Fashion: knitwear

The sale racks jam-packed with pastel floral prints, floaty dresses and strappy tops say it all. Goodbye summer, hello winter.

It’s time to bring out our boots, pack away our lightweight pumps and invest some time in our winter wardrobes to create looks that will be both practical and stylish over the coming months.

“Ultimately, it’s all about the person and comfort. If you feel good, you will look good,” says Jane Forbes, owner of Frontiers in Stafford Street.

Jane was up to her eyes in chunky knits, delicate cashmere and tweed when we caught up with her just before the first night of her autumn/winter collection fashion show.

The West End Village is stylish at the best of times, but it was ever more so with her team of models taking to the setts to show off ranges by the likes of Orla Kiely, Eribé and Marilyn Moore.

“We’re really excited about the autumn/winter collections. Knitwear is our biggest passion and there is a lot of it around this season, much of which is produced in Scotland,” says Jane.

“There are so many ways to wear it, from oversized and chunky to making boyish pieces look very lady-like.

“Much of this is about mixing and matching the two – for example, an elegant pencil skirt with a chunky hand-knit cardigan.”

Over the last couple of months, many of Edinburgh’s most exclusive boutiques have launched their autumn/winter collections.

The team at Jane Davidson took over the Scottish National Galleries, while a pop-up fashion show by Kakao by K caught the attention of New Town shoppers a few weeks beforehand.

In all their collections, knitwear, bold colours and prints are three seasonal buzz words and there is no disagreement that such cosy autumn/winter pieces were perfectly designed to suit Edinburgh’s blustery climate.

“Most women in Edinburgh really enjoy their winter wardrobes,” says Jane.

“It’s fair to say that in the city we are more likely to get more wear out of our clothes this season, in comparison to our summer wardrobes.”

* The second night of the Frontiers autumn/winter fashion show takes place tomorrow at 7pm. To book, call 0131-476 3449. Charlie Miller hairdressing will offer guests a 20 per cent discount off advance bookings made on the night, as well as 15 per cent off all products bought from its Stafford Street salon.