The Big Lebowski, the Coen brothers’ cult hardboiled slacker caper, introduced Mr Jeff Bridges’ shiftless hero as “the man for his time and place [Los Angeles in the early 1990s]. He fits right in there.” However, His Dudeness, (or, uh, Duder or El Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing) would be no less at home right here and now. In fact, security allowing, he could probably slip into your office unnoticed.

Sure, there are workplaces where casual Fridays are still a thing. But for many of us, especially hybrid workers, when it comes to what we wear, every day is Friday. Which isn’t to say that work ethics have gone out the window – officially, the number of work hours Americans put in have declined slightly since the 1990s, although we’ll wager the demarcation between work and leisure time has frayed a bit at the edges, especially since the pandemic. But office attire is in a different place.

The Dude is perhaps something of an avatar for the laid-back, acid-singed Californian aesthetic that has breezed through our wardrobes in recent years, resulting in an industry-standard business-casual uniform that leans deep into the relaxed side of things. Although, truth be told, the heavy lifting probably came from college drop-outs with more gumption in Silicon Valley farther north. (“Did you ever hear of ‘the Seattle Seven’? That was me and… six other guys.”)

An experiment, then – and no, not a strict drug regimen to keep your mind limber. Imagine swaggering into your place of work wearing the Dude’s iconic knitwear, the Original Westerley zip-up cardigan, a 100 per cent lambswool piece, noted for its geometric Jacquard pattern, dating back to 1972 and drawn from Pendleton’s archive. The correct response from colleagues today would not be to question your commitment to the job at hand. More likely will come an enquiry as to where you attained such a garment. At which point you can guide them to MR PORTER at your own discretion. You’re welcome.

Of course, such a bold item would also look the part at the weekend, whether worn to a restaurant or, indeed, the bowling alley with a milky Kahlúa cocktail (“Careful man, there’s a beverage here”). And, with a distinct nip in the air, a characterful chunky cardie is the ultimate seasonal layer as we head into autumn. In fact, we’d go as far as saying that it would really tie a look together.

Take comfort in that.

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