Why You Should Be Wearing Cashmere Right Now
I’m not one for fancy things. I believe in quality pieces that can be worn and re-worn time and time again. But sometimes finding a quality piece means shelling out a little more than you might feel comfortable with but if you shop around and know what you’re looking for you’ll usually get your money’s worth.
One item that you should definitely ensure is included in your repertoire is a quality cashmere sweater. Now a lot of people associate cashmere with being expensive, and it’s true, cashmere sweaters will always be more expensive than regular old wool or cotton. However, there are some good reasons for the heftier price tag.
For one, cashmere is wool fibers collected from the underbelly or neck of cashmere goats. Most cashmere is collected naturally during their molting season and then the coarse outer hair has to be separated from the soft, fine cashmere fibers by hand. Typically, it takes fibers from about two goats (sometimes more) just to make one ply of cashmere. To put it in perspective, one ply would be for lighter weight, thinner sweaters and thicker, warmer sweaters or coats would require quite a bit more. Price making more sense?
The cool thing about cashmere is that it’s pretty thermostatic, meaning it’s a great layer for year round wear. It can keep you warm during the winter and can allow your body to breath and keep cool in the summer. It’s pretty easy to maintain too. I don’t like to dry clean clothes so I recommend spot cleaning and layering underneath to prevent it from picking up body odors. My favorite thing about cashmere is that it comes in so many different styles and colors nowadays so there is literally something for everyone. Here are some of my favorite pieces you should consider picking up:
Club Monaco
J.Crew
If you invest in this chunky sweater I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll never change out of it.
Rag & Bone
This is a great basic that you’ll get tons of wear out of, so much so that you’ll get your financial return back within the year.
Mooncats
We can all admit that hoodies are comfortable and great to throw on in almost any situation. So imagine what a cashmere one would be like… Plus, it’s the most affordable on the list so you can’t beat that!
Theory
And if you need your hoodie to be a little more polished, try out this zip hoodie. The zipper makes it great for layering over anything, maybe even a button up and tie.
Banana Republic
Classic baseball styling and intense cashmere goodness. What more could you ask for?
Final note, when shopping around for cashmere sweaters, make sure retailers are selling you 100% cashmere if the price is high. Some like to mix in small amounts of wool or acrylic and still charge you the pure cashmere price.