Cashmere Sweater Hierarchy

[aristoi bcn]

Earl Grey colour.

 

[double00]

yeah those aren't reinforcing anything it's just where the ends of the seaming yarn get tacked down

 

[fabricateurialist]

Earl Grey colour.

View attachment 1863128

how do you like it ? I looked at the same one, but being a 1ply didn't convince me

 

[aristoi bcn]

how do you like it ? I looked at the same one, but being a 1ply didn't convince me

Thick enough. I’d say I can wear it up to 23 degrees celsius. If it’s hotter, it would be too much.

 

[feliks]

If you have two brands that both use the same mill (say Todd & Duncan) to make the same design (say a grey crewneck sweater) in a 2-ply, other than fit and construction of the sweater itself is there anything else that would make the cashmere used by one noticeably better than the other?

I'm asking because I'm trying to understand the price difference between something like this (https://propercloth.com/products/cashmere-crewneck-sweater?color=grey&bl=cashmere-sweaters) and something higher priced

 

[DorianGreen]

If you have two brands that both use the same mill (say Todd & Duncan) to make the same design (say a grey crewneck sweater) in a 2-ply, other than fit and construction of the sweater itself is there anything else that would make the cashmere used by one noticeably better than the other?

I'm asking because I'm trying to understand the price difference between something like this (https://propercloth.com/products/cashmere-crewneck-sweater?color=grey&bl=cashmere-sweaters) and this (https://colhays.com/collections/cashmere/products/cashmere-crew-neck-in-grey-melange)

I don't own products of either Proper Cloth or Colhays, even though I'm considering some offerings of the latter. Using the same yarn don't make the knits the same: you should also take in consideration the number of plies, the weight, the gauge, the construction. Already at a superficial glance the Colhays jumper seems better quality. Of course also the brand prestige has a role in the pricing, as well as the manufacturing costs. The Proper Cloth, made in Madagascar, is obviously cheaper than the made in Scotland Colhays.

 

[DorianGreen]

how do you like it ? I looked at the same one, but being a 1ply didn't convince me

Thick enough. I’d say I can wear it up to 23 degrees celsius. If it’s hotter, it would be too much.

The Oxton is the classic cashmere offering from William Lockie. 1ply does not mean inferior quality. These are ideal pieces for layering.

 

[Johnny80]

If you have two brands that both use the same mill (say Todd & Duncan) to make the same design (say a grey crewneck sweater) in a 2-ply, other than fit and construction of the sweater itself is there anything else that would make the cashmere used by one noticeably better than the other?

I'm asking because I'm trying to understand the price difference between something like this (https://propercloth.com/products/cashmere-crewneck-sweater?color=grey&bl=cashmere-sweaters) and something higher priced

Like DorianGreen said there much to it...same mill, but same yarn? same fibre length? same fibre thickness? same artisans?
While a lot of people says that the fit is the only thing important...for me is not, for me the garments itself and the fit, both must be top notch/on point, i cannot wear something top quality but fits me like a tent, or vice versa, at least at premium prices. Even the buttons/zip must be top quality, every detail matters
That crew neck it looks like an 1-2ply light weight 7 gauge made, slim fit cut
Every big mill in general have different yarns for different budgets for the makers, every house have their own dyeing methods, different process , some likes to take a mid tier yarn and over-process it/over washing it to reach the level of the feeling for the higher tier while doing so making it from the start more fragile for the customer

 

[Johnny80]

The Oxton is the classic cashmere offering from William Lockie. 1ply does not mean inferior quality. These are ideal pieces for layering.

Totally agree, true houses are in the 1 ply knits, there you see who is a true maker of a great quality garments

 

[DorianGreen]

It depends...in summer days/warm days i wear polo style 1 ply by itself
In colder days, shirt with sweater with jacket / overcoat , i also like turtleneck with jacket. The positive side for me in colder days is that i dont wear sweaters directly on skin so this way i can wash my garment far fewer times than in summer days
Dont worry about driving , the seatbelt (in its original state) material is not affecting your garment
Maybe if we have an accident can be a friction that can leave some marks but our garment in that case is the least of our worries since we can buy another one
For extra you can buy only knits that are cut with the fibres on vertical

Curious about opinions about washing of cashmere and other knit materials. It's often been said that a good cashmere improves wash by wash. I tend not to wash my pieces, in the measure it's possible, as wool and cashmere are odour and soil resistant. Of course having a large rotation of items helps noticeably to reduce the need for washing, as well as wearing the knits over shirts instead of directly on the skin.

 

[Johnny80]

Curious about opinions about washing of cashmere and other knit materials. It's often been said that a good cashmere improves wash by wash. I tend not to wash my pieces, in the measure it's possible, as wool and cashmere are odour and soil resistant. Of course having a large rotation of items helps noticeably to reduce the need for washing, as well as wearing the knits over shirts instead of directly on the skin.

improves wash by wash to a limit. And thats for the pure/standard cashmere in general, washing too many times like in everything is a risk...state of the water, the wool/cashmere solution, light, how it is washed since not every single time is being exactly the same. So an knit that is being washed 100 times per year will be different than one thats being washed 2-3 times per year. The best way the threads are responding is if you can wash your garments in water at around the same level of temperature as the room where will be drying flat away from direct sunlight or other high power light systems
For example, 24-25C water temperature and drying flat inside at around same temperature (of course these are ideal condition, is not a must), but clearly no high temp differences between is highly recommended. Avoid over 30C if you can. Also for the past years we could see that some substances can damage the knit, and some of them are in parfumes also...so avoid direct interaction, with it, spray from over 20cm away, or dont spill (if is not spayed) , if you do try immediately wash it. The combination of alcohol and synthetics from some perfumes right on the knit can easily damage it permanently

 

[DorianGreen]

improves wash by wash to a limit. And thats for the pure/standard cashmere in general, washing too many times like in everything is a risk...state of the water, the wool/cashmere solution, light, how it is washed since not every single time is being exactly the same. So an knit that is being washed 100 times per year will be different than one thats being washed 2-3 times per year. The best way the threads are responding is if you can wash your garments in water at around the same level of temperature as the room where will be drying flat away from direct sunlight or other high power light systems
For example, 24-25C water temperature and drying flat inside at around same temperature (of course these are ideal condition, is not a must), but clearly no high temp differences between is highly recommended. Avoid over 30C if you can. Also for the past years we could see that some substances can damage the knit, and some of them are in parfumes also...so avoid direct interaction, with it, spray from over 20cm away, or dont spill (if is not spayed) , if you do try immediately wash it. The combination of alcohol and synthetics from some perfumes right on the knit can easily damage it permanently

Thank you, as always very instructive.

 

[DorianGreen]

Anybody here owning or having experienced knitwear from Brora?

 

[fabricateurialist]

Totally agree, true houses are in the 1 ply knits, there you see who is a true maker of a great quality garments

I never implied anything regarding quality, that's after all why brands exist as a shorthand, it's just my personal preference for 2-3ply over 1ply

Like DorianGreen said there much to it...same mill, but same yarn? same fibre length? same fibre thickness? same artisans?
While a lot of people says that the fit is the only thing important...for me is not, for me the garments itself and the fit, both must be top notch/on point, i cannot wear something top quality but fits me like a tent, or vice versa, at least at premium prices. Even the buttons/zip must be top quality, every detail matters
That crew neck it looks like an 1-2ply light weight 7 gauge made, slim fit cut
Every big mill in general have different yarns for different budgets for the makers, every house have their own dyeing methods, different process , some likes to take a mid tier yarn and over-process it/over washing it to reach the level of the feeling for the higher tier while doing so making it from the start more fragile for the customer

just confirming this statement from a mill tour at Johnston's of Elgin where I got to see and actually touch/feel different qualities made for different brands side-by-side

also just look at Loro Piana and Zegna, their cloth qualities cover a wide range of qualities from the ones used for their own brand, cloth books for tailors, and yarns and fabrics provided to brands - EU apparel remains somewhat of a cottage industry, albeit it large one

 

[DorianGreen]

that's after all why brands exist as a shorthand

Sorry, can't understand this sentence.