The most comfortable way to layer knitwear through winter is to start with a fine merino base layer, then build up with lightweight possum merino for warmth that stays easy to move in. From there you keep adding possum merino knitwear, whether that's a vest, a jacket or a wrap, letting a slimmer knit balance the looser denim everyone's wearing this season.
Anyone who has spent a winter here knows the pattern: a frost first thing, sunshine by lunch, then a cold southerly rolling in through the afternoon. Dressing in layers is how you stay comfortable through all of it, and the reason it works comes down to choosing the right fibre for each one. A merino base layer is fine and breathable, which is exactly what you want against the skin, while possum merino is light and very warm, which makes it better suited to the layers that go on top.
If you're building a winter wardrobe around natural fibres, our collection of possum merino knitwear makes it easy to mix base layers, vests, jackets and accessories into a system that works across changing winter temperatures.
Proportion matters here too, because denim has shifted. With wide-leg and baggy jeans dominating right now, a slimmer knit up top stops the whole thing tipping into oversized-on-oversized, and a deeper, inky wash looks especially good against the soft natural and heather tones that run through most of our knitwear.
A weekday winter layer
The first is the combination you'll end up wearing most. Start with a pure merino polo neck close to the skin, then add a cable possum merino vest for warmth through the body while keeping your arms free, which is exactly what you want on the days that begin cold and ease off by lunchtime. It sits naturally with straight-leg or relaxed jeans, and a plain fine rib scarf keeps the focus on the cable stitch rather than competing with it. Finish with loafers or a low boot, and you have something that takes you from the morning's errands to a coffee without a second thought.
Layering possum merino for colder days
When the temperature genuinely drops, it's worth building things up in earnest. A pure merino crew goes on first as your base, a possum merino crew neck layers over that for a second round of warmth, and the oversize hood jacket finishes everything off as a generous outer layer. The way to wear a piece that size is to let it carry all the volume while you keep everything beneath it long and lean, so reach for straight or slightly tapered jeans in a darker wash. A big jacket always reads better when the rest of the outfit stays quiet underneath, which makes the whole look feel like a decision rather than a defence against the cold.
Men's winter layering
Men's layering follows exactly the same principle, base to outer. A men's merino crew sits underneath as the base, a possum merino crew neck goes over it for an extra layer of warmth, and a zip-through possum merino jacket finishes the look, the zip coming in handy on the days that can't make up their mind about warming up. A two tone beanie and a pair of plain gloves cover the head and hands, which is where most people feel the cold long before anywhere else. Worn with slouchy jeans, it's a properly warm layer for the coldest end of winter.
Once the layering order is right, with merino against the skin and possum merino over it, the rest is straightforward. Swap a vest for a jacket, add a scarf or beanie when the wind turns, and adjust each layer to suit the day.
None of this needs to be complicated. Get the order right once and you can dress for almost any winter day without overthinking it, which counts for a lot in a climate that changes its mind by the hour. Better still, a few well-chosen natural-fibre layers will keep doing the job for winters to come.
