THIS KNITWEAR DESIGNER’S COZY WORK WARDROBE WAS MADE FOR WINTER

January 10, 2018 | Vogue.com | by BROOKE BOBB | edited by MADELINE FASS

Catherine Carnevale went for a hike and ended up having an epiphany. “I was three-months pregnant and visiting the sacred valley in Peru with my husband,” she explains. “While being in the powerful mountainscape of the Andes, I was struck by a strong feeling that it was time to make a life change.” Upon Carnevale’s return home to Brooklyn, New York (she’s originally from the U.K.), she decided to leave her corporate fashion design job and start her own knitwear brand called Eleven Six. The name is a combination of her birth date and that of her son Oliver’s. “I was inspired by the skills of the artisan women in both Peru and Bolivia,” Carnevale says of the launch. “I decided to create a knitwear line that could be sustainably produced there using baby alpaca.” She adds, “I wanted to empower and support these artisan women with work.”

The designer travels to Peru once each year, visiting the cooperatives responsible for crafting Eleven Six’s ribbed navy jumpsuits, fringed off-the-shoulder dresses, and beautifully simple turtlenecks, capes, and cardigans. Carnevale’s pieces are the perfect blend of stylish and cozy, a combination she’s personally become quite fond of since relocating from Brooklyn to upstate New York. “After having our second baby earlier in the year, we were ready for some nature and space,” she says. “I currently have a home studio, but I commute into the city once a week for meetings and appointments.” As such, Carnevale’s wardrobe has shifted a bit. When she’s working upstate, she favors head-to-toe knits and sneakers. In the city, she likes to layer her sweaters with leather jackets, belts, statement jewelry, or a block heel.

“Whether dressing up or dressing more casually, I tend to be on the more polished side—this is something I believe was instilled in me by my late mother,” says Carnevale. “I think this sensibility translates to Eleven Six as a brand. It’s refined yet relaxed, and strives to offer an effortless but elevated approach to knit dressing.” Whatever she’s wearing up in the woods or back in the concrete jungle, Carnevale’s main concern is spreading the message about sustainable fashion and designing functional, beautiful clothes for boss ladies just like her. “I design for a modern woman in need of a versatile wardrobe for her many life roles,” she says.

Here, a deeper look into the sharp, comfortable, and well-rounded 9-to-5 style of Catherine Carnevale.

A monochrome palette can elevate any casual workday outfit.

“I wear a lot of neutrals and often dress tonally head-to-toe. I love the ease of a pull-on ribbed knit skirt, and if you ever see me in flats, I’m usually in a clean pair of white sneakers, my favorite of which are from the French brand Zespa.”

Keep your look professional, even when working from home.

“Upstate, I always dress to be on the go. It’s important for me to feel put together and professional even if I’m working from my home studio. I have a lot of transitional pieces that can carry me through the day and into the evening, like tank and skirt sets or jumpsuits. I like to mix and match, and for accessories, I’ve always gravitated toward modern, statement jewelry, which I believe started when my mother gave me her mother’s chunky, metal cuff in my early teens.”

Find a bag and pair of jeans that can go with you anytime, anywhere.

“The bag I carry every day and take everywhere with me is my

 black leather Bullet bag. It’s compact, but amazing in how much it can store! I also have been wearing jeans a lot more during the workday since my lifestyle changed upstate. I like to wear them with a chunky sweater, Sophie Buhai hoops (I’ll go bolder with earrings for a big meeting or event), and my favorite ankle boots byDries Van Noten. These shoes have seen me through several years, and I continue to love them.”

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