More Classics from Shibui’s New Collection

More Classics from Shibui’s New Collection

I mentioned in our newsletter last week that I’d have some more to say about Shibui’s F/W 2017 collection – and of course, I do!  We’ve been admiring the Look Book for some time now, and Patty and I were able see all of these pieces in action at TNNA.  Seeing these pieces move, on different body types especially, really brought them to life and made us appreciate them even more.  Now that the collection has been released, we are delighted to share them with you.

One little thing I will mention is that I’m obsessed with leggings.  I’m sure you can’t understand why this would matter, but I’ve never been one to wear leggings anywhere but the gym.  My eyes have been opened, and leggings are awesome.  It’s so nice to be free from a true waistband, and I feel like I’m being nice to myself when I wear leggings.  So, when I look at a lot of these patterns I ask myself “Can I wear that with leggings?”  Overwhelmingly, the answer is yes (though not all the time).  Let’s get started!

Odessa is a roomy popover top.  I happen to love it because I’m working on the sample right now.  Made by doubling Birch (Shibui’s new fingering/sport-weight extra fine merino wool) and Pebble, this combo knits up at 18 stitches/four inches (very user friendly) and is incredibly soft, light with just a hint of texture.  Odessa’s curved hemline makes it very easily legging-compatible, and it looks awesome worn on its own or layered over a tailored shirt or a tissue tee.  At TNNA, we saw the Shibui ladies working it over everything from a pair of crisp trousers to a shift dress.  And it looked chic with its scale on everyone from petites to amazons.

Tuva is a refined v-neck sweater.  It’s longer length makes it seriously legging-compatible.  The slits at the hem accentuate the slight a-line shaping.  This is an incredibly fine piece, and it reminds me of some of the timeless pieces from TSE I knew from my former life.  This classic is knit up in a combination of Lunar and Cima, two fine lace-weight yarns that combine for an overall DK weight construction.

Varna will be met with the most resistance, I imagine.  I mean, it is a crop top.  And the model who’s wearing it is about 7 feet tall and so skinny.  Shibui isn’t helping us see the versatility of this piece on this lovely lady.  However, when we saw this piece at TNNA I went bananas over it.  It was being worn by an absolutely lovely lady with a more average body type, and she had it layered over a white shirt with a pair of skinny pants, and she looked so amazing.  Another obvious option is to lengthen the hem, but I think this piece is dramatic and makes a statement layered as it was worn at TNNA.  Varna is made with a combo Maai and Pebble – so it is warm, soft and light.  Besides the uncertainty of the crop top, there’s a lot to love.  Layer this baby up, and I insist that it’s absolutely legging-compatible.

Zona is a drape-front, short-sleeve, open cardigan made in a combination of Birch and Cima.  This pairing will make for an incredibly fine and rich fabric.  This piece is easily layered over any type of top or dress, and yes – it can be worn with leggings.

There are two accessories that are featured in the collection, and we were most impressed by Icon.  This is a large wrap with triangular blocks of color shaped by short rows.  Whether you choose to stick with neutrals or add a hit of color, this is an easy and dramatic layer that you can throw on over a black dress or your gym clothes.  Legging-compatible?  Yes.

My favorite piece of the collection is Fresco, and it’s a simple, easy sweater with ¾ sleeves, worked in garter stitch.  This is the one piece of the collection that doesn’t seem so easily paired with leggings, but it has been, since we first received the look book, my favorite.  This piece is made with a single strand of Birch, and is squishy but elegant.  I bought extra yarn to make this one, so it’s in the queue when I finally get a chance.

Shibui patterns are the basics we all love to wear – and we wear them easily.  Another fabulous quality is that they are all, generally, easy knitting.  There are nice large swaths of straight knitting, with little areas for us to focus on techniques like short rows or an elegant edge.  They are leisurely knitting projects, and a joy to wear.  Come check out Birch and check out these beautiful new patterns!