“Cable knitwear is unique and can’t be replicated by woven or printed effects,” says Tom Glover, managing director of Peregrine, a British knitwear company with over 200 years of heritage. “It’s a three-dimensional design with every stitch, transfer and loop carefully thought about and programmed. Cable knitwear is constantly changing with new machines and different yarns which makes it so diverse.”

How you wear it depends on how chunky you go with the knit. The thickest versions recall the style’s windswept roots and work best with other practical items like hardy raw denim, corduroy and hiking boots (you should also have a coat with a slightly relaxed fit to go over the top). “I love a chunky cable knit with denim and boots, it’s easy and practical on a cold day,” says Glover.

A thinner example with narrower designs is more at home as a mid-layer. Wear one under your blazer in the office or under a denim or bomber jacket at the weekend for maximum prep points.

The Best Brands For Cable Knit Jumpers

Ralph Lauren

You know the famous polo shirt, but Ralph’s cable knit sweaters have also been mainstays of the brand’s Polo collection for decades. This is preppy done proper, knitwear designed to slip under a sports coat, not sail the high seas on. Think slimming cables, tasteful colours and a must-have for your business-casual rotation.

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Peregrine

Spun out, as it were, from knitwear manufacturers JC Glover & Co. in the 1950s, this British heritage company has textile knowhow that stretches back to the 1700s. Its cable knit jumpers and cardigans go big on insulation, big on texture and are 100 per cent made in England. Don’t endure winter without one.

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Inverallan

Don’t tell your gran, but Inverallan is responsible for what might be the best hand-made knitwear in the UK. The Scottish brand is a relative new-comer (it was founded in the seventies), but its expertise is as plain to see as the chunky cable patterns crisscrossing its jumpers. Made entirely from Scottish lambswool, this is a buy-once-wear-a-thousand-times kind of garment.