Shockingly Wonderful Cast Ons: The Knitwear of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, & Vile

I’ve been back and forth about whether or not I was going to do this post. On the one hand this Netflix original movie has some of my favorite knitted menswear moments I’ve seen in awhile. But on the other hand most of these sweaters are ripped directly from videos of the trial and real pictures. I love true crime. I love watching trials and hearing confession tapes. Basically all things Investigation Discovery. But I absolutely hate this case. I’ve never been very interested in the narcissistic killer who earned the title extremely wicked, shockingly evil, and vile. So in order to get through this post and keep my sanity I’ve decided to make two compromises. The first is that I’ve decided to refer to Him as Voldemort for this post. I refuse to give his memory any more attention. The second is that I want to focus on the production of the movie more than the story behind it.

I was recently a guest on The Craft Hangout and during the interview we chatted about Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Wicked, and Vile. At the time I hadn’t had the chance to watch the movie. But that has never stopped me from having strong opinions about something. Eliza (one of the hosts of the podcast) brought up a few of the issues she had with the movie. I recommend that you listen to that interview first, because the hosts brought up some super valid observations that probably influenced how I viewed the movie.

I found that it was a difficult movie to watch, because it’s based off of a book written by Voldemort’s long time girlfriend Liz. So at points it almost feels like the writers want us to feel empathy for Voldemort. There were moments when I thought that my eyes were going to get stuck in the back of my head because of the amount of eye rolling I was doing.

Layered Polo

Looking past the obvious issues I have with this movie, it does have a lot going for it. Zac Efron and Lily Collins did fantastic jobs in their roles. On top of that, costume designer Megan Stark Evans really brought her A game. I’ve been on the hunt for movies with great knitted menswear and Megan pulled some great pieces for this movie. Starting with the cable polo shirt Zac is wearing in the first scene that Liz and Voldemort are introduced. As someone who looks forward to fall, because I love layering as many knits on my body as humanly possible, I was a big fan of the double sweater look. The brown under sweater appears a couple of times in the film. On its own it’s the perfect pull over, but I think it’s at it’s best when layered. I really like the knitted Andy’s Polo from Caddy Melville Ledbetter. I also don’t think that it would be too difficult to add in a small pocket if you want more of a 70s vibe.

V-Neck Pullover

Another layering moment comes from Voldemort’s V-neck pullovers. My personal favorite is the cream v-neck from the courtroom scene when he first gets the idea in his head to escape. I wonder if anyone watched this movie without the bias of already knowing this story. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s Liz’s story and at this point in the movie she is still on the fence about his guilt. So that’s what the audience should be feeling. But all I was thinking about were the horrible crimes he was about to commit when he breaks out. He wears another v-neck during the \”happy family\” montage that plays towards the beginning of the movie. This is probably the one I would be most likely to make. I’m a sucker for stripes. I think that the Men’s Slip on with Horseshoe Cable from Spinnerin is a great version of a v-neck. Even if it’s a little preppy for my taste.

Cardigan

I feel weird saying that this was my favorite look from the movie, because this is one that was almost an exact replica to the real cardigan Voldemort wore for his big break. One thing that I’m super obsessed with is the idea of a quick change in public. I thought that I was pretty familiar with this story, but somehow I had never been able to imagine how he was able to get away. The idea that he wore one recognizable outfit over another completely different outfit blew my mind. Anyways, this cardigan is pretty wonderful and shouldn’t be judged based on it’s owner. This Eagle Island Cardigan by Meghan Babin is a different style. But it has a similar vibe and it looks like a fun project.

Tight Turtle

Apparently, Voldemort loved a tight turtleneck. When he isn’t wearing them on their own he’s popping them underneath all of his other clothes. I’m a little surprised that one wasn’t used during his quick change escape. I’ve definitely mentioned that I’m not a fan of fair isle knitting. I love the way it looks, but I stay away from it at all cost. I realize this might be an unpopular opinion. With that said I was a fan of the turtle neck from the \”big reveal\” scene at the end of the movie. *Spoiler alert* Voldemort is a murderer.. with great taste in knitwear! I love the Men’s Ribbed Turtleneck KK196 sweater from Berta Karapetyan. Sometimes you just need to pick up a ribbing project.

Carole

Ok, so now that we’ve gotten past that we can move on to some of the other yarn moments from the movie. I don’t really understand Carole, but I love her crochet vest and knitwear moments. There were a few other knitwear moments that weren’t on the screen long enough for me to grab a screenshot. But she is the secret knitwear winner of the movie. I want to make The Coachella Vest by Sara Dudek and add more fringe to the bottom edge.

Jerry

Jerry isn’t on the screen very often. But it feels rude to spend more than half the post talking about Voldemort and not spend any time on the sweater vests of Jerry’s closet. Jerry keeps to browns and greys, with the exception of a bright blue v-neck he wears in a short scene. Mainly we see him in the background and the looks he gives directly mirrored the looks I was giving to my computer screen: empathy for Liz, contempt for Voldemort, and an overall look of \”you’ve got to be kidding me\” directed towards Liz and her television screen. I was a big fan of his suede jacket with knitted sleeves. A very Jerry sweater would be the Men’s Cardigan with V Neck or Shawl Collar from Sirdar Spinning Ltd. You can always use more exciting colors to make it a little more modern.

Liz

It’s hard to remember that Liz is just a nice person who didn’t have all the facts that we have now. She was dealing with a manipulative, charismatic, creep who was very good at what he did. I can’t say that I would have done anything differently if I had been in Liz’s situation. So I hope that I don’t come off as being too judgy towards her in this post.

I loved the wardrobe choices for Liz. There were a couple of knits that she wears for the briefest of moments, like her collection of sweater vests. But my favorite liz moment was her striped top that she paired with a purple bandanna. This is definitely something that I would wear myself. A Liz project would be the Striped Sweater by Giuseppina Flamini.

Let me know in the comments if I left out your favorite knitwear moment! Or if you know of any other pattern substitutes for these extremely wicked looks! I’m always on the hunt for more projects. It’s an addiction that I intend to encourage. Which show/movie should I tackle next???