Pattern is creeping back into knitwear this fall, but the versions worth paying attention to are not the loud kind. The sweaters doing it well lean into pattern the quiet way, in tones close enough to the rest of your closet that the print reads as texture before it reads as print. ELAN's Aztec Sweater is a good example. It pulls on with a relaxed, slightly cropped shape and a folded V-neck collar, and the pattern runs in soft bands of cream, tan and slate gray across the chest, shoulders and sleeves in a brushed, cozy knit, rather than covering the sweater edge to edge in one busy motif.
The trick to wearing a patterned sweater like this without it feeling like a costume is to let it make the only decision in the outfit. Everything else should already be in your closet and already simple: a dark or medium-wash jean, a plain boot, nothing else with a print or a logo competing for attention. The Jolie Jean, ELAN's wide-leg denim in a medium wash with a high-rise fit and a raw, frayed hem, does exactly that kind of work. It has enough shape of its own, between the fading and the flare, to hold up next to a patterned top without disappearing into it, but nothing printed or embellished that would compete with the sweater for attention.
This kind of sweater also earns its spot by covering more ground than a single going-out piece would. It holds up for an office day when the dress code loosens, it is relaxed enough for a Saturday spent digging through a flea market or an estate sale, and it still looks pulled together if those same errands run long into an early dinner. Swap the boots for loafers and it reads more office appropriate; add a slim gold hoop and nothing else and it is ready for the rest of the day without a second outfit change. The pattern does the work of making the outfit look considered without asking you to actually plan one.
If you are building out the rest of a fall wardrobe around pieces like this, our guide to layering sweaters through unpredictable fall weather covers what to do on the mornings that start cold and warm up fast, and our breakdown of how to find a jean that actually fits your body is worth a look if a wide-leg silhouette is new territory for you.
ELAN has been designing easy, contemporary pieces for women since 1991, and pattern has generally shown up in the brand's collections this way: in small, considered doses rather than head to toe. You can browse the rest of the current sweater assortment and the full range of jeans, pants, skirts and shorts on the site, or read more about the brand if you are new to ELAN.
