The Sweater Dress

Knitted dresses weren't new - Sonia Rykiel and Missoni had made knitwear high fashion in the 1970s - but the 1980s made the sweater dress one of its signature casual garments. It came in two very different versions, and between them they show both sides of the decade's taste.

The first was the slouchy sweater dress: essentially a big sweater stretched to dress length. It was loose and oversized, often with batwing sleeves, dropped shoulders, a wide boat or cowl neck, or an off-the-shoulder neckline, and it reached the upper thigh or knee. It was usually pulled in at the waist or hips with a wide belt, and worn with leggings, stirrup pants, or thick tights and ankle boots or flats. Bold patterns, chunky textures, and big shapes were popular. It was comfortable, easy, and warm, and it fitted the decade's love of oversized casual clothes like the off-the-shoulder sweatshirt.

The second version went the other way: a close-fitting, body-hugging knit dress that clung from shoulder to hem. Azzedine Alaïa was the master of this, using stretch knits and complex seaming to sculpt the body, and the look appeared at every price level, often in ribbed knits or with spandex added for stretch. This version belongs with the decade's body-conscious fashions - the bodysuit, the leotard, the high-cut swimsuit - and it was very much a going-out look rather than a relaxed one.

What I like about the sweater dress is that the same basic idea could say such different things. Slouchy and belted, it was cosy and casual; tight and ribbed, it was sleek and sexy. Both depended on knitwear technology and new stretch yarns, and both answered the 1980s desire for clothes that were comfortable to move in. It's also a very easy garment to wear today, which is probably why vintage 1980s sweater dresses are still so popular.