Cashmere Sweater Hierarchy

[epsilon22]

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.

Well I don't wash my turtleneck after every wear but maybe after 3-4 wears? I wear an undershirt usually but the neck part still gets oily after a few wears.

For crewnecks and cardigans I wear on top of shirts, I wash them at the end of the season unless I spill anything on them.

 

[epsilon22]

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.

The Oxton is mid weight, comparable to most 2-ply from other makers. The 4-ply is thicker of course.

Colhay's also makes a pretty thick one but mostly out of stock. I think quite a bit cheaper than Johnstons.

Colombo has very thin kid cashmere zip cardigans too, some full zip and some half zip. Braun is currently having 30%+20% off for all Colombo items, I linked a few pages back.

 

[Concordia]

Well I don't wash my turtleneck after every wear but maybe after 3-4 wears? I wear an undershirt usually but the neck part still gets oily after a few wears.

For crewnecks and cardigans I wear on top of shirts, I wash them at the end of the season unless I spill anything on them.

Same here on cardigans and crewnecks. I am just reluctant to put the fabric against the skin for too long. Even if it doesn't technically get dirty or odorous, the skin cells you shed and various oils could easily provoke rashes or discomfort. So I am moving to a middle ground of wearing t shirts under the heavier weight polos, while maybe getting a handful of wears from the Wool & Prince variety, which are really very comfy. No cashmere, though, so perhaps too far off-topic.

 

[epsilon22]

Same here on cardigans and crewnecks. I am just reluctant to put the fabric against the skin for too long. Even if it doesn't technically get dirty or odorous, the skin cells you shed and various oils could easily provoke rashes or discomfort. So I am moving to a middle ground of wearing t shirts under the heavier weight polos, while maybe getting a handful of wears from the Wool & Prince variety, which are really very comfy. No cashmere, though, so perhaps too far off-topic.

Yes I think it's very dependent on each person's skin. My face and neck are generally quite oily so even if they don't smell, sometimes turtlenecks would look somewhat dirty/oily.

No worries about discussing non-cashmere knits, this thread has long since moved into discussing wool and other fibers.

 

[fabricateurialist]

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.

Pashmere has also started using Consinee’s baby cashmere since LP, like Colombo, doesn’t make it available to other brands

Every spinner has their own way of processing the yarn during production, and that’s before the knitter washes and steams the garment, but I just wanted to put this out there for those who like to try new things

 

[Pumpkin Center]

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!

Yes it can be done but as in anything it comes down to cost to alter. I was given a Johnstons cashmere 8ply(??), cable crew neck rarely worn. Unfortunately, the waist was stretched out of proportion. It was such a beautiful thick sweater I decided to see if I could find a service to reduce the waist. Did some research and chose "Cashmere Circle" (Dunbar Business Centre, Dunbar, East Lothian EH42 1RS, United Kingdom). They had me take sweater photos and a description of what I wanted. They sent the photos and description to knitters in Hawick, Scotland to see if what I wanted was possible. Cashmere Circle got back to me in a couple weeks and said what I wanted could be done given the sweaters construction and gave me the price. I pinned the sweater to the waist size I wanted and shipped the sweater to them. A month later it arrived back and the sweater was perfect. They basically unknit the sides, reduced excess fabric and knitted back the sides to the proper width and cleaned the sweater. It has been 3 years and no issues. Hope this helps. Regards

 

[Hchaud99]

Yes it can be done but as in anything it comes down to cost to alter. I was given a Johnstons cashmere 8ply(??), cable crew neck rarely worn. Unfortunately, the waist was stretched out of proportion. It was such a beautiful thick sweater I decided to see if I could find a service to reduce the waist. Did some research and chose "Cashmere Circle" (Dunbar Business Centre, Dunbar, East Lothian EH42 1RS, United Kingdom). They had me take sweater photos and a description of what I wanted. They sent the photos and description to knitters in Hawick, Scotland to see if what I wanted was possible. Cashmere Circle got back to me in a couple weeks and said what I wanted could be done given the sweaters construction and gave me the price. I pinned the sweater to the waist size I wanted and shipped the sweater to them. A month later it arrived back and the sweater was perfect. They basically unknit the sides, reduced excess fabric and knitted back the sides to the proper width and cleaned the sweater. It has been 3 years and no issues. Hope this helps. Regards

That’s very helpful. Thank you and the other members for your replies!

 

[nabass]

How would folks compare Colombo to William Lockie (or Colhay’s) for shawl collar cardigans? WL seems like good price / value and have read durability is good.

Colombo style is definitely different, looks less chunky and more fitted, so that’s partly style preference. But how would quality and durability compare? Colombo is expensive but not drastically so on sale and I’m just looking to get one piece.

 

[epsilon22]

How would folks compare Colombo to William Lockie (or Colhay’s) for shawl collar cardigans? WL seems like good price / value and have read durability is good.

Colombo style is definitely different, looks less chunky and more fitted, so that’s partly style preference. But how would quality and durability compare? Colombo is expensive but not drastically so on sale and I’m just looking to get one piece.

I think this is just a case where they look so very different that you shouldn't decide based on quality/durability. All of them should be constructed well using good cashmere, the Colombo is of course softer because of the finer fibers, the Scottish ones would be much heavier/chunkier. I doubt any of them would fall apart quickly. Pick based on the style you prefer more.