Cast off clothing (8)

I think it could be either:

Which length description are you looking for?:

knitwear

'cast off clothing' is the definition.
'knitwear' can be an answer for 'clothing' (knitwear is a kind of clothing). I am not sure about the 'cast off' bit.

'cast off clothing' is the wordplay.
'cast off' becomes 'knit' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'clothing' becomes 'wear' ('wear' can be a synonym of 'clothing').
'knit'+'wear'='KNITWEAR'

(Other definitions for knitwear that I've seen before include "Woollens" , "Jersey etc ..." , "'Woolly jumpers, socks etc (8)'" , "stockings, perhaps" , "Woollen clothing" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app