When hibernation mode kicks in, style can easily become an afterthought, or at least something you do unconsciously. You get dressed in the dark, literally and figuratively. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

In winter, you reach for a cable knit jumper with the same cold-snap reflex that causes you to start ordering real ale at the bar and making stodgy one-pot meals every Sunday. Trust your instincts.

As well as being a rarely bettered winter warmer, cable knits (or Aran jumpers as they’re also known) offer impeccable cold-weather style, considered but comfortable.

Their origins lie in Irish fishing villages where, in the 19th century, untreated wool jumpers retained their natural oils and kept their wearers sort of warm and sort of dry on the Atlantic Ocean. The distinctive knitting style sees the interweaving cables raised off the main body of the garment usually running vertically to the hem.

Aran jumpers often feature other patterns, from basket weaves to chevrons. These have been linked – mistakenly, in the most part – with folklore and ancient knot-tying traditions. It’s also said that different villages had different designs so that the bodies of fishermen claimed by the sea could be more easily identified when they washed up. That’s functional fashion for you.

By the middle of the 20th century, the wider world knew about this Celtic couture. Cable knit jumpers became popular with both sexes and found a home with preppy fashion, middle-class cricketers and anything in between. Elvis had one for Jailhouse Rock. Steve McQueen had one for The Thomas Crown Affair. Ralph Lauren had one for everything, and still does.

These heroes of mid-century fashion knew that a cable knit is a good all-rounder: luxurious but practical, chunky but slimming, useful for the open sea and open-plan offices alike.