Caps: Wool vs. Cashmere

[Lafont]

Was going to get a winter cap of wool, as usual, but with BB's Tues. sale including cashmere caps as much as 50% off, I'm now considering cashmere as well. Besides feeling so good when the hand touches it, which I hardly find important to be worth paying somewhat more, what advantages are there of cashmere over wool? My current Borsalino cap, after almost eight years, is pilling - many threads are sticking out, though it always seemed very well made and I've been very happy to have it these years and have had it cleaned perhaps once a year. Is a cashmere cap likely to go more years without this happening? Any advantage as to dirt absorption or cleaning or staining? Any advantages with rain or snow?
In similar vein, I have a Burberry wool scarf which seems had to find today - the few stores around that carry Burberry scarves always seem to go in for the cashmere version. I got mine at a Cohoes in Rochester, which specialized in big name designers at discount prices and I was very glad to be able to get this wool scarf. Sure, the cashmere ones feel good to the touch in Saks and Nordstroms but they hardly seem worth more to me and don't really look better.
So any real advantages to getting a cashmere cap, instead of a wool one from the same designer/brand of same design or style?

 

[JayJay]

I have two knit caps that are great, one is a thick cashmere by BR and the other is wool by Prada. However, I also have two cashmere caps by RL that are awful because they are thinner; I bought them online without seeing them in person.

 

[sloane3]

Just saw "Becoming Jane" - most of which is supposed to take place in 1795 England. The eveying grand ball was surely supposed to be their equivalent of a formal evening, I'm certain, and one should see how many different styles, fabrics and colors the elaborately dressed males wore. I know if a film such as this the creators go all out for authenticity in apparel....
I'm sure some of you out there would feel at my daughter's wedding the groom, the two fathers, and all male attendants should wear only black or possibly dark blue cutaways or business suits, as the ceremony is scheduled to begin at 4:30 but....
Regarding that extremely interesting arreticle above which tries to summarize men's formalwear decade by decade from 1900 thru the '90s, naturally extremes are sometimes featured but what I've read does try to be somewhat balanced as to what was going on. My particular After Six jacket, by the way, definitely has a '70s look but it is not one of the more extreme examples. I have, incidentally, some of the same periodical sources referred to in the articles.... I would say much of the '70s styles considered by many shops as formalwear in the '70s were based quite closely on earlier styles - in many cases about a century earlier. That business regarding the inappropriateness of one's wearing a tuxedo at any wedding whereby the ceremony takes place in a church or synagogue (or whatever) - I just can't get over that one! It occurs to me this is a "rule" with potentially epic proportions. Why, this being the case, it should surely follow that any of the millions of grooms who had taken the plunge in a religious ceremony - AND HAVING THE GAUL TO WEAR A TUXEDO simultaneously - by cracky, amid this immense lack of authenticity surely the weddings never really took place. Apparently, none of us are really married! Glad to know after 31 years I've now been enlightened. I'm now rushing to iinform my brotherabout this, in regard to his wedding of 1972. Must have been a tacky, tacky affair. All those male guests who show up in tuxedos at some of these affairs (when they interpreted the invitation as calling for them) , too - for shame. The jackets at my brother's wedding, I just noticed in the old photos, were black and actually had that revered peak (or, "peaked") lapels, but nevertheless they'd classify as those blasted tuxedos, and the ceremony definitely included religion....
Okay.... I was "inspired" by some of the more vivid comments here and decided to see what's out there in formal jackets one might consider a little more "correct" in general. Never mind the controversial issue of how formal one can get away with when it is "wedding ceremony at 4:30, followed by evening reception".... It is our only daughter's wedding after all and I do want the outfit to be fabulous!
I've looked through some vintage shops and have found nothing as as attractive or interesting as the burgandy dinner jacket I already have and have been planning to wear. Yes, I've seen some black jackets - both with peaked lapels and shawl collars - but they just don't do that much. Rather dull and bland. So far I haven't found the whole "correct" combination either - "correct" lapels, single breasted (I DO want to wear that Kilgour French Stanbury cummerbund, if possible), pockets either without flaps or at least with the whatchemacallit all around, and maybe the Flusser-loved hole in one lapel.... Let alone in excellent condition and the right fit and price. I like the idea of "midnight blue" but these are even harder to come by and, again, I haven't found one so far that meets the other requirements. Another big excuse for getting a different tuxedo jacket or dinner jacket would be one from a shop that would bring some panache to the ensemble and my own love of the garment, such as one of the great English tailors.
Well, this is one of those little projects I'll keep at 'til the event, or at least the time I might have my current great dinner jacket dry cleaned (if it really needs it). Eureka! Success! The morale of this little tale is I went back to my vintage stores today and ended up with a fabulous new tuxedo - matching dinner jacket and pants. I had considered Internet, renting, and various other options regarding the blue pants....
Tried on lots of midnight blue formal slacks - these are so difficult to find today but this place had so many.... The jacket I was entranced with last week turned out to be a speck large and I got down to the last pair of trousers as a possibilty and they had sort of a funny stripe.
Then I went back and started looking at complete tuxedos - a few black if they had peaked or shawl collars, and other features perhaps superior to my '70s burgandy jacket.
Got down to the very last possibilty (some tuxedos had clownish pants, some had huge or tight jackets, holes, too heavy a wool, etc.
I got something so marvelous and "timeless" I think Flusser would be proud. I should send him the bill! Even the Duke of Windsor might take notice....
Very deep but midnight blue, shawl collar in black satin, no vents, one button single breasted (I can use my Kilgour cummerbund), four buttons on sleeves. Besam pockets with no flaps and thus there are no outlines where the flaps would come down. Pants have button fly (at least no zipper to break). Excellent condition.
Excellent fit, except pants must be shortened. Beautiful fabric, with a super subtle texture. Guess what? Perhaps my absolute first choice would be a bespoke tuxedo from a Savile Row or St. James's tailor, but this one is from a tailor in Paris - the ONLY one I saw! The name is Paul Portes. Haven't found much on him on the 'net but I'll pursue further. Does anyone here have any familiarity with this shop? The label is on the opposite side of where American labels are.
The ensemble is difficult for me to date - it's oh-so classic, but the shawl is not too wide (not too narrow either) such that the full pocket for pocket square is exposed. I'd say it's not that old - perhaps '80s on? Of course if I could find out the years of the tailor it might help in dating it.... I did see a 1928 Paul Portes ad on the 'net.
No hole in lapel or collar but that's just one of Flusser's peeves. I suppose bone or fabric buttons would have made the whole thing absolute perfection but big deal! The buttons are plastic but very simple and assumably original.
I'm sure that even most purists among you might allow me to wear my black cummerbund with this ensemble, as the cummerbund is basically an accessory and it's the color of the shawl collar, and shoes.
I love French things in general so that just adds to my joy. I've come long way in my thinking in the few weeks I've posted here on this daughter's wedding issue but I hope you guys approve. As if I should care.... Hee hee.

 

[a tailor]

glad to here you have found a dinner suit that you like.

what do mean "if it needs it" clean the damn thing. yuk!

if the trousers must be shortened then you can have cloth covered buttons made from the cut off cloth.
and get rid of those plastic ones.

 

[erdawe]

^
You actually read all of that?

 

[larsrindsig]

Originally Posted by sloane3

Just saw "Becoming Jane"

That's your position on wool vs cashmere caps?

 

[Lafont]

What the?????
The above long, long post was written by me in 2007 and I really wonder how it got mixed up here. And under "sloane3's name, yet??????
Again - about the wool vs. cashmere. I'm also asking if there's anything negative I should consider regarding getting cashmere? More expensive to clean? Fewer places clean? Actually, that's probably irrelevant because I'd assumably take it to my main hat shop which much clean these hats with the wool. I assume they don't charge more.
Is cashmere more "delicate" - e.g. likely to wear faster?

 

[watchcollector2454]

when i was at lock and co hatters in london i asked this same question and the salesman told me that cashmere is really warm but it won't last as long as wool (i should mention, though, that the wool he was talking about was a fairly substantial tweed that i was looking at). he also said that cashmere won't do as well in the rain as a heavier wool.