Fashion comes up with some gems, doesn’t it? Cocktail knits sound like something out of a 1950s edition of Harper’s, or the forthcoming Downton Abbey extravaganza. 

When clothes were very, very specific and a certain section of society still changed outfits several times a day, and certainly dressed up for dinner and drinks – then, and only then, you’d think, a cocktail knit might have had its uses.

But stay with me, because cocktail knits are back and they’re genuinely handy, for the opposite reasons to the ones that saw them ascend to glory in the ’20s, ’50s and early ’60s. 

In 2021, when we need our clothes to perform a gazillion different functions, the contradictory nature of a metallic, jewelled or embellished knit makes it a wardrobe superhero. Plus, warmth is not to be underestimated in the evening. Or at any time.

This Lurex one from Cefinn, below, in a non-flashy but suits-all-complexions shade of bronzy-brown, is a star of the genre. It’s a slightly sporty, unfussy polo shape that you could wear to the office with grey wool trousers without inviting too much speculation about your evening plans.