How a song reconciled me with the cardigan – Carte Blanche to Nawal

A CLOTHING LOVE AT SIGHT…

My first memory with a cardigan dates back to 2012. And it's a memory... rather painful. But I promise, this story has a happy ending.

Ten years ago, second-hand shopping and vintage shopping weren't as popular as they are today , and garage sales were my Sunday playground. One autumn morning, I found a firecracker pink and black cardigan for a few euros, embroidered with silver Lurex threads, in cashmere and mohair.

In my eyes, it was a marvel of originality, a precious treasure that would never leave me. For my parents, it was a monstrosity . A kitsch piece of clothing that would join the museum of horrors that was my student closet. I found, in the depths of my Instagram account, a blurry photo with a questionable filter of the room in question. I'll let you judge for yourselves (note that you can't see the buttons, which are also black):

So yes, I know. This cardigan is INTENSE . But let me remind you of the context: I was 20 years old, had a Tumblr account and a particular admiration for the indie rock bands who were participating in the revival of the aesthetic of the 80s. So I had, at this period of my life, a certain attraction to vintage pieces that are offbeat and not necessarily “in good taste”.

I collected “ugly sweaters” with foam shoulder pads, t-shirts decorated with wolves and trucks, leather shorts, bleach denim overshirts decorated with pearls. In my defense, it was “the fashion”. And above all, I was at the age where you push the limits of your style to find yourself. I REGRET NOTHING .

…WHICH ENDS BADLY

All that to say that I was very happy with this find and that between this cardigan and me, it was absolute love at first sight . Unfortunately, our love story was short-lived. I had left it lying on the basket of dirty laundry with the intention of washing it by hand and my father, thinking of doing me a favor, had put it in the washing machine.

I'm not drawing you a picture. A mohair and cashmere cardigan + a program at 40 degrees and 1200 spin turns, that can't end well . I found my little vintage treasure all shriveled , transformed into clothing for Corolle doll.

I was terribly angry with myself. Not so much for signing the death warrant of my cardigan by leaving it in the wrong place at the wrong time . But rather because I had become much too attached to this knitting and its loss upset me much more than it should have.

I had just gotten it, but I had already planned a whole bunch of looks with it. My firecracker pink cardigan and me at a concert. My firecracker pink cardigan and me at the supermarket. My firecracker pink cardigan and me at the restaurant, in class, on my birthday, on the farm, at the bowling alley. I had planned more than was reasonable and now the rest of my wardrobe seemed bland and empty. Whereas, remember, I owned “ugly sweaters”, t-shirts with wolves and trucks, leather shorts and bleach denim overshirts embroidered with PEARLS .

AN OLD CARDIGAN FORGOTTEN UNDER A BED

To move forward, I had to let go of my mohair cardigan . Because this is the harsh law of vintage: unlike any clothing from Zara or other fast-fashion brand that is mass-produced (and in deplorable conditions), it is impossible to find it in stores. So I said goodbye to him, with a broken heart .

The years have passed, and like any heartbreak , time has healed the wounds. I no longer thought about my vintage mohair and cashmere cardigan. In fact, I wasn't thinking about any cardigans at all. It's as if in my head, this item of clothing no longer exists. I wore long cardigans, I wore sweaters, I wore little retro knits… but no cardigan. Had my bad experience put me off? Had my subconscious chosen to protect me from grief by making it disappear from my mind? Mystery and gumdrop .

And then one day, a song came to shake everything up .

If there are two things to know about me, beyond my passion for vintage, it's my eternal aversion to peas (those that are eaten, not the pattern) and my obsession with the American singer Taylor Swift . The first has nothing to do with this story and I just wanted to place it somewhere. The second, on the other hand, has its importance in the development of my story.

Small leap in time. It’s the end of July 2020, eight years after my cardigangate . I'm on family vacation in my stronghold, Cannes, on the French Riviera, when I receive an Instagram notification. It's the famous Taylor Swift. She unexpectedly announces the release of a new album entitled Folklore . An opus carried by a single entitled… Cardigan .

In this folk/pop piece, the artist sets to music “a lost romance, and why our youthful loves are forever anchored in our memories ” (she said it, not me). She talks about “vintage t-shirts”, “high heels on cobblestones”, “sweatshirts” and Levi’s in which we dance “drunk under a lamppost”. And sings, in the chorus: “And when I felt like an old cardigan forgotten under a bed, you carried me and said I was your favorite”.

A VINTAGE COLLECTION

Queen of marketing that she is, Taylor Swift immediately released her own cardigan , which she also wears in the music video that accompanies the song. The song reached the top of the international charts , and in the middle of summer, the star achieved the feat of selling thousands of cardigans to her fans.

As far as I am concerned, the piece proposed by my idol was not to my taste. I don't know what you think, but I think the silver stars look too cheap , and the quality doesn't seem up to par, the piece being 100% acrylic . Also paying attention to the origin of the clothes I wish to acquire, the price of 49 dollars made me understand that this one was certainly not made in ideal conditions.

But one thing was certain: I wanted my cardigan too. And this time, I intended to make sure not to lose it after 24 hours after a disastrous trip through the washing machine .

As always, my first instinct was to turn to vintage . In particular, I found two high quality Austrian cardigans at “Vintage Margaux”, an online store which offers some very beautiful ones. One is khaki, with balloon sleeves. The other is ecru, with thick pink stitching and embroidered flowers. I wear them with high-waisted jeans and ankle boots, or over my more summery dresses on chilly evenings. They are both 100% wool: they are therefore very warm, quite easy to maintain and are solid.

I also fell for a second-hand model… in cashmere and mohair . And yes, I dared to repeat the experience! It's not firecracker pink with Lurex, though. It's (again) an Austrian cardigan, pale yellow, with gold buttons. Its comfort is unrivaled . And as I have learned my lesson well, I wash it as little as possible, and by hand. I let it soak in water for a short time, wring it out gently and let it dry flat.

SOON A LITTLE NEW IN MY DRESSING ROOM?

At the risk of sounding like a fool to my employers (but I accept it), I am a very, very fan of Luciana by BonneGueule . I had the opportunity to try it at the office, and I loved it. It is made of baby alpaca, cotton and merino wool. I'm wearing it here in size M, with a dress found on Vinted and vegan sneakers from the SAYE brand.

It was way too cold that day not to wear tights (the sun in the photo is deceiving), but I think this outfit would look even better bare-legged - when spring REALLY gets here . The cardigan brings just the right amount of texture to the look without weighing it down. And it's a very good alternative to mid-season jackets.

To summarize, I was immediately seduced by its texture as “fluffy” as possible, its short cut which does not break the silhouette and its color which goes wonderfully well with my hair (very, very important , that). In short, I'm likely to break down soon. And I can't wait to wear it to the next Taylor Swift concert.