The cardigan that thinks it's a coat

A heavy cardigan is the layer between jacket weather and coat weather. Six ways to wear one, all from the same wardrobe.

Start with the morning that's 7 degrees and heading for 15: cream ribbed turtleneck, mid-wash straight jeans, brown ankle boots, thick cream socks. The cardigan stays open so the knit shows through — that vertical line is what stops a heavy layer eating you whole.

For a weekday it goes over tailoring: plain white tee, black wide-leg wool trousers, black penny loafers, cream socks. Nothing in it is trying; the cardigan just reads as the softest thing in the room.

The market look is the one with colour — mustard crewneck underneath, black denim midi skirt, brown knee-high boots, cream socks. One warm colour, everything else quiet.

Sunday is the slouchy version: an oat hoodie with the hood sitting up at the collar, mid-wash wide-leg jeans, chunky black sneakers, charcoal beanie. The cardigan gives the hoodie somewhere to go.

At night, wear it over a dress. Burgundy fine-knit midi, sheer black tights, black heeled ankle boots. A grey knit over a dress is warmer than a jacket, and nobody has to know it's a cardigan.

And on the days you can't be bothered, button it all the way up and treat it as the jumper: black pleated midi skirt, sheer tights, black heeled boots, wool beret.

What moves between them: the cream ribbed socks carry the first-cold and weekday looks, the brown ankle boots and the knee-highs are the same leather so two looks share a boot, the mid-wash denim swaps between the straight pair and the wide pair depending on the shoes, and the black heeled ankle boots walk from the evening dress straight into the buttoned-up look.