How well does cashmere really wear? (Thread probably should be subtitled Am I Mad To Consider Spending This Much On a Jumper?)

[LemonGrapefruit]

I have a few expensive handbags but usually keep clothing at the Zara/& Other Stories level with the odd segue into John Lewis.

However, I saw a jumper in a more expensive shop and loved it. Price tag was just under £2000 so I asked myself what I was playing at even going into the shop and left.

I have now found said jumper online 50% off. Still a grand which is insane. But. I still love it.

(I appreciate someone will be along to tell me that I can get the same in Primark.)

It's 100% cashmere. I'm not sure I've ever owned a 100% cashmere jumper. How well does it really wear? I know it'll be dry clean only or hand wash cold - do not wring - do not hang - lay it flat - recite poetry to it whilst it takes a week to dry on the floor...but is there anything else I'd need to know?

I will not be identifying said jumper in case someone else is as mad as me and buys the one that's left. You'll just have to take it from me that it's gorgeous😀

A sweater at that price is unlikely to bobble. Cheap cashmere (sub 300$ range, which I know isn't actually "cheap," but it is in the cashmere sweater market) is made with cheap short fibers. Expensive cashmere is taken from particular areas of the animal and has much longer fibers, so nothing to bobble.
Cheap cashmere animals are farmed in China, where the warmer weather makes a less good coat. The wool is also harvested in a different, less optimal, way. It all makes a difference.
I love Falconeri cashmere (price around $500) and feeling the material, in comparison to high street cashmere, plus seeing how it wears, convinced me entirely.

Long term cashmere addict here!
Soooo, there is good expensive cashmere, and there is good(ish) cheap cashmere. But at 2k, unless it's Cuccinelli, Chanel, Hermes, Loro Piana etc. you're mostly paying for the label.
There is also a lot of cheap cashmere on the market, which is just seasonal trash made from cheap, over-milled yarn. It will last about a year, wash poorly, and pill up after a couple of wears. That's most high street and chain store.
There are a few exceptions: Uniqlo cashmere is amazing quality for the price. Cos cashmere is also very good. M&S and Boden, I found very disappointing.
My go-to everyday cashmere is Eric Bompard, really great selection of colours and styles, the cashmere quality is generally excellent.
I recently bought a cardigan from Rise & Fall and I'm impressed by the quality, their prices are great too.
All cashmere knit can be hand-washed - use cool water and after rinsing it can be safely spun in the machine before laying flat to dry.
If you really love the sweater and it's from a designer that's well-known for excellent cashmere why not treat yourself?

I adore cashmere and nothing else keeps me warm in the winter so I went only that & merino in the cold weather. But yes, it bobbles/tears around armpits and is annoying to dry, especially when the weather's not so good.

The amount you are talking about is INSANE IMO.

Make sure you keep it in a vacuum bag though. Clothes moths ate literally every cashmere/merino item I owned last summer and I can't afford to replace them. 😢

We have a Miele. It has a wool wash which I use for cashmere.

We also have an Everhot so I lay my knitwear flat to dry it overnight.

As a former retailer of high end, mainly Scottish and Italian knitwear, 2k is an insane amount for a cashmere jumper unless you happen to be seriously wealthy.
I never dry clean my knitwear, only hand-wash in tepid water, rinse until the water is clear and short spin. Do not use anything too 'soapy and bubbly' as this can felt the fibres. I actually use literally a few drops of Persil non bio in a basin of water.
I recommend googling Nearly New Cashmere based in Yorkshire. They sell new and beautifully refurbished second hand garments from around £50. Ideal if you want to dip a toe in the water! Their videos are also very informative.
Hope this helps but be warned, wearing cashmere spoils you and you can't go back😉

Thank you! Miele is definitely on my list. The Everhot sounds lovely!

Both are my favourite domestic appliances - as well as my bosch hoover!

I just bought a cashmere poncho for £130 and I'm feeling a bit guilty, that didn't last long so then I bought a jacket 😅But I know I'll wear them with everything.
I can't tell you if it will last for ages as I've only just bought it.

I have a cashmere jumper that cost around the same, have had it years and no bobbling. It still looks fab.
also have a knee length cashmere coat (probably 10yrs old now) which I wear ALL the time in winter, every year it gets softer and the only issue I’ve had is the delicate silk lining fraying.

That Mongolian Winter Olympics jumper is the loveliest thing I’ve ever seen. Such detail in the pattern.

The other thing cashmere lovers can do it learn to knit. I buy yarn from somewhere which buys leftover yarn from places which spin for Loro Piana, Cariaggi and so on. It often tells you where it came from.
I only buy their cashmere when it’s on a good offer, but even so a cardigan in my large size can cost £100 or so, and then you have to construct it.

That is wonderful. I have never been good at knitting but always envied those who can! I can darn though, which is a useful skill, and have a few different coloured lengths of cashmere yarn handy in my sewing tin.

Sometimes a sweater will be beyond repair but I can't bear to bin it. I have used holed/felted sweaters to make wrist warmers a la Turtle Doves, it is very easy.

OP you need to come back and show us a link to the piece!

How many ply is it? I would want at least 3-4 ply at that price. Check Gobi cashmere I have never been disappointed

I love cashmere and have a couple of sweaters that are now 8+ years old, they are every bit as lovely to look at and to wear than much new ones I own. I do hand wash, but it's not as laborious as it sounds. If you can afford it and if you love it, but it!

You can wash cashmere in the washing machine. My old machine (replaced in the last year after 18 years) was a Bosch, as is the new one. I just use the wool wash program. I don't tumble dry,because I've never had a tumble dryer.

Wool and silk - that's the fibre mix I really love. I found a cardigan made of it in TKMaxx years ago, and it's so soft and warm. TKMaxx can be surprisingly good for cashmere.

@TeaAndStrumpets , remembering moths and cashmere, darning is an excellent skill to have.

Absolutely! I learned it from my mother who was very much of the Make Do And Mend generation! I rarely had shop bought clothes growing up, out would come the trusty Singer sewing machine and a paper pattern!

I suppose later generations never learned. Or got shown but didn't see the need. My adult DD2 still asks me to sew buttons on for her!

@EBearhug thanks for the recommendation for Bosch. That and Miele are on my list. I had Bosch for years but had to buy an emergency washer during lockdown. It's a Beko and I wouldn't have one again.

I have a lg direct drive & it's great. It's the second one we've had as the first survived many years of washing with 4 kids.

You can expect £2000 cashmere to wear much better than £200 cashmere because the price difference should indicate the length of the strands.

At the cheaper end of the market, they are shearing the goats twice as much. I don’t know if you’ve ever spun wool (it’s very relaxing) but if you twist short strands together, you need to make the cord a bit thicker than if you’re spinning longer strands.

You should end up with a garment that is very fine and lightweight and bobbles much less.

It still requires care - smoothing out after you wear it, so it cools into shape; protection from moths who will adore your good taste; cold water hand washing (don’t be fooled by your washing machine’s claims) where you gently press the water out (never wring).

But cashmere rarely needs washing, and at that price point you should only need to debobble the underarms rarely.

Just do your research on the brand quality first. Some places just inflate the price so don’t get caught out.

Thanks a large one is tempting!

Thanks everyone for the responses and apologies for the tardiness of my reply, busy couple of days (not spent buying cashmere jumpers 😀 )

The moth issue does worry me. I've only had one experience with them, they got into a divan drawer in which I was storing clothing and had a feast. I cleaned and then blitzed everywhere with Acana spray and since then I've had Acana moth hangers/sachets anywhere clothing is kept, regularly replaced. There's never been a recurrence but it seems others have tried this method and the moths still haven't been discouraged...

The garment in question isn't a plain knit of the type you might see on the high street. It's quite a rare design which was popular decades ago, and used to be worn by a relative I adored. She worked in the woollen industry, though I was too young to have picked her brains about it, hence why I’m here now! She was always very stylish, I loved her clothing choices, and this item took me right back there. So it would be special to me, and not just a cashmere jumper, which I wasn't on the lookout for at all. (And it's by a design house/manufacturer who are known for cashmere and seem to sell such items at these prices year on year!)

Many thanks to you all for taking the time to share the benefits of your knowledge and experiences, your feedback has given me lots to think about 🙂

Ah … I’ve spent lots of time recently musing over how my clothing choices relate to my experiences with and memories of a family member who’s no longer with us. It’s a powerful motivation.

Send for it. If it doesn’t feel right once in your possession you can surely return it, no harm done.

I mainly wear cashmere but haven't paid over £150 for a jumper. It wears well but you do have to be very careful washing it (hand wash only and dry carefully).

Oh how lovely. I am a very sentimental person and this would outweigh ANY consideration of economy for me!
It's just the bastard moths. But seriously in your situation just one precious garment could live in the freezer in between wearings!