In May 2022, Charles – now King Charles III, but at the time still only heir to the British throne – delivered the speech that started a session of parliament when his mother the Queen pulled out for health reasons.
In the speech Charles highlighted how the government's top priority was to "help ease the cost of living for families," yet he pronounced the very reasonable words in a sensationally grand place, sitting on a gold throne adorned with gems, in a uniform covered in medals and with a diamond encrusted crown next to him. So much for sobriety. Guess we may see him sitting on more splendid thrones now that Queen Elizabeth II is dead and he is the King.
But for us mere mortals, there are other ways to feel like kings and queens: we can do so through fashion, using for example metallic yarns to create metallic crochet-knit designs.
Popular throughout the '60s (Italian magazine Annabella did a shoot about gold knitted and crocheted designs in July 1960) when companies started launching synthetic yarns incorporating metallic threads, metallic crochet-knit designs and in particular crocheted pieces in gold or bronze shades became very fashionable. As the decades passed and more innovative and pliable yarns were produced, these garments also became softer and lighter compared to the early '60s ones that were often itchy and as heavy as armor (but my aunts still stoically managed to wear them for the sake of fashion, composure and elegance…). The extreme stiffness of some of the early yarns used to make these pieces also meant that you may still find in vintage shops or in your mother/grandmother/aunt's wardrobe an original metallic crochet-knit piece from the '60s in pretty good conditions.
Metallic crochet-knit designs recently reappeared during New York Fashion Week on Proenza Schouler's runway. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez’s show kicked off with angular tank tops with fringes peeping out of their hems matched with bubble skirts, but then the collection developed into molded lace shirts, twist-front dresses, designs with bell-sleeves that touched the ground and with ruffles that peeked from sleeves and from the hems of bell-bottoms. The exaggerated volumes – that hinted at the elements, the main themes of the collection and in particular at the fluidity of water – actually added an undesirable clumsy note to otherwise classic silhouettes.
The metallic crochet-knit separates and dresses stood out: the crochet-knit designs in the collection were the result of a collaboration with a community of weavers in Bolivia (the duo and the weavers collaborated via email and over the phone) that the designers employed for six months. The best pieces were the skirts and tops and in particular the crocheted top with long fringes, emulating the effect of the sun glistening on the sea. Hopefully, the duo will resume the collaboration with the weavers in future collections, or maybe visit Bolivia in person to understand better how they may benefit from their skills.
There is a strong tactile power in knitted and crocheted pieces and gold crochet-knit designs are a good compromise between craft and glamour, a DIY aesthetics and heightened sensuality. Besides, gold and bronze crochet designs are usually ideal to hold onto the summer a bit longer, and keep on dreaming of golden sands and wavy seas well into September.
Can't afford designer crochet pieces but love the metallic crochet-knit idea? Well try and spot vintage pieces online or in your favourite vintage store (the luckiest ones among us can instead try and dig into the wardrobe of their favourite glamorous aunt…you never know what you may discover there). Better yet, if you have the time and the will, learn to make a gold crochet piece by yourself (opt for a skirt or, even better, a cropped top, a project that you will not find discouraging if you're not an expert, but you're an enthusiast). This is a trend for the S/S 23 season, so you have plenty of time to come up with the kind of gold outfit that, come next summer, will be more fashionable than a king's throne. Just don't tell it to King Charles III yet.
