From Hollywood stars to British royalty, it seems everyone’s keen to rug up in fabulously absurd kitschy knit sweaters.

We couldn’t help but put together a list of the most fashion-forward celebrities and their most excellent sweater choices.

1. Bob Hope

American comedian and actor Bob Hope famously sported a Mary Maxim totem pole design sweater when he visited Canada in the 1960s.

He once said: “I have too much money invested in sweaters.” But Hope obviously couldn’t pass up this ridiculously cheerful woolen sweater, which was released by famed knitwear company Mary Maxim in 1957.

If you’re keen to own a replica, we’ve based our Bob Hope totem sweater on the very same vintage knitting pattern.

2. Marilyn Monroe

Just a few weeks before her death in 1962, American photographer George Barris snapped Marilyn Monroe rugged up in a thick woolen sweater on a windy Santa Monica beach.

The famed Mexican sweater worn by Monroe during her last photo shoot proves that kitschy knitted sweaters really can be sexy (and warm – that beach looks nippy!).

Want to replicate Marilyn Monroe's look? Check out our Starsky sweater design.

3. Princess Ann

The internet is rife with claims that British royal Princess Anne once sported a kitschy knit sweater.

But just which design she favored remains a mystery as suspiciously little photographic evidence exists of this daring royal fashion choice.

Nonetheless, the Mary Maxim website itself says it is so, making us rather inclined to believe the rumor.

4. Barenaked Ladies

Some credit Canadian band The Barenaked Ladies and their 2004 Christmas album with sparking the modern-day comeback of vintage Mary Maxim sweaters.

The album’s so-dorky-it’s-cool cover featured the five band members all primly zipped to the neck in classic Mary Maxim.

Pretty quickly, Mary Maxim’s headquarters began once again fielding dozens of orders for vintage sweater patterns.

5. Canada’s prime minister

Okay, so calling him a celebrity might be going a bit far.

Nonetheless, Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau posed in a Cowichan sweater with his sons Justin, Alexandre “Sacha”, and Michel for his official Christmas card in 1980.

We do believe the design involved flying ducks, which is highly excellent.

Keen to snap up your own outrageous sweater?

If the celebrities have you convinced, scoot on over to our online sweater store to bag yourself a Cowichan-style knit, many of which are based on vintage Mary Maxim knitting patterns from the 1950s.

Perhaps you’ll soon be famous, too!

Until next time,
Meredith