Pattern is where knitted dresses stop being practical and start being interesting. A solid knit is useful. A fairisle, a stripe, an intarsia motif, a bold geometric repeat is a conversation. It says something specific before you’ve even walked into the room. We’ve been pulling together the knitted dresses that do exactly that, the ones where the pattern is the whole point rather than an afterthought.

What makes this category worth caring about is the combination of warmth and visual impact. You are not choosing between comfort and looking considered. A well made patterned knitted dress gives you both, and that matters enormously from October through to March when you still need to actually feel warm in what you’re wearing.

We’ve been particularly drawn to traditional Fair Isle patterns reinterpreted for contemporary shapes, graphic stripes in unusual colour combinations, and anything with a motif bold enough to anchor an outfit without needing much else alongside it. A good pair of boots and the dress does the rest.

Pattern, done well, is never decoration. It is the argument.