How the granny cardigan got sexy – and why you should leave the boxy, boyfriend styles to your daughter

Cardigans have an image problem. Play word association and you get granny, prim, twee, school uniform. No one ever automatically thinks: Cool! Glamorous! Or even classic.

It boils down to this: people think cardigans are Not Sexy. The young think (or they did) they’re as appealing as a jersey wrap dress; and women like us think they’ll make us look like our mothers in their twinset days, or just homey, cosy, schlumpy. Either way, fashion toast.

Well, that’s all about to change. In fact, it’s already changed. If you’ve been keeping your eyes peeled you will have noticed that, the other evening, Brad Pitt was spotted out in Beverly Hills with his girlfriend, Ines de Ramon — and what was she wearing for their date night?

Yes, a cardigan! A mid-thigh length, luxuriously soft (probably mohair and cashmere), bell-sleeved, edge-to-edge, khaki cardigan over a white fitted top, leather trousers and boots. Lots of bare collar bone on show.

We may look back on this as the moment the long cardigan — worn open over something slimmer and a bit skin revealing — became ideal date-night wear. Sexy but soft and relaxed, and surprisingly elegant. While de Ramon is thirty-something and doesn’t need to cover up her bum, that could be a bonus for the rest of us.

Star power: Jennifer Garner wears a cropped navy and white cardigan with jeans and ballet pumps

Mango does a longer cardigan in cream (£29.99, shop.mango.com) and Marks & Spencer’s even longer, almost midaxi, cappuccino cardigan (£129, marksandspencer.com) could do a similar job — worn over a tonal polo neck, with trousers, it’s got casual dinner, if not date night, written all over it.

The point is that cardigans, as of now, are intended to be worn in an elegant and/or sexy way in the evening, or to add a dash of chic in the office.

So how to ensure you stay on track and don’t stray into schlump territory? Simple. Think of cardigans in three types and follow these rules:

Date-night cardie

Apart from the buttonless long cardigan (above), the perfect evening cardi is the prim and sexy. It’s crew neck, hip-grazing, soft (not cotton, which looks too thin) and fitted but not skinny.

For a classic in cashmere, try M&S (£89). For a plain, boxy, wool style there’s & Other Stories (£65, stories.com) or Arket (£67, arket.com).

You wear your prim and sexy unbuttoned to almost cleavage level, and with the sleeves pushed up. (The big secret to keeping the cardi looking fresh and modern is wearing it next to some bare skin, not over a bulky shirt). This year, the slipped-off-one-shoulder long sweater (remember those in the 1980s?) is back and this is the grown-up, less exposing alternative. A cardigan with off-the-shoulder attitude is what we’re aiming for.

Don’t: go for a V-neck. They’re much harder to wear as you need to consider what goes underneath. Or a baggy boyfriend style. Those varsity-style oversize cardigans are very much in fashion, but leave them to your daughters.

Taylor Swift wears a black oversized cardigan with brown knee-high boots

Alternative jacket

This has pockets and gilt or jewelled buttons — like a Chanel knitted jacket. Or it’s plain but still structured and boxy. Mango does a good style in black and white stripes with blingy gobstopper buttons (£49.99, shop.mango.com) or one in a black flecked tweedy knit (£35.99). 

There are other structured cardigans that will stand in for blazers: Zara does a plain, light grey, round neck knit cardigan fastened with a single silver button at the throat (was £35.99, now £12.99, zara.com) that looks smart over a slim matching sweater.

At the other end of the scale, Zara’s faux furry boxy cardigan with floral buttons (£45.99), worn done up with a black straight skirt, is an office-to-evening belter.

Don’t: go for too many trims. The virtue of a cardigan jacket is its simplicity — and you can always jazz it up with jewellery, a bag chain or a scarf.

The smart cardigan

You can bypass the ‘no V necks’ rule if it’s an extra high V neck and a neat shape, like Toast’s wool ‘neat cardigan’ (£145, toa.st). If you’re looking for something to wear with skirts, this sits just on the top of the hip and its tidy shape and wide ribbed hem make it perfect for wearing above a slightly flared shape. Add a knotted silk scarf and you’ve got a whole new look.

Don’t: wear shirt collars underneath. A crew neck top or a hidden layer is best.