Witty knits
In 1981 Prince Charles married Lady Di. Among the official wedding gifts sent to the then-happy couple was a pair of Jenny Kee koala and kangaroo hand-knitted jumpers. Based on the children’s book character Blinky Bill, the koala knit was one of Kee’s most popular designs.
In 1982 a pregnant and ‘windswept’ Princess Diana was photographed by the English press wearing her chunky bright blue ‘Blinky’ jumper and a pair of red trousers at a polo match. The image went viral, as did another photograph of Diana wearing a Muir and Osborne ‘one-black sheep-in-a-flock’ jumper (ironically revisited by French fashion house Chloe in 2009).
Diana’s witty knits, sparked huge demand for copies amongst her international fashion followers. Kee was asked to design a ‘Blinky Di’ pattern for Australian Women’s Weekly readers to whip up at home, while Muir and Osborne sold 500 of their hand-knitted sheep sweaters in less than five months.
Danielle Whitfield
Image: Kate Longley and Zoe Allnutt from Wardrobe V Pantry couldn’t decide if they liked fashion or food more so they just stuck ‘em together.