For extra interest, leave the colours muted or tonal and play with proportions instead. Tuck your shirt into some cropped tailored trousers. The higher break around your waistline will make the length of the cardigan a flattering focal point. Finish with some unflashy, normcore-friendly footwear. A sensible pair of Derbies is just the job.

Sprezzatura

If you want to de-fuddy-duddy the cardigan, look no further than the Italians who, true to form, wear it as a chic and elegant mid-layer. The sprezzatura look is about looking tailored and together, but with some individual touches that make the outfit yours. Here, a cardigan can help.

Wear it instead of a blazer or under a blazer for a layer few others will think of and use a tonal colour palette to signal – subtly – that you know exactly what you’re doing. Browns and creams, straight from your grandad’s wardrobe, are the most wearable shades, worn with casual tailoring in grey and mocha. And don’t forget the shawl collar. Buono.

The Great Outdoors (In The City)

The cardigan is something of an unsung hero of layered outfits, stuck in the middle and too often out of sight. In cold weather, make it the hero piece, as you would a cable-knit jumper or fisherman knit. Done right, it’s warm, functional outdoors gear made suave for the city.

Keep the cable-knit design and wear it over a check shirt and T-shirt, or even a thinner gauge cardigan (every new layer should be thicker than the last, remember). Slip a down jacket or parka over the top if conditions demand.

You can keep the back-to-nature aesthetic without looking like a lumberjack at a fancy-dress party, too. Just stick to a palette of earthy tones – green, stone, brown – and ground the look with boots that are sturdy, but not full-on hikers. Leave them in the woodshed with your axe.