FASHION : Sweaters with sex appeal

This season knitwear is glam. We're not talking woolly pullies, of course, but divine little numbers in silk, merino or cashmere. Report by Tamsin Blanchard

Amanda Wakeley's knitwear is wool at its most luxurious and elegant. Give her a few balls of silk, merino or cashmere (only the best will do), and the designer will come up with the finest, lightest dream of a tunic, the sort of thing that you wear once and then never want to take off. She takes away all the homeliness we associate with woollens and makes knitwear as elegant and refined as one of her satin evening dresses.

Her trademark is a cashmere tunic with satin cuffs, one of those wardrobe luxuries that will give years of wear. For this spring, Ms Wakeley has used a blend of merino wool and silk, dyed it a delicate shade of lavender and knitted it into a fine cable-knit halter neck evening dress, edged in satin. And for those who do not want to bare so much flesh, there is a T-shirt dress.

Amanda Wakeley's designs are knitwear at its pinnacle (and its most expensive). But she is not alone in designing luxurious knitted clothes. The Dublin- based designer John Rocha makes textural knitwear using viscose or cotton and silk which is cool enough to wear right into summer. And MaxMara has used a rayon/acrylic blend to make easy separates that make a dressier change to jersey.

The only problem is that it clings to every lump and bump, which only the bravest of women can carry off. For those less confident about their bodies, the simple answer is to slip on a finely knitted cardigan over the top, or cheat by tying it round your waist to hide any unwanted bulges.

For interesting textures and fine knits that will not break the bank, the mainstream high-street stores have been experimenting with lacy knitting as well. At Benetton, cobweb-fine mesh tops are skinny and cool enough to be worn under a jacket or over a shoestring body for evening.

The new interest in textural knitwear is reflected in home knitting too. At Liberty's knitting department, plain old-fashioned 100 per cent wool is being overtaken in popularity by unusual mixes and special yarns.

Lurex has made a big comeback, but in a softer, less scratchy form than in the Seventies. There is also raw silk, so raw that it still has mulberry wood fibres inside, and silk wool mixes that are perfect for the fine lacy knits that are cropping up in knitting patterns as well as in the shops. And for anyone who has never managed to get beyond knit one, pearl one, Liberty has weekly workshops and knitting classes.

Whether you buy your spring silky (as opposed to woolly) off the peg or invest in some needles and knit your own, you will need to find the perfect little top to wear underneath. Knickerbox or Marks & Spencer's underwear department will have just the thing.

Right: eau de nil viscose knit wide-sleeve cardigan, £155, and matching

cropped vest top, £91,

by John Rocha, from Liberty, Regent Street, W1.

Below: Merino/silk cable-knit halter-neck dress, £318, by Amanda Wakeley, 80 Fulham Road, SW3; ring 0171-584 4009 for further information

Above: lace knit long-sleeve top, £19, by Benetton, from branches nationwide, inquires on 0171-731 4564

Right: pale pink loose knit viscose/acrylic vest top,

with matching pleated skirt, £340 by MaxMara,

from 32 Sloane Street SW1 and 153 New Bond W1

Photographs: Gavin Bond

Stylist: Jo Adams

Hair: Bryant for Toni & Guy

Make-up: Sharon Dowsett

Model: Diana Henning at Storm