The best cardigans earn their keep by disappearing into your wardrobe in the most useful way possible. Not invisible, but so instinctively right with everything else you own that you stop thinking of them as a choice and start thinking of them as a given. That is what we were looking for here. Not cardigans that demand an outfit to be built around them, but ones that slot in wherever they are needed, over a slip dress, layered under a coat, thrown on with wide leg trousers on a day when you cannot face a decision.

We have a real preference for the ones that work across seasons rather than committing fully to winter. A good weight matters enormously. Too thin and they are decorative. Too heavy and they become unwearable by March. The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle, something with enough substance to feel considered but light enough to carry you from September through to May without complaint.

These are the cardigans we actually reach for. The ones that make getting dressed easier without making your wardrobe smaller.