The most charming, cosy jumpers to keep you warm and cheerful in the winter months.

As we hurtle headlong into winter and begin to feel a bit of a nip in the air, it’s a good time to turn to some home comforts – chicken soup, warm fires, hot toddies, that sort of thing. You can think of the Fair Isle sweater as the sartorial equivalent of all of the above. Recognisable for its thick, woolly texture and characteristic geometric multi-coloured patterns, it’s a piece that’s as fun to look at as it is to wear, and is also perfect for filling that “holiday jumper” gap in your wardrobe. Below, we present our favourite 2016 examples for you to enjoy with impunity. OK, just a few words of warning: don’t call them “Fair Isle sweaters” in front of a Scottish person. They will angrily remind you that, while the technique of multiple-colour knitting, resulting in such pieces as below, was originally pioneered in the actual Fair Isle – a small island to the north of Scotland, roughly halfway between Shetland and Orkney – as far back as 1921, a Fair Isle sweater made anywhere else, is perhaps not really a Fair Isle sweater. Don’t let that spoil the whole thing for you – the proof is in the wearing, after all.

This classic two-tone Fair Isle sweater may have been designed in Antwerp (the city that contemporary knitwear brand Howlin’ calls home), but it was made in Scotland, using that country’s famously (and necessarily) warm wool fibres. Blessed not just with an eye-catching roundel pattern, but a wonderfully flecked grey yarn, it’s rich in texture but will go with almost anything thanks to its restrained colour palette. We recommend wearing it with a mock turtleneck T-shirt from Beams Plus – this will help you to avoid chafing at the neckline but also look sharp and rather festive.

As is his general way, Mr Thom Browne has taken a step outside the box for his Fair Isle style this winter, mixing a traditional, almost kitsch design with elongated ribbed cuffs, a slightly cropped length and his trademark stripe embellishments. As this is such a quirky, lighthearted piece, we recommend wearing it with something a little more sober – these grey trousers from Canali (rendered in a wool-silk mix for a slub-like texture) will calm things down nicely.

Neil Barrett’s Fair Isle knitwear is rather ingenious – it mixes the folksy trappings of its inspiration with bold, graphic stripes inspired by sportswear and the eye-catching prints the designer has become well-known for. It’s the Fair Isle sweater that you can wear with a pair of Common Projects sneakers, without anyone batting an eyelid. Which is why, of course, we suggest that you do so.