Knitwear Trends Through the Decades 

From garment shapes to the colours chosen for the front cover of a pattern, knitwear design has always responded to the trends and fashions of the day.  In this blog we look at how designers and pattern publishers have adapted to the times they live in.

The 1930s

In the 1930s, the Paris Couture Houses like Patou and Coco Chanel, led the way in fashion design.  Correspondents gave vivid descriptions of the new styles shown in Paris and these styles provided inspiration to knitwear designers who adapted them for their readers, making them more accessible by using more widely available yarns. The image below shows a design inspired by the Paris fashions described in the article: a beautiful knit and crochet blouse with scooped neck and bow.  The pose has a black and white film star look to it.

The 1940s

The 1940s was a time of austerity and rationing and designs responded to this by having a more fitted silhouette that the 1930s: they were often designed with shorter sleeves and a hemline ending at the waist.  Inventive stitch patterns and textures and details such as the puff at the top of the sleeve made the designs desirable and belied the austere times in which they were designed.  An example is this fitted jumper from an October 1945 Stitchcraft Magazine.

The 1950s

By the late 1940s and early ‘50s, war had ended and there was a more optimistic view of the world.  Clothes began to be looser fitting again and designs portrayed a more youthful image, such as this one from a 1949 Stitchcraft knitting pattern which anticipates the rise of the teenager in the following decade. 

The 1960s

Changes in society and social attitudes continued into the 1960s: the influence of music and popular culture becoming stronger. The more liberated views in the 1960s are shown in the shorter hemlines such as in this look on the September 1967 cover of Stitchcraft which shows a ‘Mod look’: a dress with a shorter hem and an Audrey Hepburn ‘How to Steal a Million’ hat.

The 1970s

From the colour combination (brown and orange) and embellishments (fringing on the cuffs and hem) to the garment shape (flared sleeves) and the styling (brown flares and mullet hairstyle), Stitchcraft’s February 1972 design has the 1970s covered. 

The 1980s

In some respects, 1980s styling and fashion has returned in the 2020s – cropped tops and trousers gathered at the waist are trends today, just as they were in the ‘80s.  This pattern from Sirdar is knit in Cotton double-knitting and is a good example: the styling shows a Madonna ‘True Blue’ pose with slicked back hair and downwards cast gaze. Next to it shows a Water Wheel pattern for ‘Seventh Heaven DK’ shows the romance of the 1980s with the soft lighting, pastels and a popular ‘80s neckline: the boat neck.  Even the name of the yarn is romantic!

The 1990s

Knitting patterns of the 1990s reflected the popular silhouettes and colour palate of the time.  Cropped tops, over-sized jumpers for men and women and crazy, asymmetric patterns in bright and bold colourful combinations were trends of this decade.  The ‘over-sized’ and colourful prints are combined in this example from Anne Rowena’s 1990 pattern book ‘Handknitting Collection’.

The 2000s

Sometimes a decade cannot be defined by a single look – fashion design in the 2000s incorporated many styles: the ‘preppy’ style of tank tops and satchels can be seen in TV shows of the decade such as Dawson’s Creek and The ‘OC’; fitted ribbed cardigans with ties and turtlenecks were seen in TV shows like ‘Charmed’ and reflected the fashions in the shops and mesh fabrics featured on the catwalks and music videos of the time. The ‘preppy’ look is shown in Erika Knight’s ‘Classic’ book from 2006.

The 2010s

In the 2010s, as in many decades, knitwear design looked to the past with designers taking inspiration from traditional techniques and stitch patterns and applying them in new and novel ways.  The Chevron stitch pattern has been used in every decade – from bold panels of strong colour in the 1930s, to all-over chevron designs on flared-sleeved cardigans and tunics of the 1970s and became a trend again in the 2010s. A growing interest in vintage fashion and finding fresh ways to apply Nordic patterns were also trends in this decade. Male knitwear designers came to the fore, with designers like Martin Storey becoming well known in the industry.

The 2020s

Knitwear designers continue to embrace changes in society’s attitudes working with eco-friendly fibres and making their designs in a much wider range of sizes, such as the designs shown on the cover of ‘Let’s Knit’ magazine. Knitwear designers and pattern publishers have always used popular culture and changes in society as an inspiration for their designs.  This has led to more than just superficial changes to patterns such as the styling, the make-up and photography, used on the cover of the pattern.  New weights of wool and fibres have been experimented with and new styles and garment shapes tried with the only limits being the designers’ imagination.  Music, film and TV and fashion icons of the day such as Coco Chanel (in the 1930s) and Jackie ‘0’ (in the ‘60s) have all had an influence in the types of knitwear designed.