From sexy sweaters to loafers that won the high street: Jess Cartner-Morley’s April picks

In the winter months, I crave the comfort of repetition. I want to make a vat of soup to keep in the fridge and have a bowl for lunch every day. I long to discover a TV drama that I have somehow missed and have seasons to catch up on so that I can watch an episode every night. Hibernation, essentially.

Then, after months of that, the clocks go forward and I get an itch for novelty. Yesterday, I went to refresh the water in a vase of flowers; 15 minutes later, all of the stems were piled up on the floor and I was curating a whole new arrangement. Change is good! In the mood to shake something up? Out with the old. In with the newness! Read on for some hot-off-the-press thoughts.

This shortlist of items are covered in a new column for the Filter.

The Saint Laurent-style loafers that won the high street

Suede loafer
£55 at Marks & Spencer

Grisella loafer
£89 at Dune

The in-the-know high-street trophy of the year so far has been the M&S dupe of the Saint Laurent Penny Slipper loafer. The loafer of the moment is chocolate brown suede with ruched sides, like this £820 version at Saint Laurent or the £55 M&S pair, available in taupe and chocolate brown. I’ve also sniffed out another incoming version: look out for the soon-to-land Grisella loafer at Dune.

A Carrie Bradshaw-worthy dress

Denim jacquard dress
£115 at French Connection

This denim Jacquard dress from French Connection is the sort of dress Carrie would have worn in an early-noughties Sex and the City episode. The contrast between a vintage-style silhouette and modern fabric is very cool, and the construction feels elevated, with a neat bodice, elegant skirt length and adjustable straps. Carrie would have paired it with Manolos and a gold name necklace. Equally good with flat pumps, silver hoops and a sweater around the shoulders.

A spring sweater

Enid embroidered jumper
£112 at John Lewis
£112 at Boden

I have so much love for a sexy jumper. Not easy to find, which is why “sexy jumper” sounds a bit like an oxymoron. It is extremely useful to have dressy tops that are special enough for the evening but don’t give you goose bumps, so I am very much here for any sweater that has a slightly more interesting vibe than “sensible and warm”. It is available in a cream version with lemons and strawberries on it, but I like the way the cherries on this one vamp it up a bit. I’d wear it out for dinner with a black cami underneath.

Pyjama shorts

Fine stripe pyjama shorts
£35 at the White Company

I adore these shorts because they make me feel like Gwyneth Paltrow when I’m pottering around the kitchen making coffee on a weekend morning. I won’t get into my longstanding obsession with Being More Paltrow, suffice to say I firmly believe her to be an overlooked cultural oracle. Anyway, these shorts are cool and wholesome and so much more elegant than walking around in a T-shirt and knickers. In pure cotton seersucker, they will double up as holiday shorts, too.

All the bows at Zara

Black cardigan with black beaded bows
£35.99 at Zara

Cream cardigan with black ribbon bows
£35.99 at Zara

The Chanel show at the most recent Paris fashion week was a love letter to the bow. There were silk hair bows, crystal earring bows, bows on socks and on belts and on shoulders. It was pure fashion fantasy – but there are bows in the real world, too. Especially at Zara. Two bow-trimmed cardigans here, with concealed press studs below fancy bows for buttons. Which one is your favourite?

What’s hot – and what’s most definitely not – this week

Going up

Windsor knots | Unsurprisingly, the wide and chunky tie-tying technique said to symbolise a sense of “power” is now becoming the default on Capitol Hill.

Historical sleuths | BookTok are calling Margot Robbie’s wedding dress on the set of Emerald Fennell’s forthcoming Wuthering Heights more 1980s than 1800s. Maybe the costume designer should have googled if white wedding gowns existed in the Georgian era.

Hugh Grant hair | The floppy haired romcom hero of the 90s is popping up on hairstylists mood boards.

Going down

Cuteness | Use gigil instead. The Oxford English Dictionary has added the word from the Philippine language Tagalog to captures that overwhelming feeling to squeeze something that is really, really adorable. Like a tiny puppy.

Baseball caps | Giant bucket hats may fare better in the ongoing fight against facial pigmentation. See Michelle Monaghan’s £600 giant Gucci sunhat in The White Lotus, but go for Zara’s £19.99 supersized version.

Superyachts | Follow Graydon Carter’s lead and start calling them “harbor ornaments”.