Tess Madalyn Gigone Has Good Taste

Tess Madalyn Gigone just sort of knows when something that she’s making is going to work. “I have no doubts when it comes to what tastes good together,” she says of her kitchen creations, which run the gamut from ginger-y zucchini muffins to sweet pea ice cream. “I definitely mess up sometimes, but I totally believe in myself always,” she laughs. “Maybe I shouldn’t, but I do.”

Within the internet niche of chic at-home chefs, Gigone strikes a balance between aspirational and attainable. Somehow, she makes intricate confections like canalés, pavlovas and strawberry-matcha madeleines look easy, tackling these culinary pursuits in a covetable rotation of perfectly oversized pullovers, button-downs and cardigans. And she is, to the more than 673,000 people who follow her on TikTok, the ultimate comfort content creator. This is perhaps why, to craft its latest release of supple cashmere sweaters, Reformation called on Gigone.

The California-based brand has established a legacy of iconic star-studded collections. (Devon Lee Carlson, Pete Davidson and Monica Lewinsky have all been tapped as co-designers.) Gigone is the latest on this list of Reformation collaborators, marking the first time the cult-favourite label has tapped a Canadian content creator. But Gigone’s allure lies not in salacious pap pics or sheeny Hollywood glamour, but in the ordinary magic of a great sweater (and a delicious meal).

“I actually never really thought that I was fashionable until my followers started telling me that they thought I was,” Gigone reflects. She describes her style as relaxed, comfortable and utilitarian—it has to work for her daily life, and that’s part of why it appeals to so many. She may not be Nara Smith making Cheerios from scratch in couture, but she knows a thing or two about crew necks. “I think I’m most known for my knitwear collection—I can get kind of crazy with my sweaters,” she says.

The result is a Reformation collection, available on March 18, comprising three cashmere sweaters with considered colour-blocking at the collar and cuffs. Think: baby blue and butter yellow, or deep “pear” green and cherry blossom pink. Gigone talks about the final product with the specificity one might use to describe a dessert they spent hours on. “One of my favourite details is the ribbing at the cuff,” she says. “The underneath layer has a finer rib than the upper layer, so it looks like you’re wearing a different sweater. But it’s still lightweight, and you’re not sweating to 1,000 degrees.”

Though she has decisiveness and sharp instincts in the kitchen, thinking as a fashion designer was a bit more of a challenge. The hardest part was narrowing the options down. “There are endless possibilities,” she says. “I was so excited about getting to design this sweater that I was like, ‘I actually need 14 sweaters to design.’”

The final three that made the cut are satisfyingly soft and aesthetically balanced. Reformation describes the collection as “weighty, supple and just a bit indulgent.” Fittingly, Gigone equates that description to a lovely meal. “My cooking is always indulgent—I make whatever is right for me,” she says. “The same could be said about this sweater. It should be perfect for you, and you know when it’s good.”