Gudrun Sjödén's winter collection is inspired by the nature, folklore and patterns from north of the Arctic circle. The new collection has four ranges: Arctic with a main colour palette of frosted icy blues and snowflake whites; Striped & Rosy featuring wide block stripes combined with multi-stripes and whirling roses; Dark and Moody with a surprisingly sober palette of clay, dark bark and earth tones; and Gudrun's famously colourful Basic range in natural fabrics and organic cottons.
The Arctic range immediately caught my eye and I was delighted to see that warm pinky red shades of sunset feature here alongside the beautiful blues. My first pick was a hibiscus red and pink Arktis jacquard knit cardigan made of organic cotton combined with lambswool. The cardigan fastens with five small wooden duffel buttons and its finest feature has to be the tufty tactile tassels at the bottom of the sleeves, symbolic of seabird feathers.
The Gudrun Sjödén Winter catalogue shows an image of a woman wearing the Arktis cardigan with an Alaska poncho over the top. This combination of colours and textures was too good to resist so my obvious next choice was an Alaska poncho (again in hibiscus red). It's soft and smooth and has a good weight to it. Not only does it look fabulous with the Arktis cardigan but it brightens up the plainest outfit (and the greyest hairstyle) too. I absolutely love it.
My final pick had to be from the Striped & Rosy range. I chose a Striped dress in blue multi-stripes. It has a pleasingly relaxed fit, useful front pockets and flattering three-quarter length sleeves. Made from eco-cotton and wool, it's so soft and snuggly! I'm wearing it with a pair of Gudrun's stripey knitted leggings (which I can report are extremely comfortable), and a chicory blue Ulla shawl bought on holiday from the Gudrun Sjödén shop in Cologne.
With my colourful and warm new Gudrun Sjödén knitwear I'm fully prepared for the greyest, coldest winter ahead!
Gudrun Sjödén's Winter 2014 collection is available from her international webshop and in her stores worldwide now.