Good Cashmere

[Melisande]

Great info, Tott, thanks! Karma for you! ...er...after spreading it a bit more I guess...

 

[tott]

Thanks girls!

 

[Caffeine]

Is TSE cashmere that good? I tried a couple of cashmere sweaters today and the most comfortable one was the Theory cardi. the TSE sweaters even caused static electricity when they were hanging there. They were also slightly itchy......Now I really wonder if it is one of those "over priced" brands with the same quality as others but marked up...Anybody had good experience with them?

 

[tinuvielberen]

I've bought two $500+ cashmere sweaters recently, and they both started to pill within a few wearings. I'm considering taking them back and complaining.

By contrast, my ~$100 Ann Taylor cashmere sweaters have held up for years without the first pill.

 

[Guessgirl96]

What is pilling?

I was considering investing in some good cashmere, but after hearing these stories, I think I'm going to go with cheaper brands

 

[tinuvielberen]

Pilling is when the fuzzy part of the sweater balls up and forms little "pills" on the surface of the sweater. Allegedly it's associated with lower-quality cashmere.

I have to say, my best cashmere has been from Ann Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue store brand. Not one pill, very soft, still looks good after years of wear. I even have a 25-year-old Saks brand sweater inherited from my mother that still is holding up very nicely.

 

[Vans]

Guessgirl96, Pilling is when you see little fuzzy balls on your sweater.

I am looking for a cashmere sweater, but I have no idea what to look for.

 

[tott]

From what I've seen, Drumohr seems to make excellent cashmere; I only have a knitted cap myself, though.

 

[crankypants]

My J.Crew cashmere sweater has held up pretty well. Oddly enough, after I handwashed it, some of the pills seemed to settle down and disappear. Anyone know why that would be?

And I'll chime in with what others have been saying about Ann Taylor cashmere. I bought a couple sweaters secondhand in the thrift store, and they look good even though they're probably a few years old.

 

[sleepy]

I also like Ann Taylor, I bought several sweaters last year, have been wearing them non-stop and they are still like new. Also Lord and Taylor is OK and you can get it for less than $100 after Christmas. Charter Club (I buy it from Macy's) has good quality sweaters.

I really like new J. Crew cashmere, is it worth buying?

 

[Caffeine]

I always prounounced TSE as "Tsay" rather than T-S-E...since it originated in Hong Kong I just assumed it was the surname of the founder, which is prounounced 'tsay'.

I actually confirmed it today with one of my friends. Tse is the family name of the founder Tse is the cantonese pronunciation of a Chinese last name.

 

[travis_nw8]

brora cashmere is good quality and well priced- i buy my everyday sweaters from them and they hold up well. loro piana is overpriced considering it's made in such quantity in china and l-p finet is just very overpriced scottish cashmere.

 

[rocky]

I would also love some nice cashmere sweaters, I have none...

What are good brands in the $400-$500 range?

I like Generra, Theory, and I got one from Christopher Fischer that was pretty nice. I also love the ones on amoandbretti.com

 

[baklanyc]

I also like Ann Taylor, I bought several sweaters last year, have been wearing them non-stop and they are still like new. Also Lord and Taylor is OK and you can get it for less than $100 after Christmas. Charter Club (I buy it from Macy's) has good quality sweaters.

I really like new J. Crew cashmere, is it worth buying?

A lot of is is half off right now at the stores. The 4 season cashmere v-ncks are $99, down from $198.

 

[sleepy]

yes, I know. I went today and tried the v-neck sweaters but they were totally see-through, I wasn't really impressed. I finally ended up buying Lord and Taylor cashmere.

 

[Caffeine]

yes, I know. I went today and tried the v-neck sweaters but they were totally see-through, I wasn't really impressed. I finally ended up buying Lord and Taylor cashmere.

i was confused...you meant the jcrew cashmere was seethrough?

 

[baklanyc]

yes, I know. I went today and tried the v-neck sweaters but they were totally see-through, I wasn't really impressed. I finally ended up buying Lord and Taylor cashmere.

Perhaps they took off half the material with the price!

 

[sleepy]

yes, I tried the v-neck sweaters: light green, yellow and baby pink. All of them were see-through, you need a tank top or something underneath the sweater (or a shirt).

 

[Caffeine]

I went to the Marc Jacobs sale and got a double sided cashmere polo. Now I am so convinced that MJ makes the best cashmere. yes, feeling even better than Loro Piana.

 

[HelenF]

I have a Loro Piana cashmere bathrobe from their outlet in Italy. It's the softest, most amazing thing I've ever worn and my absolute favorite item of clothing.