• Hi, I am the owner and main administrator of Styleforum. If you find the forum useful and fun, please help support it by buying through the posted links on the forum. Our main, very popular sales thread, where the latest and best sales are listed, are posted HERE

    Purchases made through some of our links earns a commission for the forum and allows us to do the work of maintaining and improving it. Finally, thanks for being a part of this community. We realize that there are many choices today on the internet, and we have all of you to thank for making Styleforum the foremost destination for discussions of menswear.
  • This site contains affiliate links for which Styleforum may be compensated.
  • Last Day to save 20% sitewide at Kirby Allison's annual Father's Day Sale! !

    Kirby Allison is one of Styleforum's original success stories, beginning long ago with Kirby;s Hanger Project. Every year, Kirby holds a Father's Day Sale featuring some of the best accessories and shoe care products in the world. Take this opportunity to get something for your father, grandfather, or yourself, at a rare 20% discount (discount taken automatically at the checkout). See if you find that perfect hanger, shoe cream, or watch case here

    Enjoy

  • STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.

    Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.

    Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!

    Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.

Cashmere Sweater Hierarchy

Johnny80

Senior Member
Joined
May 2, 2021
Messages
572
Reaction score
472
Dear @Johnny80,

Thank you very much for your prompt response!

Whilst I found your answer quite informative, it was not clear whether you already have/handled a Piacenza Cashmere piece of knitwear or you are still contemplating one (or more) as I am!


Best,

Dimitris
Sorry for my miss-information
Yes, i wanted for you to know the last item from them is that light blue, but again, that garment it was wear just 2 times, so too soon for that particularly garment . But the other garments that i have from them since 2017, are strong, shaped as day 1. So if you like tightly knitted , on the light side garment, Piacenza is one of the right calls
 

Bespoke DJP

Distinguished Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2015
Messages
1,003
Reaction score
767
Sorry for my miss-information
Yes, i wanted for you to know the last item from them is that light blue, but again, that garment it was wear just 2 times, so too soon for that particularly garment . But the other garments that i have from them since 2017, are strong, shaped as day 1. So if you like tightly knitted , on the light side garment, Piacenza is one of the right calls


I see, it's pretty clear now.

Thank you very much again, for your answers.


Best,

Dimitris
 

Goofy

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2020
Messages
309
Reaction score
230
I dig that sweater, even if it's not something I would personally wear. Would be nice if the discussion in this thread moved beyond "who makes what" and "who makes the least pilly navy cashmere crewneck" and included slightly more interesting designs like the one above.
Perhaps this one by The Elder Statesman is more to your liking. 100% cashmere and at €1.725, practically a steal.
 

Attachments

  • 119DC738-90F3-4C8F-A6A8-FE8000C56B89.png
    119DC738-90F3-4C8F-A6A8-FE8000C56B89.png
    1.1 MB · Views: 60
  • 9F14DA1D-053E-4594-9F87-88BF7EEC71B5.png
    9F14DA1D-053E-4594-9F87-88BF7EEC71B5.png
    1.4 MB · Views: 64

dieworkwear

Mahatma Jawndi
Dubiously Honored
Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Messages
27,320
Reaction score
70,000
Perhaps this one by The Elder Statesman is more to your liking. 100% cashmere and at €1.725, practically a steal.

Happy to also discuss that.

Have been on the forum for a while, and ten years of reading people ask who made what and who makes the least pilly cashmere gets super old super fast.
 

Knurt

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 12, 2018
Messages
260
Reaction score
134
Happy to also discuss that.

Have been on the forum for a while, and ten years of reading people ask who made what and who makes the least pilly cashmere gets super old super fast.

I can see that. The knowledge span between the experts and those just interested in buying their next garment is unusually large in this group. Some of us cling to easy perceptions and rule of thumb tactics with questionable empirical foundation. But you said something wise a while ago: once your wardrobe becomes above a certain threshold, this idea of durability becomes less and less important because we use each item so little. It is a liberating insight as it opens up a lot more purchasing opportunities and quite possibly different objectives.
 

double00

Stylish Dinosaur
Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2014
Messages
17,300
Reaction score
17,805
Well , I found some loro piana white cashmere in a cone and it's listed as 2/36Nm.
From my understandng first number is number of ply-s and second is how long
one ply (in meters) must be to weight one gram.

As I was talking to my mother , she told me that probably she will have to ply 3-4 strands of that yarn
to have it thick enough for knitting.

Then I would actually get something like 6/36Nm or 8/36Nm ?
Im a bit confused ...

Also Todd and Duncan has similarly listed yarns like that;
4/28Nm, 6/28Nm, 8/28Nm, 12/28Nm.

Thank You

for a hand knitter , the weights of the knits that you'd shown before would be called aran weight yarn or maybe a bit lighter (possibly worsted weight or dk ) , these are sort-of-standard marketing terms to help home knitters figure knitting gauge and quantity etc and generally translate yarn thickness into fabric characteristics (stitches per inch for instance)

Screen Shot 2022-01-31 at 11.40.35 AM.png

except that mills will often use a different yarn count system (of which there are a few) .

poking around for an example here's a product that would be very likely to get to your desired fabric , it is indeed a 8/28nm count and also helpfully described by the retailer as dk . so i think you are on the right track .


(i'll edit to add that ravelry is oriented towards hand knitter community and is a pretty helpful resource in translating grist)

but maybe something a little beefier would be preferable , i'd order a shade card from a mill the ones i get actually have a bunch of yarn hanging off of them here's one from a wool mill

IMGP6490.JPG

don't rely on grist to translate well between different fibers , also woolen vs worsted prep will impact weight for length , so i'd recommend window shopping cashmere on cone until you find a product you are confident will be useful , then you'll know what spec to order .

feel free to pm or bring it back to thread i'm happy to take a look , good luck !
 
Last edited:

RJman

Posse Member
Dubiously Honored
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
19,163
Reaction score
2,093
Happy to also discuss that.

Have been on the forum for a while, and ten years of reading people ask who made what and who makes the least pilly cashmere gets super old super fast.
I can say that it's been really hard for the Scottish producers to do fashion forward lines or to invest in marketing. Many of the Scottish brands belonged to one conglomerate that had no free cash due to the shrinkage of industry and huge pension obligations. It sold off each label one by one. The buyers oftentimes asset-stripped, deciding that the value of these amazing old makers was in their brand names and not the expensive, slow (but often incredible), skill-intensive manufacturing. Some of these makers did make private label but as they were already expensive their work for designers was even more expensive -- Chanel, Oscar de la Renta (don't come at me, one maker made his couture level knit designs), Hermes, and so on. But those designers, too, have choices and cost considerations for their sourcing and a lot of them switched to other sources who might be cheaper. Barrie is now owned by Chanel and makes for it as well as for Clements Ribeiro, but it's not the best. And designers typically don't place huge orders for seasonal designs, so it's not a reliable or large source of income. Seasonal designs mean timing constraints too, as well as sometimes complicated arrangements on the knitting machines that take time to set up. That's a big reason for why a lot of the guys left sell similar classic designs.

When one very good maker was sold off by the conglomerate in the mid-2000s its new Italian owners tried very hard to raise its profile with flashy designs, a new boutique on Bond Street, and renewed presences in shops like Saks and Barneys, but it pretty quickly sank. The stuff is really, really expensive and while it may be bought by enthusiasts there isn't a large crowd of people clamoring for it at those prices. That maker went through another reorganization where it was then supposed to involved supply a major, tarnished, conservative American menwear store, but that cratered too, because that store didn't follow through on orders.

Very few brands can be Cucinelli, which positioned itself through lots of marketing as not just the top of the line but a sustainable, community-focused (all that Solomeo crap) brand, or Loro Piana. Those guys invested not just in production but in lots of very expensive advertising and marketing, and I don't think that's as easy to come by at these places in Britain. One of my spies even told me that the closing of a railway line between several key towns in Scotland made logistics a lot more difficult for these firms too.

What I mean is that there's many factors, lots of small things that add up, and a lot of knock-on effects from certain things. derek knows that I don't just wear bland solid colors of the same rollneck, but no sane person has my personal taste for patterns and color.
 
Joined
Apr 5, 2018
Messages
22
Reaction score
14
This thread is amazing, so full of information and knowledge! I wanted to share my favorite sweater and an exciting new purchase. On the left is a Tom Ford 59% cashmere 41% wool turtleneck that's super chunky and warm. I've had this for a few years and it's been an immediate favorite. Interesting as the weight of the wool and the style are more Scottish than Italian. On the right is a new purchase, a Loro Piana vicuna crewneck. Very expensive but I was able to get a decent deal on it. Obviously it's incredibly light compared to the Tom Ford but the weave is quite sturdy.
IMG_1870.jpg
IMG_1871.jpg
IMG_1869.jpg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1869.jpg
    IMG_1869.jpg
    450.8 KB · Views: 23

RJman

Posse Member
Dubiously Honored
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
19,163
Reaction score
2,093
This thread is amazing, so full of information and knowledge! I wanted to share my favorite sweater and an exciting new purchase. On the left is a Tom Ford 59% cashmere 41% wool turtleneck that's super chunky and warm. I've had this for a few years and it's been an immediate favorite. Interesting as the weight of the wool and the style are more Scottish than Italian. On the right is a new purchase, a Loro Piana vicuna crewneck. Very expensive but I was able to get a decent deal on it. Obviously it's incredibly light compared to the Tom Ford but the weave is quite sturdy. View attachment 1746982 View attachment 1746981 View attachment 1746980
cool sweaters. The thickness of the TF really shows - looks really nice and warm. What do you think of the vicuna? For some reason my vicuna knits haven't felt much different from cashmere, although woven vicuna (that is, cloth) is noticeably silkier than woven cashmere.
 
Joined
Apr 5, 2018
Messages
22
Reaction score
14
cool sweaters. The thickness of the TF really shows - looks really nice and warm. What do you think of the vicuna? For some reason my vicuna knits haven't felt much different from cashmere, although woven vicuna (that is, cloth) is noticeably silkier than woven cashmere.

It's extremely soft, light and comfortable. I think compare to other lightweight high quality cashmere knits the difference might be subtle. Who are your favorite vicuna makers?
 

RJman

Posse Member
Dubiously Honored
Spamminator Moderator
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
19,163
Reaction score
2,093
It's extremely soft, light and comfortable. I think compare to other lightweight high quality cashmere knits the difference might be subtle. Who are your favorite vicuna makers?
I only have experience with a couple knits in vicuna and their makers are out of business.
 

n-domino

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2012
Messages
265
Reaction score
295
Reading through this thread made me remember I've had this vintage cashmere Ballantyne v-neck for a number of years. It was my grandfather's and it was gifted to him on his wedding anniversary in 1950 by my grandmother. She purchased it from the flagship Lord & Taylor store in Manhattan.

I'm not an expert by any means, but when I compare this to two of my other cashmere sweaters (a William Lockie shawl cardigan and Johnston's crewneck) this sweater has a "spongier" feel to it, if that makes sense. I did my best to capture a close-up picture to try and show how dense the knit is.

Other than the label, it is in great condition, with no snags or moth holes.

image0 (3).jpeg
image1 (1).jpeg
image2.jpeg
.
 

Featured Sponsor

Do You Have a Signature Fragrance?

  • Yes, I have a signature fragrance I wear every day

  • Yes, I have a signature fragrance but I don't wear it daily

  • No, I have several fragrances and rotate through them

  • I don't wear fragrance


Results are only viewable after voting.

Forum statistics

Threads
509,670
Messages
10,612,297
Members
224,977
Latest member
Rodan11#
Top