I had to stop scrolling my Insta feed when I saw Anthea Turner pop up saying she'd found the most "snuggly" knit of the season. As something of a knitwear connoisseur myself (I honestly adore a great knit), I leapt at the chance to see just what jumper she was talking about. And lo and behold, it's a £36 fair isle jumper from everyone's favourite - Marks & Spencer.
Anthea's grey jumper was so popular with her followers when she first posted a video wearing it, that she created a whole hilarious reel to lean into the furore over her simple, yet chic, jumper.
- Broadcaster Anthea Turner sent fans into a frenzy wearing a stunningly chic grey fair isle jumper.
- On her Instagram feed, she can be seen wearing the Marks & Spencer Fair Isle Roll Neck Jumper with Wool, £36.
- Anthea calls it "so snuggly" and giving a "Scandi look."
© InstagramThe 65-year-old wrote on her post for those asking after her roll neck: " Well it’s good old M&S at a grand price of £36. It was love at first sight and I pounced on it."
"Looks and feels so snuggly and definitely a bargain," she continued. "I think they will go quickly because everyone loves the Scandi look and it’s an easy wear."
As for the jumper itself, the price is a huge selling point, costing just £36 - a bargain for such a classic knit.
The feel and the fabric is important to note too; while it's a wool mix, which can notoriously end up being itchy, M&S shoppers actually commented that it's "non-itchy" and Anthea reviewed is being "so snuggly."
And a top tip on sizing. If you want to follow Anthea's lead, size up. Fair Isle jumpers look best when slightly oversized, and Anthea sized up to a medium, rather than her normal size of a small. It's available in sizes extra-small to extra-large, and it's worth checking the online M&S sizing guide to see which best suits you.
While it's only available in grey, the colour combination is a timeless mix of light grey, charcoal and white with the zig-zag and diamond pattern running across the yoke of the jumper.
Crucially, in my opinion, it's machine washable. Many knits, especially those will wool content (this has 10% wool content) are hand wash or dry clean only, so this is a practical buy too.
Anthea, who is best known for presenting the kids TV show Blue Peter in the early 90s, styled the knit perfectly, giving Claudia Winkleman The Celebrity Traitors vibes with her black Joseph leather trousers ("they're 12 years old", she explains) and a pair of flat black boots from Russell & Bromley ("this is their third winter," she writes).
How to style a fair isle knit: Get the Scandi look
Styling a fair isle knit with leather, rather than denim, definitely leans into the Scandi look Anthea referenced, with Scandi street style stars adopting a similar look of cosy pieces mixed with more tough, edgier separates. The leather offsets the cosy, woollen fabrics of the knit and the chunky flat boots make it more laidback than a ballet flat or heel.
If you're wearing a straight or wide leg, be it denim, leather or wool, keep the jumper untucked for the oversized trend that's happening right now, or to smarten it, tuck it into a high waist pant and add a slim, leather belt.
It taps into the current trend for British heritage chic, a big Autumn/Winter trend thanks in part to Claudia Winkleman's style on The Traitors and the celebration of all things heritage on theAW25 catwalks, with designers included Altuzarra and Proenza Schouler sending models down the runway in fair isle knits, who the former styled a with a functional midi skirt and flat riding boots. And it echoes Anthea's personal style of classic, well-made staples that are effortlessly stylish.
I've been writing about fashion and shopping trends at HELLO! for the past five years, and every winter sees a spike in sales for fair isle knits. The design, dating back to around the early 19th century, originated on the island of Fair Isle in Scotland as a pattern for Fisherman sweaters and caps. It became popular among the general public in the 1920s, when Edward VIII wore his in public.
Nowadays, they're a popular choice as an apres-ski look, and come winter become a staple uniform for many of us - me included. I've just bought the Hush Mohair Fair Isle Cardigan, and plan to wear over slip dresses with heeled boots for Christmas drinks, as a chicer alternative to a reindeer knitted jumper or sequin-embellished Christmas jumper. Both Princess Diana and Princess Kate have worn the trend, too.
