Trend alert: the cardigan

The cardigan is back. Forget the expensive comfortable granny model or its geek-chic reiteration, the new cardigan is mini and has a sexy allure. Miuccia Prada, who has always been a hardcore fan, has often brought it on the catwalk, followed in recent seasons by Gucci, Christopher Kane, Chanel, Alexander Wang and Balenciaga, but it was thanks to it girls such as Kaia Gerber, Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Alexa Chung, Selena Gomez, Jeanne Damas, and Kate Bosworth that such a classic item has become one of the hottest pieces of the season. But the one who finally revamped this item was an unexpected influencer: Katie Holmes, who broke the Internet with a street style photo in which she was wearing a cardigan with only a cashmere bra underneath. 

General James Thomas Brudenell, seventh Count of Cardigan (hence the name) during the Crimean War in 1854, was the first to wear it, but the merit of having introduced it into our wardrobe belongs to the Harvard University baseball team, who decided to adopt it, with the famous embroidered "H", since 1865. In the Twenties, tennis player Suzanne Lenglen became a style icon thanks to her uniform made by Jean Patou and composed of a white silk pleated skirt, a cardigan of the same color and a turban band in her hair.

Coco Chanel made this jacket popular, confirming her status as a fashion pioneer by stealing the cardigan from the men's wardrobe and introducing it into her outfits. From there to the twin set the passage takes a short time. Since Otto Weisz, designer of the Maison Pringle of Scotland, created the first knitted cufflinks, the ladies of the '30s and those of the '50s, thanks to Hollywood stars like Grace Kelly loved it. With the arrival of the hippie movements it was covered with fantasies and colors, in the '80s with animal graphics and stripes (Sonia Rykiel rules), while with the 90's grunge it became more and more shapeless, a sort of dad sweater, made unforgettable by Kurt Cobain in a famous MTV unplugged live show. In the new millennium, we have seen the cardigan, in every version, mainly in the movies, in films like The Big Lebowski, Jawbreaker or There's Something About Mary. Now, thanks to Instagram and it-girls like Bella Hadid, the cardigan acquires a new identity, confirming to be a true essential of both the male and female wardrobe. 

The sexy cardigan was the most unpredictable summer trend. Bella, Kendall, Kaia taught us how to wear it: mini or crop, tight-fitting, with nothing underneath. If in the '60s it was hip to close only the first button and in the '90s to show the neckline, in 2019 girls prefer to unbutton the bottom, allowing a glimpse of the underboob. Katie Holmes launched a new trend: the "bradigan". The word itself, a crasis between bra and cardigan, says what it is: a new version of the more classic twin set. 

It all started about a week ago when the actress was spotted around the streets of New York with an outfit that drove Instagram crazy: matching cashmere bra and cardigan. Thanks to this popularity, the two garments, according to the New York label Khaite that made them, went sold out in a few minutes. Despite the not exactly cheap cost of $1.540 for the cardigan and $520 for the bralette. 

Katie wore the new trend with straight jeans and black mules, suggesting an outfit that many will still copy this fall. The fashion insiders advise the cooler ones to opt for a buttoned model to pair with a white tee and high-waisted trousers or to wear backward to give a twist to our look.

If you want to try the style advice of Bella & Co., nss suggests you where to find the coolest cardigans.

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