Ann Demeulemeester Zinaida Sweater

Mohair is the fibre that makes a sweater look like weather. It comes from the angora goat, takes dye brilliantly, and has a long fibre that stands away from the yarn instead of lying flat, which is what produces the halo you can see against the light. Blended with silk at seventy-thirty it gains drape and loses some of the prickle that pure mohair can carry against the skin.

The result is a sweater that is much warmer than its weight suggests and reads soft-edged rather than solid. The boat neck is the right neckline for it, because a wide shallow opening lets the halo sit against the collarbone where it is most visible. Grey melange rather than a flat grey means the yarn is spun from fibres of more than one shade, which is why the colour moves rather than sitting still.

Why we selected it

Mohair is a fibre most houses have abandoned because it is difficult to work and difficult to sell in a photograph. Seeing it in person is the entire argument, and that is a good reason for a shop to carry it.

Ann Demeulemeester founded the label in 1985 and Stefano Gallici has designed it since 2023.

Materials and construction

Seventy percent mohair and thirty percent silk, made in Italy, in grey melange. Boat neck with drawstrings.

Fit notes

Mohair blends relax with wear and recover with rest rather than with washing. The boat neck sits wide, so it will show whatever is underneath at the shoulder. Size for the body rather than the neckline.

Styling

Over a slim trouser, with nothing at the neck. The halo is the detail and a necklace fights it.

Care

Mohair should be worn several times between cleanings, rested flat between wears, and never hung, which stretches the shoulder permanently. Our care guidance covers mohair and the other hair fibres in detail.

Related pieces

If this is the one, look also at the Berly Dress and the Treze Bootcut Trousers. The rest of what we carry from the house is on the Ann Demeulemeester page.