Lifestyles

As the weather turns crisp, fashion luckily does not forsake function. Fall knitwear, such as chunky handspun accessories, sweater coats and dresses for chic layered looks, are as stylish as they are comfy.

"I don't know that handcrafted knits ever go out of style, but it's really popular right now," says Roberta Brody, owner of Pursuits in Shadyside.

"I'm bringing in more, and I think what I'm finding is that people just sort of love finding things they like that they know they're not going to see 10 other people wearing when they go out somewhere. It makes it more appealing."

With designers piling on and belting cozy layers this fall, such as seen at Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gautier and Max Azria runway shows, knitwear is having a moment. Whimsical extras, including knitted or felted handbags hats, and even boots -- by Juicy Couture -- abound this year in soft, cabled incarnations of winter white, dark fall hues, or bright accent-colored incarnations.

"I've always carried hand-knit wear before, usually in scarves or hats. I haven't done that much with handbags before, because I haven't seen any. It hasn't been important in the marketplace until now," says Jacqueline Rossi, of rossi e rossi in Mt. Lebanon.

Rossi carries a new line of hand-knit and felted purses of Peruvian wool and other natural, exotic fibers by Passion Knit, based in Peters Township. Each bag is one-of-a-kind, fully lined and made durable by the felting process. The quirky and often tube-shaped bags come with an eye-catching adornment, such as plumage or thick felted ruffle trim.

"In the winter, there aren't as many prints. There are a lot of solids out there. When you throw this on with a dark brown coat or a black coat, it just sort of makes you feel good, and it certainly brightens up the season," Rossi says.

At Pursuits, wide selections of hand-knit 100 percent natural-fiber sweaters are found as wardrobe staples by numerous labels and in novel designs by fiber artists. Origami Shrug, an intriguing piece by Oxygen by Amy Brill, is a dolman-sleeve, knee-length cardigan in a mossy brown with mixed jewel-toned colors that comes with a wooden chopstick to close the sweater where desired.

Opulent shawls and scarves knitted or woven with a mixture of multicolored, textured fibers and materials, including ribbons and metallic yarns, are also discovered at Pursuits. The Triangle Scarf by Purly Girl Knits, in different color combinations, is a multipurpose small-scaled piece to wear as a dressy evening wrap or more casually with jeans.

"You could go to work in a pair of black pants or black skirt and a plain top and then, if you decide you want to go to dinner after work, you could just whip this thing out, put it around you, and you're dressed up for the evening," Brody says.

Body-skimming black, navy and charcoal gray cashmere sweater dresses are carried by e.b. Pepper in Shadyside in varying lengths to wear over pants, leggings or tights. A newly arrived black V-neck sweater dress by Oi, lovely in its simplicity, is made with long ribbed sleeves.

"This style looks great with tights and a chunky platform shoe or a high boot, says E.B. Pepper, owner of the shop.

Also found at e.b. Pepper are floor-length sweater coats in chunky, mixed black and ivory-colored yarn with shawl collars with a front safety pin closure and fringe accent.

"Knits haven't been back in a long time. We saw a lot of chunky knits when we went to market, and decided to try them out."

A well-knit ensemble

Cozy chic gets a higher fashion profile with some tips from the experts:

• Include cloche, cap or beret knit hats in your head-to-toe fashion look.

• Don't position a beret on the back of your head, but rather shape it around your face.

-- Jacqueline Rossi, owner of rossi e rossi in Mt. Lebanon

• Layer sweater dresses and cardigans with jeans, tights or leggings.

• Belt long, oversized sweaters at the waist.

-- E.B. Pepper, owner of e.b. Pepper in Shadyside

• Find beautiful hand-knit accent shawls and scarves that can be worn for dressing up casual outfits.

-- Roberta Brody, owner of Pursuits in Shadyside

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