Who makes nice Cashmere sweaters?

[Cind11]

Has anyone bought a really pretty Cashmere sweater that they like lately? I would like a nice quality one that doesn''t pill. Any recs? Thanks!

 

[poptart]

My mom just sent me a beautiful red Charter Club 2-Ply cashmere sweater. I haven't washed it yet as I just got it, but it's beautiful and SO soft (can you tell I've never owned cashmere?). I'm not sure where she got it, but probably dillards, macy's or nordstrom.

*M*

ETA: I just read Mara's post, so I thought I should add, this is 100% cashmere, so I'm assuming it was still steep even though she got it on sale. And some blends can still be soft and knock off a LOT of price.

 

[Mara]

i dont buy cashmere, so i''m not sure but a friend was telling me how it''s super hard to find good cashmere sweaters because so many of them are mixed with other materials and so the feel can be very different depending. i actually do have some cashmere blends but nothing almost pure or pure cashmere. i just can''t see paying like $150 for a sweater, esp since i buy so many sweaters per season, and like to have a fair amount of variety going on. i would only be able to buy like 4 sweaters at that price for the whole season. ehhee. i do like jcrew''s sweaters in terms of ''feel'' and i did get a cashmere rayon blend i think from them that feels nice and was about $70. banana has cashmere as well but i am not familiar with it. maybe ann taylor?

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I buy a lot of cashmere and have had varying degrees of success with different brands. For years I bought exclsuviely "Tse" but after having my last sweater set qucikly pill (over $1k), I said forget about spending that again! In all fairness, tho, I suppose it is very difficult to avoid the same in the "rub" areas. Diasppointing nontheless. I bought the label, Teenflo, and I quite like the sweater--no pilling so far.

Ironically, last year I bought three or four sweaters, all two ply, 100% cashmere and they were around $100 bucks each and they have worn well as some of the more costly sweaters I own. Bought them at The Bay in Canada.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Kaleigh]

I live in cashmere and this year it's been hard to find ones that are good quality. I love the ones from Lord and Taylor, they are 2 ply, and have a nice thickness to them. The colors they have this year are really pretty. Don't waste your time going to Bloomies. Their's were very thin this year, and you could almost see right through them.

I just bought a pair of cashmere pants from L&T, OMG they are so comfy!!!

 

[KimberlyH]

I own one cashmere sweater and I LOVE it. I got it on sale for $49.99 at and made by Marshall Fields (I still remember the price because I''m kicking myself for not having purchased one in each color!). Marshall Field is now owned by Macy''s and according to Macy''s website the brand will no longer be sold.

I have it dry cleaned and have had no issues with it pilling.

 

[Julian]

I second Tse cashmere! It''s just that sometimes their cut can be a little boxy. Ralph Lauren makes wonderful cashmere as well. I find that my cashmere doesn''t pill so long as I take good care of it. Of course, where you carry your purse and create friction will cause the cashmere to pill.

But it''s just so light and so warm. I live in cashmere! You can wear it with jeans and simple diamonds or dress it up for dinner parties. It always looks finished! You can find good cashmere wraps and sweaters at Neiman''s or Saks. Their private labels are pretty durable. Elie Tahari or Calvin Klein also make body conscious cashmere for those "I feel super thin" days!

 

[Cind11]

Poptart, I will look for charter club when I am out searching for sweaters.

Mara, I didn''t think about cashmere being mixed with other materials and that affecting the feel. Hmm interesting. I''m going to have to check the fabric content when I look so I can compare.

canuk-gal, Tse and Teenflo don''t sound like familiar names to me but I will look for them. (although I would not spend $1k on a sweater but it''d be fun to see what it''s like.

Kaleigh, we have no Lord & Taylor nearby but I could always order online if I don''t come up with something I likethat I can actually try on.

Kimberly, I didn''t know that Marsall Field''s was bought by Macy''s. Too bad the brand you like isn''t made anymore.

Julian, that''s what I like about cashmere, it seems so versatile and as you said, you can dress it up or down.

I''m going shopping Sunday. I''ll only have access to JCrew, Banana Republic and Ann Taylor that day but I''m curious what I will find. Nordstroms''s etc. will have to unfortunately wait for another day. Thanks ladies!

 

[Mara]

cind...actually i was upstairs earlier putting some sweaters away and i noticed that the one i got from jcrew that i LOVE is 50% silk and 50% cashmere. it''s very soft and it was only about $70 at jcrew. so if you don''t want to go total 100% cashmere then maybe check that one out.

 

[Cind11]

Date: 11/24/2006 11:26:29 PM
Author: Mara
cind...actually i was upstairs earlier putting some sweaters away and i noticed that the one i got from jcrew that i LOVE is 50% silk and 50% cashmere. it''s very soft and it was only about $70 at jcrew. so if you don''t want to go total 100% cashmere then maybe check that one out.

Ohh ok, good to know. Thanks.

 

[KimberlyH]

Macy''s has some cashmere sweaters on sale (your thread inspired me to go on a hunt and ask for a few sweaters from Santa for X-Mas).

http://www.macys.com/catalog/index.ognc?CategoryID=11322&AdID=32415&LinkType=SiteAd&LinkLoc=118&PageID=11322*1*24*-1*-1

 

[UCLABelle]

Okay, most of you seem to have a bit more "money" than what I have as a "poor" grad student...so for any of you interested in a cheap, but nice cashmere sweater, try Target: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=sc_iw_r_2_0/601-2205606-6072911?ie=UTF8&asin=B000G31DA2

Isaac Mizrahi has amazing design at great Target prices...

 

[tiffanytwisted]

I got one from Lands End about 2 years ago. It has never pilled and I love it!

 

[ljmorgan]

I just bought four cashmere sweaters at Ann Taylor yesterday. They were on sale for $99 and I had a 15% coupon I had been hoarding. I am not a total cashmere whore, but I do like its versatility!

 

[Cind11]

Kimberly, poptart said at the beginning of this thread that her mom got her a charter club sweater and I have a Macy's about 10 min. fro me so I may run over there.

UCLABelle, I never seem to have any luck at Target (I dunno why) but thanks for the suggestion.

tiffanytwisted, my brother-in-law has Land's End cashmere sweaters and I do remember him mentioning that he liked them.

Lindsey, I'll be at Ann Taylor tomorrow-going to check the sweaters out.

 

[belle]

well i have been on a cashmere sweater mission for a good 2 months now and so far, to my surprise, the banana republic sweater has been the best as far as quality/price. i haven''t found anything that really even comes close to matching the softness of a pringle (the best cashmere i have ever felt) but the banana is a nice alternative and really well priced. i was almost tempted to try the gap version since it is a sister company but i have been through so many sweaters already it''s ridiculous. soft, quality cashmere is really hard to find!

 

[KimberlyH]

You''ll have to tell us/show us what you end up with!

 

[Ann]

Date: 11/25/2006 8:40:11 PM
Author: UCLABelle
Okay, most of you seem to have a bit more ''money'' than what I have as a ''poor'' grad student...so for any of you interested in a cheap, but nice cashmere sweater, try Target: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/ref=sc_iw_r_2_0/601-2205606-6072911?ie=UTF8&asin=B000G31DA2

Isaac Mizrahi has amazing design at great Target prices...

These are are on the sheer side, thin. But if you wear a tank or cam underneath, you''d be ok.

 

[Mara]

also this thread got me thinking so i was checking out ebay the other night. there are a TON of cashmere sweaters on there! most of them are a little too matronly for my taste, but there are a few cute ones on there and a bunch of well-known brands. so maybe if you find something you like or a brand you like, can get it on ebay as well.

 

[Leila]

I bought some aqua sweaters for like $20, years ago (I know insane!) and they never pilled. I have some charter club and jcrew cashmere. They''re very nice too. Cashmere is expensive! It''s a good thing it''s much too warm to wear them where I live but I always wear them whenever I go on vacation somewhere cold.

 

[Cind11]

Well today the only store I made it into was Ann Taylor (I had one of my girls and her friend with me so I didn't want to drag them into too many adult stores). I liked the feel of the cashmere but I was looking for some of the sweaters on the website (like the shawl collar crossover sweater). They only had plain turtlenecks. I'll be going to the same shopping area again soon so that trip I should be able to work in JCrew and Banana Republic. Or maybe I'll just order online.

And I guess I'll check ebay too although I have never bought clothing off there.

 

[Linda W]

I also own many Lands End Cashmere Sweaters. I LOVE them. They are so warm and comfy. I own the twin sets, as well as the pull overs.


Linda

 

[decodelighted]

I''ve had good luck with Banana Republic MEN''s cashmere sweaters ... at the end of the season discount clearance racks

-- just for wearing around the house really (big ol'' snuggly turtlenecks - it''s COLD in this house).

For "cute girly styles" ... Bluefly has some reasonably priced status brand cashmere (Pringle, TSE etc) and other designery stuff too.

I''m a sucker for Garnet Hill catalog stuff ... I have a pale pink cashmere hoodie from Eileen Fisher ... and even Old Navy had a $30 cashmere sweater promotion over Black Friday.

Lots of choices!

 

[monarch64]

Hi Cind, just wanted to pop in and say I second the J.Crew recommendation of Mara''s...I wear a lot of JC clothing and have never had any quality issues. Their cashmere does go on sale from time to time...if you sign up for their email notifications they will give you a heads up of when they offer an additional % off sale prices or free shipping, etc., which is nice and might help you in the cashmere situation.

 

[Cind11]

Tonight I ordered three cashmere sweaters from Ann Taylor (same color and style just different sizes - XS, S and Petite S since I''ve worn all three sizes there) since they had free shipping. I think might get one from Banana Republic too because I have a 20% off card plus a $10 reward card. I am going to check out JCrew too when I do some more Christmas shopping next week. Thanks for everyone''s help.

 

[belle]

Date: 11/26/2006 10:32:58 PM
Author: decodelighted

For 'cute girly styles' ... Bluefly has some reasonably priced status brand cashmere (Pringle, TSE etc) and other designery stuff too.

i have looked on bluefly (they do have good prices) but have not seen any pringle. if you have a link, please post it. i am looking for pringle!

as an aside, most of the cashmere out there is not good quality. just because something says '100% cashmere' does NOT mean it is soft. many times you would be better off getting a good soft mohair or acrylic sweater for the generic price of certain 'cashmere' sweaters that end up being scratchy and thin.

 

[Cind11]

Date: 11/28/2006 5:12:56 AM
Author: belle

Date: 11/26/2006 10:32:58 PM
Author: decodelighted

For ''cute girly styles'' ... Bluefly has some reasonably priced status brand cashmere (Pringle, TSE etc) and other designery stuff too.

i have looked on bluefly (they do have good prices) but have not seen any pringle. if you have a link, please post it. i am looking for pringle!

as an aside, most of the cashmere out there is not good quality. just because something says ''100% cashmere'' does NOT mean it is soft. many times you would be better off getting a good soft mohair or acrylic sweater for the generic price of certain ''cashmere'' sweaters that end up being scratchy and thin.

A couple days ago I was on ebay and they did have a Pringle sweater. It wasn''t my size so I didn''t really investigate further. I received the sweaters from Ann Taylor today. I think they felt soft and not itchy when I tried them on. Going to keep one. (since I ordered three different sizes) I was in Banana Republic yesterday and they didn''t have much of a selection. They only had sort of a long cardigan which wasn''t the style I wanted. But I did find one crewneck on the sale rack (not my size unfortunately) and it felt VERY soft. I think I am going to probably order one from Banana or Land''s End.