Durable cashmere sweater brands?

[josepidal]

I'm not sure if this has been covered in past threads but I'm on a public terminal with limited access to the Net these coming weeks...

I was just wondering what the more durable cashmere sweater brands are. I was warned about cashmere sweaters that start to come apart after two washings or something like that. For example, I was told the Scott Hill and Avon Celli sweaters lance at Virtual Clotheshorse carries are good ones.

 

[j]

IME, the most durable cashmere is Scottish cashmere. Alan Paine, Laing, Elgin, Alex Begg, and other brands are Scottish, and the Andover shop carries some Scottish cashmere sweaters as well.

But keep in mind that all cashmere is pretty delicate. You can't subject it to heavy wear and expect it to survive, and you can't just toss it in the washer. For clothes that will get beat around more, I would suggest lambswool for a softer look or merino for thinner, denser fabrics. My lambswool sweaters, once washed with Woolite, are really only marginally less soft than most cashmere, and much more durable.

 

[philosophe]

All of the brands mentioned so far in this thread are excellent. And quite expensive, unless Lance has your size. For decent quality and less expensive sweaters, try JCrew or, as j suggests, buy merino and lambswool. Don't be afraid to wait for the fall and after Christmas sales.

 

[marc237]

What is the view of Pringle?

Thanks.

 

[johnapril]

Originally Posted by philosophe

All of the brands mentioned so far in this thread are excellent. And quite expensive, unless Lance has your size. For decent quality and less expensive sweaters, try JCrew or, as j suggests, buy merino and lambswool. Don't be afraid to wait for the fall and after Christmas sales.

J Crew cashmere is by Loro Piana.

 

[j]

Originally Posted by marc237

What is the view of Pringle?

Thanks.
Pringle is good stuff. I knew I was forgetting one of the Scottish makers.

 

[alflauren]

I like the J.Crew cashmere as well, although it's thin, which doesn't translate to durability. More accurately, J.Crew cashmere is of good (Loro Piana) quality and cheap, so you can afford to replace the sweater when it wears through.

I would check out some cashmere/silk blends too. I have one black cashmere/silk blended sweater, and it's the most durable sweater I've ever owned.

 

[Film Noir Buff]

In re Scotland:

http://www.williamlockie.com/cashmere-mens/page.html

Good luck trying to buy from them directly. They also make camel hair sweaters which is interesting.


The Bergdorf private label cashmere sweaters from Italy have proved very good value.

Amal Guessous makes very hip cashmere sweaters under his A&G label which I see on ebay from time to time but are hard to find in NYC. I knew a French girl that worked for the company but, alas, she went back to France.

The Bergdorf label, Harrisons label and the Christopher Fischer cashmere sweaters http://www.christopherfischer.com/br...age=1&item=111 are wearable without a shirt underneath which is not true for all cashmere sweaters. I have several from Saks label which are a bit "itchy"

On a side note, though I see John Smedley finally got into the cashmere market as I urged them to do for years, their merino wools are as fine as cashmere and can be worn sans undershirt by most even those with sensitive skin comme moi and they take a beating. Funny how they got the the all black party late and are leaving it late. Their cotton t-shirt is amazing btw, finished beautifully. http://johnsmedley.com/

 

[Holdfast]

Loro Piana cashmere has a wonderful drape and hand. Brioni is very good too (not sure where they buy their cashmere from).

Pringle is more substantial and I think it's more durable. Ferragamo and Aquascutum are merely average (again, not sure where they get their cashmere from). Not sure what other cashmere I have in my wardrobe from memory.

 

[mumbojumbo]

What about Ballantyne?

And which of the named brands makes slim fitting sweaters, resp. the most slim fitting ones?

 

[Film Noir Buff]

Originally Posted by mumbojumbo

What about Ballantyne?

And which of the named brands makes slim fitting sweaters, resp. the most slim fitting ones?


Amal Guessous makes a very slim sweater but his stuf fis either hip or counterculture.

Christophe fischer makes a more fitted sweater which is up to date in style but relatively plain in terms of color choices.

 

[Artisan Fan]

J Crew cashmere is by Loro Piana.

I've been impressed with the J Crew cashmere.

 

[RJman]

Jose:

Congrats on the LLM. Enjoy Hahvud.

If you are asking about durable cashmere sweaters, then I'd suggest buying cheapish ones. Cashmere is not a durable fibre. I have a couple cashmere sweaters that feel tightly knit and unlikely to pill -- one a Brunello Cucinelli and one a Ballantyne. However, it's a question of weave as well as of quality, and my other Ballantynes can be very delicate.

Get some J Crew cashmere sweaters, made using Loro Piana yarn (the sweaters are not made BY Loro Piana) -- they're decent.

My first cashmere sweater I got back when cashmere was a rarity and a luxury rather than a Costco staple, 13 years ago. It's still doing OK. From J. Crew.

 

[someoneNew]

I'm on the JCrew cashmere bandwagon too.
You can find them for under $100 out of season so it's a great price.

Guess it depends on how well you take care of your clothes; how often you wear them, what activity you do while wearing them, how often you dry clean them, etc.

I try to baby my cashere as in, don't spill on it, don't cut lumber with it, don't burp my baby in it, etc.

I get good wear out of my JCrew cashmere by just treating them as a luxury (for me anyway) fabric. And I don't have a reason to jump to another brand unless it's more affordable.

I also have a couple "blend" sweaters but the cashmere percent is always 10% or less. Is it even worth it to get this? What good does 10% cashmere do? Can you feel it or is it just a fad?

EDIT:
Why are you guys washing wool and cashmere sweaters?
Shouldn't they be dry-cleaned or is that what you mean?

 

[RJman]

Originally Posted by someoneNew

EDIT:
Why are you guys washing wool and cashmere sweaters?
Shouldn't they be dry-cleaned or is that what you mean?
If you really love a cashmere sweater, you will hand wash it with a gentle shampoo and dry it flat.