Vintage & pre-loved sweaters - List of brands you need to know
& where to shop for them!
Hello! How are you? First off, I want to send my prayers to people affected by the Los Angeles wildfires and share some helpful links and resources (please donate if you’re able).
WATCH DUTY (fire alerts & evacuation updates), list of active shelters in LA, donate to The LA Fire Department Foundation, LA fire relief sources - doc, LA GoFundMe master list, Neighbors in Need, donate to CA Community Foundation, temporary housing via Airbnb, donate to World Central Kitchen, donate to The CAL FIRE Benevolent Foundation
If you’re not affected, consider this a sign to start digitizing important documents and photos. Make copies and save the originals including sentimental things in a fire-safe box and have it in a safe place and ready to go. My ex-colleague whose dad worked in government security, educated me about this stuff as she always had a box with her (in the trunk of her car) and a box at home, just in case.
I started building my camp kit (for road trips and camping) when I was active and outdoorsy in the PNW a couple of years back. Trust me! It’s not weird at all to have one even if you’re a homebody. Buy slow and secondhand if you can, NOW. My camp kit includes gear to make fire and make food (multi-functional design, made from lightweight and durable materials), personal care and hygiene products, medicines, hiking gear (waterproof jacket, base layers, boots, and socks), headlamps, a tent, and other essentials such as chargers.
Living in NYC (with limited storage), I’ve learned the importance of decluttering and living with less. Saying no to free products is a bit harder because of my job, but I try my best to not accept things that I don’t need and constantly let go of stuff by sharing the extra things I have with friends and family. I consign and donate my stuff monthly!
My landlords who live upstairs from us are super-responsive to any requests or concerns, and we have a shared group text. They’re also in communication with other homeowners in the block and can be able to reach out if we need extra help with anything. Getting to know your neighbors is the last thing I can think of today, but do share your tips and resources below so other An’s List subscribers can benefit as well.
Natural disasters and unprecedented times are ahead, and I want to bring the content focus on An’s List in 2025 to THE ESSENTIALS ONLY.
As the title suggests, I’m starting a series on clothing and home improvement tips where I do my research — digging in-store, scouring the internet, and sharing my findings with you. The possibilities are endless with this one, but currently, I am sticking with vintage and nice secondhand/pre-loved things in the hope of helping you become a smarter shopper.
CLOTHING: vintage sweaters, designer bags, leather jackets, jewelry, hats, etc.
HOMEWARE: textiles, ceramics, glassware, mugs, trays, plates, silverware, picture frames, anything engraved, arts, prints, and books
I’ll squeeze in more stuff if I can accumulate a good enough list to share, and any good ideas are welcome in the comment section! I hope that this series will serve as a reminder that there are so many amazing, wonderful, beautiful things that already exist, and you don’t always have to spend a lot of money to own nice, unique, well-designed things. You can have nice things if you put in the work and time to look for them. Buy but buy better. Buy to keep or gift them to someone because I can assure you that it will make a much more personal, sentimental, and intentional gift!
VINTAGE + PRELOVED SWEATERS
Fair Isle Sweaters
Fair Isle is a knitting technique or pattern originated from the the Fair Isle island in Scotland. Each Fair Isle sweater, most recognized by the geometric patterns, is made from Shetland wool and meticulously crafted/hand-knitted by skilled artisans using traditional techniques.
left: &DAUGHTER cardigan secondhand here; middle: Deans of Scotland vintage; right: Beams Plus Crew,
Alan Paine men’s - Made in England
red v-neck, navy cashmere v-neck, gray v-neck
Pringle Of Scotland - Made in Scotland
brown cashmere crew, cream cardigan, red v-neck
Johnstons Of Elgin - Made in Scotland
left: green cashmere, middle: red chunky cashmere, right: camel cashmere
The Lopapeysa: Iceland’s Iconic Sweaters
The Icelandic lopapeysa sweater is another iconic sweater style worth mentioning. Lopapeysa means unspun wool sweater, or lopi, and the wool used is sheered from Icelandic sheep. A certified-authentic ‘hand-made in Iceland’ lopapaysa sweater is the must-buy when in Iceland.
left: Vintage Webb’s sweater; middle: vintage Hilda Ltd cardigan; right: vintage from the 90s sweater
Dale of Norway - keywords: Nordic sweater, the lusekofte, the Setesdalsgenser, Norwegian wool sweater, Scandinavian
left: red 1994 Olympics ski; middle: multi sweater; right: navy Trondheim Sweater
Devold of Norway
left: snow flake; middle: fisherman black white; right: gray
Le Tricoteur
I have been gifted a Le Tricoteur sweater, or the guernsey, before, this one. The new guernsey is itchy (typical for wool), long, and slim, and I find styling it for modern city wear is a bit tricky. Because of its ‘oily’ odor, I don’t reach for it as much, but I’d love to break it in one of these days or perhaps get it in a different color or size, used. I’d prefer the look of a used guernsey because it has so much more personality! You can learn more about the brand and the history of the guernsey here. I think it’s got a fascinating history and more people should know about it!
LL Bean
left: Birdseye sweater; middle: 80s Fair Isle brown; right: Fair Isle crewneck
Woolrich
left: 1980s grazing sheep knit; right: 90s birdseye sweater
Cowichan sweaters from the Native Cochiwan in BC
Cochiwan is a knitting style that originated from the Cochiwan people from British Colombia (or people of Coast Salish heritage/indigenous people from the Pacific Northwest) in Canada. A Cochiwan sweater is handmade from undyed, hand-spun bulky yarn by Coast Salish knitters, and there are many inspired-by versions out there.
left: 70s 80s cardigan, middle: horse zip sweater, right: Tuak sweater
One of the most famous Cowichan-style sweaters is the one worn by Jeff Bridges, “the Dude,” in The Big Lebowski (Comedy/Crime 1998) film (linked below).
Vintage Pendleton - Made in U.S.A
Pendleton Westerly cardigan (made famous by BIG LEBOWSKI Dude, mentioned above), mohair cardigan
Filson
wool fisherman's cable sweater, fish sweater
Polo Ralph Lauren - keywords: RRL, aztec, bear
vintage Barney’s New York
left: wool sweater sold at Sorbara’s in nyc, middle: navy cashmere, right: wool stripe
vintage SAKS
cream cable knit, Bonnie Cashin for Saks cardigan
vintage BERDORF GOODMAN
red turtleneck, TSE for Bergdorf’s
vintage Neiman Marcus
Missoni for Neiman Marcus, wool cable knit, Jacquard Neiman Marcus
vintage Moncler
red crew-neck, camel wool sweater
BRIONI
left: black cashmere, silk, wool mix; middle: stripe; right: navy cashmere
I.MAGNIN
Daniela Gregis
Eskandar
left: wool sweater; middle: cashmere cardigan; right: brown shawl
STONE ISLAND
Coogi
left: multi-color crew, middle: Vintage Tundra Canada COOGI, right: cotton linen pullover
vintage Missoni
v-neck sweater, abstract sweater, zigzag cardigan
FENDI - vintage and pre-loved
left: mohair sweater; middle: short-sleeved cashmere sweater, right: logo sweater
COMME DES GARCONS - vintage and pre-loved
Loro Piana - preloved
Brunello Cucinelli - preloved
cashmere sweater, black cardigan, cream knit
TOM FORD - vintage and pre-loved
cream shawl cardigan, silk polo, cashmere camel sweater
Margiela era Hermès (Martin Margiela: The Hermès Years 1997 – 2003)
left pic from Desert Vintage here, gray sweater
Old Celine - Pheobe Philo era
angora sweater, grey knit, blue distresses v-neck
Louis Vuitton - preloved
LV runway intarsia sweater, monogram multicolor knit, LV cardigan
Lastly, don’t forget the big OG fashion houses such as DIOR, CHLOE, CELINE, LV, YSL, FENDI, GUCCI, and CHANEL. I’d recommend getting them authenticated before buying because there are a lot of fakes out there!!! I might do a part 2, but let me know if I’m missing any brands. Let’s help inspire each other to shop but shop better and take better care of our clothes this year and on!
My vintage Christmas sweater collection - watch here.
Stay warm. Stay safe!
An :X