Sweaters, Cardigans...Scottish Wool? Norwegian? Cashmere? What are the best?

[sdsurfer]

I'm working on slowly building a wardrobe and as we enter fall/winter I've been eyeing sweaters and cardigans. I'm having a hard time figuring out what's really the best out there. I'd always had the impression cashmere was one of the best materials for sweaters but have seen pricing all over the place (say a Ralph Lauren or J Crew vs another brand even if that's also made in China). I also really like Nordic sweaters but are those more about the patterns/designs than the actual material used? Is Dale of Norway actually the best of the best? Seems like Scottish wool has a lot of hype surrounding it as well.

Anyhow, I'd like to get a handful of really high quality sweaters that will last and can be used in many outfits. I figured I would ask folks here to help guide my journey. Thanks in advance.

BTW, I did watch this video which helped me get started but still didn't answer my questions posted here.

 

[breakaway01]

You're basically asking "tell me what high quality sweaters to buy" for "many outfits" without telling us

- what kinds of outfits do you generally wear? "Many outfits" is not helpful.
- what will you wear these sweaters with? Are you still going for "Ivy League English professor"?
- what is your budget -- 'high quality' can literally mean $5000 if you're buying Brunello Cucinelli or Loro Piana cashmere

"The best" is almost meaningless when it comes to clothing (or most things in life). Tell us (or ideally, show us) what you're trying to achieve and your budget, and you'll get useful advice.

 

[sdsurfer]

You're basically asking "tell me what high quality sweaters to buy" for "many outfits" without telling us

- what kinds of outfits do you generally wear? "Many outfits" is not helpful.
- what will you wear these sweaters with? Are you still going for "Ivy League English professor"?
- what is your budget -- 'high quality' can literally mean $5000 if you're buying Brunello Cucinelli or Loro Piana cashmere

"The best" is almost meaningless when it comes to clothing (or most things in life). Tell us (or ideally, show us) what you're trying to achieve and your budget, and you'll get useful advice.

These are all fair questions and unfortunately my answer is not all that clear cut. Overall, everything I purchase from here on out I'd like to be able to wear it for many years to come. I'm looking more for timeless than trendy/fashion. I'm definitely not spending $5K on a sweater, however, I would be interested in knowing what the consensus is if there really is a "best of the best" out there. For example I do have a Field Coat(?) by Loro Piana that supposed costs in the thousands new. Did I pay that? Not even close (but it was still in the hundreds). Finding particular brands helps in the used clothing search but again there are fakes and of course many brands make different lines of quality (Polo or whatever on Rodeo Dr. ain't the same as what's at Ross). I'm just trying to build a wardrobe of quality. Stuff that feels like the best of the best and hopefully women with an eye for quality will notice that (as many men can't tell the difference and if I'm honest that's why I'm learning to step up my game).

I still like the English Lit. Professor/Wes Anderson kind of preppy aesthetic. Although I'm American, I do have some Scandinavian features (fair skin, green eyes, longer lighter brown/blondish hair) and since I do lots of family/friend events in the fall and winter I wanted to get some really nice Scandinavian (Norway, Iceland, etc.) knitted sweaters. The kind with snowflakes, reindeer, or whatever. Better than a cheesy disposable bad holiday sweater.

I went out to some resale shops today and although they didn't fit, I tried on a pair of David Lance custom made cords. They had the owner's name printed in them. I don't know anything about David Lance but I loved the way these felt. You could just tell it was quality (at least that's how it seemed to me). I wonder if I should go back and see if there's a possibility to let some out in the waist so they'd fit? Maybe the trick is getting 3 to 4 pairs of my pants bespoke and they just are what I wear most of the time?

Regarding budget, of course there's a limit but if I could find a used Loro Piana for the same price as a new O'Donnell's or something like that then I'd probably buy. That's kinda where my budget is.

I'm in So Cal but travel back east often so I do have the weather range to work in some nice sweaters. Hopefully this sheds some light on things.