Cashmere Sweater Hierarchy

[tobiasfunke19]

i also have a question about Ballantyne

i remember blue dragon is made in 1970s, and i just saw two different blue dragons.

so are they both from 1970s?
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You can find information about the labels here

Ballantyne - Vintage Fashion Guild

The Ballantyne family of Scotland had long been a leader in wool manufacturing and trade. In 1921, the sons of David Ballantyne formed a cashmere knitting factory in Innerleithen, Scotland. The company was known as D. Ballantyne Brothers and Co. Ltd. Throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s, the...

vintagefashionguild.org

 

[double00]

Anyone have an opinion on the Ballantyne Raw Diamond line? Is this sweater worth $300?. It is definitely heavy and 100% cashmere. Not nearly as soft as my Malo sweaters of a similar weight.

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i got curious and read the marketing copy ... they say it is 'raw' but i think what that means is they didn't wash the yarn after they made it , they knitted it straight off and then didn't wash the garment after it was made .

i well remember dww going on about natural lanolin somehow being a part of the 'milling process' but that's nonsense . what really happens is all that stuff gets washed out of the fiber and then it gets treated with carding oils , spinning oils , etc as it gets processed into yarn and then on to knitting or whatever .

machine knitting is hard on yarn and those additives are helpful in protecting the yarn as it gets made up , some folks will further treat a machine knit yarn . it's a bit like sizing a warp on a loom , your sweater is much like raw denim in that way , from the copy and your description that seems to be the concept .

that's why it feels harsh and why it seems heavy . if it's cash i think you did good for 3 hundo and it should get better and actually weigh less as you wash that crap out . it may also change dimension .

 

[coloRLOw]

You can find information about the labels here

Ballantyne - Vintage Fashion Guild

The Ballantyne family of Scotland had long been a leader in wool manufacturing and trade. In 1921, the sons of David Ballantyne formed a cashmere knitting factory in Innerleithen, Scotland. The company was known as D. Ballantyne Brothers and Co. Ltd. Throughout the 1920s and into the 1930s, the...

vintagefashionguild.org

thank you!

i know the site and check it before, but only one kind of blue dragon there.

 

[DorianGreen]

Anyone have an opinion on the Ballantyne Raw Diamond line? Is this sweater worth $300?. It is definitely heavy and 100% cashmere. Not nearly as soft as my Malo sweaters of a similar weight.

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I have a couple of them and confirm your impressions. It's their goal to recreate that fabulous cashmere so unique and distinctive of the old Ballantynes. In my opinion it's definitely worth $300.

Here my cricket sweater.

 

[Rowyourboat]

Not news to most in this thread but a nice writeup. Too many goats in the same area = worse cashmere

 

[Johnny80]

I had this JoE for work this week this Aran seamless double ribbed neck ...Very nice, well put together, mid weight, slim fit,
-size S- chest 47cm, body length 64cm, uArm length 48cm, shld to shld 41cm
-size M -chest 50cm, body length 66cm, uArm length 49cm, shld to shld 42cm

 

[Scuppers]

I am floored by the knowledge here, but it must be recognised it is just clothing. 2ply or 8ply, clothing; etc.
FFS, I’m Scottish and I don’t care about which mill my sweaters come from! Believe, me, family is the opposite, Grandma and mum knew them all.

My mantra: recognise quality; buy quality.

 

[fabricateurialist]

To add to this repository of knowledge

Gran Sasso gets its yarns from Todd & Duncan

Still doesn’t say much about the cashmere quality but it’s a data point

 

[DorianGreen]

I had for work this week this Aran seamless double ribbed neck ...Very nice, well put together, mid weight, slim fit,
-size S- chest 47cm, body length 64cm, uArm length 48cm, shld to shld 41cm
-size M -chest 50cm, body length 66cm, uArm length 49cm, shld to shld 42cm View attachment 2095787 View attachment 2095789

Beautiful colour and pattern.

 

[coloRLOw]

since i became a fan of Scottish sweater (NOS actually) some years ago, i wouldn't pay attention to Italian one anymore.

but everything have exceptions, last time was a fedeli alpaca shawl cardigan in last year , and this Giorgio's just arrive.

i really like the pattern and the MoP zipper head which has a curve on one side... and the MSRP

anyone know who makes it? i think i check all the main makers, but don't find a same tag.

 

[CoolM]

To add to this repository of knowledge

Gran Sasso gets its yarns from Todd & Duncan

Still doesn’t say much about the cashmere quality but it’s a data point

I was in Paris a few months ago and came across this shop called L’Officine Paris. It seems that they carry Italian brands, which at the item included some Fedeli and Gran Sasso pieces. The shop owner himself showed me what he had available and I ended going with a Gran Sasso turtleneck. I saw the same Todd & Duncan tag on the garment. Other than that though, there was no Gran Sasso anywhere on the label and it just said L’Officine Paris. I’m thinking this is somewhat common? I did see this shop as a recommended shop in another thread somewhere.

 

[DorianGreen]

I was in Paris a few months ago and came across this shop called L’Officine Paris. It seems that they carry Italian brands, which at the item included some Fedeli and Gran Sasso pieces. The shop owner himself showed me what he had available and I ended going with a Gran Sasso turtleneck. I saw the same Todd & Duncan tag on the garment. Other than that though, there was no Gran Sasso anywhere on the label and it just said L’Officine Paris. I’m thinking this is somewhat common? I did see this shop as a recommended shop in another thread somewhere.

Some shops commission their knitwear to producers with their own label. Already said, it would be much preferable to see always the producer label.

 

[insolentpup]

Hi all, i'm in europe and i'm wondering what is the main difference between cashmere and merino wool? also, where do you guys buy from? budget up to 500 euro. I have been looking at nomanwalksalone, hard to find stuff in europe

edit: or even just a recommendation for shetland sweaters, if these are better value

 

[fabricateurialist]

Some shops commission their knitwear to producers with their own label. Already said, it would be much preferable to see always the producer label.

Sooo many of the established boutiques across Europe have a house label - unless you chat with the owner you’ll never know who made it or to what specifications. It’s a wonderful example for of non existent transparency, mill/yarn spinner - producer/knitter - brand

Hi all, i'm in europe and i'm wondering what is the main difference between cashmere and merino wool? also, where do you guys buy from? budget up to 500 euro. I have been looking at nomanwalksalone, hard to find stuff in europe

edit: or even just a recommendation for shetland sweaters, if these are better value

Cashmere is warmer than merino, and softer - even when the diameter is the same ime, but it’s also a bit more fragile

It depends on the brands you’re looking for, LVR, Giglio, Ahume, Balzar, Spinnaker, MyTheresa, Mr Porter, Tiziana Fausti, all carry brands that are discussed on this thread - if you don’t want to buy direct from a brand

 

[acconrad]

Just picked up vintage Pringle navy crew for $50 - its in pristine shape. I always love it when people sell something they don't know what it's worth