Henri Bendel’s branded sweater collection has long been better suited to stylish uptown women than trendy downtown gals. Its prim twin-sets, basic turtlenecks, and ribbed cardigans made for elegant, but less than eye-catching weekendwear.

Enter “Henri” — the store’s new collection of women’s sweaters that is decidedly more youthful and contemporary than its parent line. The cashmere fall collection offers elongated sweaters, cropped cardigans, and plunging V-necks in more form-fitting cuts. The collection’s silhouettes vary widely, as do the tightness and thickness of the knits in the collection. Prices also run the gamut. A crew-neck sweater sells for $95, while a heavy cable-knit turtleneck retails for $498. Mid-priced options include a hip-length V-neck for $198, a cropped, elbow-length single-button sweater for $228, and a scoop neck sweater-dress for $248.

As with the traditional line, the range of shapes are available in a wide variety of colors. Autumn shades, including espresso, emerald, burnt orange, navy, and eggplant are well represented, along with black and cream. The sweaters are minimally embellished, though some bear simple stripes or argyle accents. Custom monogramming, a new offering at Bendel’s, is also available for an additional $10.

The 110-year-old Henri Bendel department store was acquired in 1985 by LimitedBrands — the parent company of the Limited, Express, Victoria’s Secret, and other mass-market brands. Limited-Brands shuttered a handful of Bendel’s locations in recent years, leaving only the Manhattan flagship and a mall-based store in Columbus, Ohio.

The author of the Born to Shop series of guidebooks, Suzy Gershman, said that in the early 1970s, “Bendel’s ruled the world” with its cutting-edge specialty items, such as distinctive silver jewelry and monogrammed, muslin carpenter bags. With its extensive cosmetics area — with exclusive arrangements of boutique makeup, perfume, and skin care lines — and a vast accessories department, the Bendel’s customer has greater access to du moment trends. Now with the Henri sweaters, Bendel’s extends its reach à la Barneys’ popular CO/OP line and its spinoff CO/OP shops, a professor of fashion merchandizing at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, John Mincarelli, said. “When it was taken over by Limited, Bendel’s became more conservative,” he said. “Now they’re realizing that there are plenty of retailers doing conservative and basic and playing it safe, and Bendel’s role is to be an edgier specialty store.”