Cashmere Sweater Hierarchy

[DorianGreen]

My whole Private White Submariner collection, seven sweaters.

 

[dazeify]

Anyone have experience with Etro Milano cashmere?

 

[elysiumfield]

Colombo also has an entire different line in China, that I suspect is designed and produced differently comparing to their Italian line, not sure if the production is done locally in China or in Italy.

 

[fabricateurialist]

My whole Private White Submariner collection, seven sweaters.

View attachment 2315551
View attachment 2315555

They really should have sent you a complementary sweater by now

 

[epsilon22]

Should you inquire with them directly, please feel free to share. I still am not able to get either of their cable knits (somewhere earlier in this thread) out of my head...

They said no, but they may add different colors every winter season. I was hoping to get the turtleneck in that ivory/off white shade haha, I guess my wallet is spared for now.

 

[elysiumfield]

They said no, but they may add different colors every winter season. I was hoping to get the turtleneck in that ivory/off white shade haha, I guess my wallet is spared for now.

There is always various bespoke services if you already have a sweater with good fit and you want to get the same model in another yarn. Colombo yarn is not possible to find, but things like LP baby cashmere yarn is not that difficult.

 

[ZRH1]

I have an order from a German retailer for Fedeli rollnecks. Unfortunately it looks like DHL might miss me locally and I will be gone. I have WL rollnecks (by Frans Boone) and otherwise Colhay's, do you mind sharing how Fedeli ranks in comparison to these? Also if I should go with the Armoury instead. Thank you.

 

[epsilon22]

There is always various bespoke services if you already have a sweater with good fit and you want to get the same model in another yarn. Colombo yarn is not possible to find, but things like LP baby cashmere yarn is not that difficult.

Would you happen to have any recommendation?

Actually good point, the LP baby cashmere might be a comparable fiber to the Colombo kid cashmere I bought, I'll take a look at their offerings too.

 

[epsilon22]

Just wanted to share that Braun (German retailer) is having additional 20% off on top of the 30% discount they were already having on Colombo. If you're outside the EU, you can take ~16% off on top of the discounts from VAT exclusion.

The temptation is insanely strong with this one haha... I wish they had the shawl cardigan in light grey, I already have a navy one from Lockie, and I'd prefer lighter beige, almost ecru instead of the shade of beige they have.

 

[elysiumfield]

Just wanted to share that Braun (German retailer) is having additional 20% off on top of the 30% discount they were already having on Colombo. If you're outside the EU, you can take ~16% off on top of the discounts from VAT exclusion.

The temptation is insanely strong with this one haha... I wish they had the shawl cardigan in light grey, I already have a navy one from Lockie, and I'd prefer lighter beige, almost ecru instead of the shade of beige they have.

I wish their women’s boutique has Colombo .

 

[Hchaud99]

Would you fine folks ever suggest having a cashmere sweater tailored or altered? I found my size in a Colombo sweater but it’s just a tad loose in a couple of spots. Does that make sense to do or should I be sourcing a sweater from a company that fits better (MTM is probably not in my budget at the moment). Thank you!

 

[Johnny80]

I be sourcing a sweater from a company that fits better

This, if you can find, its always better

 

[elysiumfield]

Would you fine folks ever suggest having a cashmere sweater tailored or altered? I found my size in a Colombo sweater but it’s just a tad loose in a couple of spots. Does that make sense to do or should I be sourcing a sweater from a company that fits better (MTM is probably not in my budget at the moment). Thank you!

It depends on what you want to do. I regularly alter the sleeve length and trousers length. You see the difference after alteration, different companies use different techniques, but I find the result acceptable. The length of the sweater can probably also be altered quite easily. Asking the company who made the knitwear to alter is recommended, since only they have the yarn in the exact same color. Thicker yarn is also easier to have good result, you can generally knit instead of sew. Armholes can be sewn without being too obvious. But other alterations is probably more difficult and not really recommended. You can always ask if Colombo is willing to make the alteration for you. They will say if they can do it. If you go to a tailor for alteration, they will most likely sew the seams, well it’s up to you if you think it’s ok.

 

[nabass]

I'm looking for a nice zip up cashmere cardigan but am not very well informed (although have started working my way through this thread). I wanted to see if people had any recommendations <$1,000. So far, these two look interesting and are brands I've seen recommended here:

https://www.mrporter.com/en-us/mens/product/william-lockie/clothing/knitted-zip-throughs/oxton-cashmere-zip-up-cardigan/1647597356221172

Men's Milano Stitch Navy Cashmere Jacket

Our Cashmere Milano Stitch Jacket in Navy has a compact knit stitch that gives the appearance of a tailored jacket. A heavier weight Cashmere knit for a smarter aesthetic. Shop online today with free delivery.

johnstonsofelgin.com

I believe the WL Oxton is 1-ply so I'm assuming will be thinner / lighter than the 4-ply Johnston. I'd like to wear this inside though with a t-shirt or button down so not sure heavier is necessarily better. Open to other options as well.

 

[Concordia]

Photographing dark navy is hard... Anyways, since it'll be boring with just a pic of a single sweater, I'll throw in some bonuses. From left to right: Colombo kid cashmere navy turtleneck, Permanent Style (Umbria Verde) navy wool crewneck, GRP burgundy merino polo.

The Colombo turtleneck is nice and snug around the neck, and very soft, noticeably softer than Scottish cashmere, even compared to my Lockie turtleneck that has been washed 4x (I wash turtleneck more frequently as they come into contact with skin moisturizer/sunscreen and hair product). Is it worth ~3x the price of comparable style Scottish sweater? Well, hard to say, the full price is tough to swallow, but I'll see if I end up wearing this much more than my Lockie in the future.

The PS finest crewneck (I took off all the labels as they're prickly to my skin, considering this is worn directly without any undershirt) is knit in higher gauge, close up picture attached to compare the Colombo turtleneck and the PS crewneck. It uses LP Wish wool, which I find comparable to cashmere in terms of how prickly they are on my skin, I think it's not as fine as the Colombo kid cashmere, but the hand feel is smoother due to the higher gauge knit. It's also very thin, on a very cold day I sometimes wear this under a chunky sweater, kind of like an undershirt (a very fancy one if I may say so, I don't think uniqlo will ever make a fully-fashioned polyester undershirt haha).

There is much talk among the new wool shirt brands that this sort of thing doesn't need laundering the way cotton polos do. Just the same, I have been looking for long-sleeve t shirts (V neck or Henley) to go under my new winter polos. The virtue of being casual and not sending a dress shirt to the cleaners gets pretty well negated if you have to hand wash and air dry wool or cashmere every day.