It sounds almost like a bad joke, but the reality is actually fairly intriguing once one gets passed the novelty of the idea. We've all loved and cherished our sweatshirts, but there's never been a question of their place – or lack of one – in high fashion until now, but a fashionable wave of designer sweaters has seriously challenged this age old fact with no sign of slowing.

Once reserved for the gym and lazy weekends, the humble sweatshirt has emerged as a high fashion hero piece for both men and women, regularly appearing on top tier runways and consistently selling out at luxury retailers.

But these aren’t your classic heather grey numbers. These are a new breed of highly fashionable “statement sweatshirts” that are embroidered (Carven), satin-backed (Jason Wu), python-patterned (Reed Krakoff), bamboo-printed (Balmain) and paillette-strewn (Lanvin). Not to mention Kenzo’s embroidered Eiffel Tower, tiger head and Hokusai-inspired cresting wave sweatshirts. (Read More)