wear all day
It is a fine, light knit, so it layers without bulk. I wore it over a top in the car, under my coat on the beach, and on its own in the café, and I never once felt I had too much on. It is the opposite of my big chunky cardigan, which I always ended up carrying.
So light and soft. I wear it under my coat and on its own, and it never feels bulky.
Margaret D., BeestonA hood for the seafront
The hood has a drawstring, so when the wind picks up on the front you can pull it up and draw it in a little. I did not take a hat, and I did not need one. The grandchildren thought it was very funny that Granny had a hood. I thought it was very sensible.
The hood is brilliant for a breezy walk. Saves me finding a hat every time.
Pauline S., SkegnessButtoned for dinner, open for the day
It has a neat row of little brown buttons down the front. Done up with the hood down, it looked smart enough for dinner at the hotel. Open over a top in the day, it was easy and relaxed. One cardigan, two looks, and no swapping.
Tea by the window. Buttoned up, hood down.
Smart enough buttoned up for going out, comfy enough for home. Lovely little buttons.
Jean M., ArnoldIt does not take up half the case
Because it is light and fine, it folded down neatly on top of my things, with room to spare. For the first time in years my husband did not have to sit on the suitcase.
Packed for three days. One cardigan, on top.
Took it on holiday as my only layer and it was perfect. Light to pack and goes with everything.
Sheila B., Long EatonStill neat on day three
The cuffs and hem are ribbed and keep their shape, so it did not end up baggy at the wrists after a few days of wear. It is a relaxed fit that skims rather than clings, but it still looks tidy.
On the back of the door, ready for the morning.
Keeps its shape lovely. The cuffs still look neat after lots of wear.
Brenda K., CarltonNavy goes with everything I packed
Navy sits with jeans, cream, grey and camel, so it went with every top in my case. And if navy is not for you, the collection comes in a whole range of colours, all the same price, in sizes from UK 8/10 to UK 16/18.
Bought the navy first and then went back for two more colours. They go with everything.
Christine W., West BridgfordThis, against my suitcase full of cardigans
Most of us pack for every kind of weather. I know, because I have been doing it for forty years. Here is the difference, laid out plainly.
Four cardigans for three days
Too hot in the car, too cold on the front
A hat in case of wind
One smart one just for dinner
My husband sitting on the suitcase
One light, fine-knit layer
Over a top, under a coat, or on its own
A drawstring hood for the breeze
Buttoned for dinner, open for the day
Room to spare in the case
About the price
The Doris is £35.95 at the moment. It was £72.00. Every colour in the collection is the same price.
I will pass on what the boutique told me, which is that with the autumn sale on the middle sizes are going first, and once this batch has gone it can be a long wait for it to come back. Their words, not mine. What I can tell you from my side is that half price is usually where I start asking what is wrong with a thing, and after weeks of wearing it, I have not found it.
And I do not trust perfect scores, so I read the reviews before I ordered a second colour. Just over three hundred of them, sitting at 4.2 stars, which sounded like real women rather than robots, so I read on. The same six things I have just walked you through come up in them, over and over, in other women's words.
If your suitcase is full of cardigans every time you go away, I would start here. Not because you need more clothes, but because you deserve to travel light and still have the right thing on. Go and have a look while your size is still there.
Caroline
The Soft Hooded Cardigan Collection
- A soft, fine knit that layers without bulk
- Drawstring hood you can pull up and adjust
- Button front, wear it done up or open
- Ribbed cuffs and hem that keep their shape
- Relaxed fit that skims rather than clings
- Mine is the Doris in navy, UK 8/10 (S) to UK 16/18 (2XL)
- Free UK delivery and 30 day returns
The autumn sale is on now, half price. The middle sizes are going first.