No jacket required! This fluffy £50 alpaca jumper from M&S is the way to go, plus the best fluffy jumpers for now

Sometimes a useful, solves-everything fashion item can hide in plain sight. This is the case for what I predict will be your most useful, stylish and cosy item of the autumn season ahead: a fluffy, alpaca blend jumper.

Walking around a flower market this weekend in London, I couldn’t help noticing the most stylish people were not wearing jackets for their slight-chill-in-the-air morning jaunt, but layering jumpers over their T-shirts and shirts instead of a jacket. I saw them tucked casually into jeans; or part-tucked with swishy midi-skirts.

So far, so normal. But what drew my eye most were the ever-so-slightly fluffy jumpers in the colours of the season – olive, burgundy, cocoa brown and soft white. To my fashion eye, they looked subtle yet perfectly stylish – the sort of items you don’t notice, until you really look at them and start to appreciate that this fuzzy, fluffy texture offers both an irresistible softness, and a perfect foil to tougher fabrics like denim or leather.

Further sleuthing – well, I stopped one woman to ask where her jumper was from (it was a dark burgundy knit from M&S, and shared here, as well as the other shades of olive and hazelnut brown) – and found this fuzzy softness is not wool, or cashmere, but alpaca.

Alpaca are, of course, incredibly cute animals. Their fleeces are shorn once a year, and they are gentle on the environment – good news if, like me, you’re sustainably minded. Which makes buying a low-impact alpaca blend jumper something I would highly recommend if you were looking for one thing to update your wardrobe this autumn.

If you like the M&S jumper shared here – my favourite is the olive – then I do recommend you decide today. At £50 this knit is a good price, and is currently fully stocked, but I don't expect this to last for long.

Other options include a black V-neck from Hush, a toffee-coloured cable knit from Sézane, a burgundy button-front cardigan from Mint Velvet and a plaid V-neck alpaca knit from Cos.

They’re all jumpers you’ll be able to wear on repeat, at home or out and about, but because alpaca is a little bit itchy directly against the skin, they’re best worn as a layering piece over shirts and T-shirts now, and under your favourite coat as we get into the colder months.

This autumn, a little fluff goes a long way.

Discover the best alpaca blend knits