There is no need for a seal or royal approval to buy and put on men’s cashmere knitwear. The style speaks for itself and looks wonderful on any man, no matter what their station in life.
Nonetheless, it may be heartening to see that the man who is finally being crowned this month after seven decades as the heir apparent is himself not averse to wearing a bit of cashmere.
The relationship between King Charles and fashion has been a curious one, as GQ Magazine noted last year shortly after he assumed the role of monarch upon his mother’s death.
It noted how at the launch of London Collections; Men just over a decade back he commented: "I have lurched from being the best-dressed man to being the worst-dressed man," noting that it seems his style “comes around every 25 years”.
Whether the simple fact that he is now on the throne will mean Charles III will become a fashion icon remains to be seen, but he is not always as out of tune with things as he is often portrayed. As the article noted, the “quintessentially British style” he sports has often influenced tailors. Moreover, he does like things made in Britain - and that includes Scottish cashmere crewnecks.
These points - including the one about Charles’s cashmere sweaters - were also noticed by Esquire Magazine in an article this month. It observed that he is “the evergreen British style icon because he maintains a (substantial) wardrobe of clothes that never went out of fashion because they were never really in fashion in the first place”.
Some might reasonably say that is not true of cashmere, which has the opposite advantage: it is never out of fashion because it is always in.
A the same time, we are still dealing with a royal who has some aspects about him that are well up with the times, or even ahead of them. A good example is his concern for the environment, which underpinned his sustainable artisan clothing range, launched in late 2020 amid a verbal broadside at ‘fast fashion’ - echoing the criticisms of the likes of Greta Thunberg.
There was certainly plenty of cashmere to be seen in the collection, with menswear including a padded bomber jacket and a ribbed cardigan. There was some cashmere womenswear too, including a cable knit turtleneck sweater, checked wide-leg pants, belted cardigan and double-breasted herringbone jumpsuit.
Of course, there will be times when the King is wearing anything but a cosy cashmere sweater. The sight of him in his coronation regalia, his military outfits, his smart suits for large formal occasions and other instances when more formal or ceremonial attire is required will not permit such a look.
However, there will be many other times when he is at ease, whether up at Balmoral in the summer or when enjoying an event that warrants a bit of dressing down.
On such occasions, do not be surprised to see a king in cashmere. His taste in fashion may be rather better than some imagine.
