What makes a £400 cardigan 'worth it'?

[NiceSausage]

I was thinking about this because the ONLY damn cardigan I have truly loved and which fits (perfectly) my ultimate criteria in many years of searching comes in at this price. Typical!

It is a cashmere loose fit v-neck from Johnstons of Elgin.
I have searched everywhere, from Poetry to Ebay to Vinted and have never been able to find the one in my mind. And then this turns up.

I could use my savings, which wouldn't be hurt by it, but it feels somehow off. I can't bring myself to do it. When I ask myself why, omitting financial constrains (which thankfully there aren't at the moment), it comes down to wondering whether the construction and source of this garment are actually worth it.

Does anyone know how this shit works?
How does a person qualify such expense for a transitory item? It mnight surely last for many years, but it isn't a holiday or a true life experience. I am not used to throwing money on expensive clothes.
But I adore it.

I don't want permission to purchase it, but would like some insider knowledge of why it costs what it does. I gather these are made in Scotland - great. But what does this cost truly cover? And is this just another item which lends someone status and not much else?

Colourmart. I think there’s 20% off your first order, plus they have half price and 3 for 2 sales.

More than double to pay for your time!

There’s an art/craft to using mill yarns. They come coated in spinning oils which need to be washed off either before or after you knit or crochet with it. I wait until the item is finished. Sometimes the yarn feels a bit stringy but when you wash it the cashmere blooms and becomes very soft.

As for moth holes, this is like saying i bought some top quality veal raw and left it on the counter top until it went off so i dont recommend it.

It's possible to get the sleeves shortened. Depending on the gauge of the fabric, a knitter confident in grafting could possibly do it. But for a £400 cardigan I'd leave it to the professionals.

I follow Alexandra Brinck on Instagram and I'm fascinated by some of the repairs. This is an example of sleeve-shortening
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Crf13UOoLPp/?igshid=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA==

I buy M&S cashmere in their sales but there’s no comparison in the quality for me.

My cashmere is kept in sealed plastic or gauze bags to protect it from moths.

I think i'd be fine with the cuff tuned up once. It is annoying but not much of a put off. I love the idea of a knit grafter!

Clothes made in the UK and EU will always be more expensive than clothes made in China because of the costs of complying with employment, health and safety and environmental legislation. For some buyers the extra cost is worth paying.

I think the quality is better to keep buyers coming back to these manufacturers.

It looks nice but I wouldn’t pay more then £30 for a cardi myself. But then again I’ve never been one to yearn for expensive clothing.
if I had £400 to spare I’m more likely to buy tickets to somewhere or a holiday.
However for someone like yourself, who finds joy in owning quality clothing, I would say you have to factor in what percentage of your monthly income is that £400 going to be and then consider how often you’ll wear it and for how many years. If its not going to put you in the poor house and you’ll wear it a lot then go ahead and enjoy!

I recently bought a Johnstone of Elgin v neck cashmere v neck, unworn, from eBay. £40. I am staggered at what a bargain it was as the cashmere was truly wonderous. A lot of high class cashmere is bought as special presents for people who don’t really want it, always worth keeping an eye out for a good buy.

I have a cárdigan of the same brand I bought second hand. It’s over ten years old, beautifully soft and is still like new. The quality is really good.

Good answer. 😀

I only buy cashmere these days (usually in the sales) as lambswool/merino makes me itch. I keep it with some cedar balls in an airtight box and have never had a moth problem. Although I've probably just jinxed myself now.😂

It just looks like a cardigan to me, but you obviously love it, and you seem to love it for the right reasons (ie not just for the brand / name).

Can you be sure you love it without trying it on though?

I can't imagine paying £400 for a cardigan....but you obviously adore it, it's cashmere, it (surely) is good quality, so I would go for it. It is something you will get your moneysworth out of as I'm sure you would wear it a lot.

If you love it buy it.

You'll never regret it and you'll get a lot of joy wearing it because you can wear it all the time because it's timeless

It's not a one off dress for a function it's a timeless cardigan made from gorgeous cashmere that'll last you years

I love it. I'd say it's worth £400 as it's made in Scotland by real people, not machines.

I have been very disappointed by cashmere from Pure Collection, Jigsaw and White Company. M&S cashmere is good, though not made in the UK (though also not made in China, so that's something). You have to buy bigger than you think, though, as it shrinks a bit even on a cold cashmere wash.

You need to get yourself to the House of Bruar near Pitlochry in Scotland. They have lots of clothes departments, including some beautiful cashmere jumpers. And, in a separate building they have a house of cashmere. Jumpers to drool at.

odd, because i said i valued travel and rarely spent on clothes, ask natasha

There will be labels that are more expensive because they are truly more expensive to create and those that are more expensive because they are a brand. And some will be a combination of both.

As others have said - quality of raw material, quality of process for making and fact it is UK made. Will all play a part in an expensive to create garment.

Chinese made doesn't have to mean low quality. There are highly skilled manufacturers there as here.

I am shocked at how expensive it is to buy very mediocre knitwear made with synthetic mix yarn from some of the medium/higher end high street stores. I would rather spend 400£ on that cardi than £100 from something from &otherstories or similar. It will be more than a 4x more quality item and you will have paid 400£ for something you love which is better than spending 100£ on something that is " fine "

To add, I bought some cashmere gloves there from Johnstone of Elgin. I have quite a few pairs of cashmere gloves, they are by far the best quality.

Good points, sadly it's likely a sinking ship:(

It looks like a primark cardigan to be honest

I agree that the £100 stuff from the high street is overpriced. I think it depends whether we can personally justify a price though. I am not sure of this, but it is the 'one'.

The primark comment looks bitchy tbh. I have no problem with primark if it works for me.

I got lucky with a vintage cashmere jumper fro the same company, it wore really well over the winter despite nearly wearing it every day. So warm but light and soft at the same time (I love it)

and please do point me to the primark cardi, i would love to see it!

So expensive though, the sample sale is awesome though.

I've bought cheaper cashmere before and they're always really thin and come apart at the seams quite quickly.

Oh yes and the weave won't be as tight either on the cheaper ones so they'll damage much quickly