Queen of Knitwear

French designer Sonia Rykiel has been creating knits for thirty years. She began her career in 1962, when she was pregnant, motivated by the fact that she could not find any attractive maternity wear. It was in knitwear that she found her metier however; she wanted to ‘be the only unique woman of St Germain des Prés, dressed so that the rest seemed not to exist’. A very worthy motive indeed!

It was the ‘poor boy’ sweater that became her trademark with its tight, high-cut armholes. I own one of these in distinctive purple and red stripes, in a thin, almost semi-transparent wool, and can testify that the cut does give knitwear a sexy edge. I also have a couple of her pompom sweaters, the grey one above, and a multi-coloured striped knit with bell sleeves. All were bought from eBay stores.

Click and read the story below for a little history on the Queen of Knitwear. 

From British Marie Claire, Nov 1998; click image for larger version