Black/Brown 1826 Cashmere V-Neck – $101.99* ($129.99) | Merino V-Neck – $42.49* ($49.99)
*Use the code SAVE to get these prices and 15% off most stuff at L&T. No experience with their sweater fit though…
The Case Against Cashmere: Yes it’s more difficult to produce. Yes you have to comb a goat to get it. Yes it’s extremely soft. All that extra work? No doubt it should be more expensive. But honestly, why pay for it? The performance to cost ratio is way out of whack. It might feel a little better, but merino or a silk/cotton/cashmere blend feels pretty good too. Maybe if it’s right on your skin, but are there people out there who put a merino v-neck over a button up shirt and feel like they’re in a burlap sack? With all apologies to the denim heads out there, cashmere is the selvage of the wool world. Well appreciated by few (and more power to em’) but a waste of money for most.
The Case For Cashmere: Well, your significant other seems to like it when they get a scarf or pair of gloves that’s made of cashmere. Right? And why buy her a diamond if a cubic zirconia looks the same? And… uh… honestly, that’s all I got fellas.
Now remember, no one is making you drop a ton of cash on a cashmere sweater, and people get to spend their money how they so choose. Leave your take on whether or not cashmere is worth the premium below.
While I love the softness even over a buttondown shirt, my biggest complaint with cashmere as of late is that it seems to pill more where the sleeves rub on the sides of the body. My only cashmere sweaters are J.Crew, so it could just be their fabric that does this, but at just around $200 compared to $60 for merino and the blends, I am leaning towards not worth it. Has anyone else found this to be true with J.Crew or other cashmere, or am I just a pill?
My wife has two cashmere sweaters from JCrew – one is newer and is already pilling a lot, and one she’s had for probably a couple years no problem. I guess it’s hit-or-miss, or maybe the quality has decreased more recently.
Here’s some information from Jesse at PTO.
http://putthison.com/post/269043586/cashmeresweaters
If you’re gonna go cashmere. Go old.
Just a note…I purchased three of the merino V-neck sweaters from Banana Republic and they are great! I like them better than the deal on JCrew Factory merinoes.
Still looking for a pair of black boots without the stitching in the toe!!!!
It lets you fell superior to others, and that’s got to be one of the main reasons we do this, right?
I’ve never paid more than $40 for cashmere sweaters. End of season sales, places blow them out. As soon as a woman does that coy arm touch that turns into an arm rub with an “ooh that’s soft,” the cashmere becomes worth it. Love my merino sweaters, but that doesn’t happen much with merino.
5 words: Women like to touch cashmere.
As others have said, if you wait for sales, you don’t have to go broke buying it, either. I got a trio of BR’s cashmere-blend sweaters for just $60 total a while back (combining a 40% discount code with preexisting sale prices).
A guy doesn’t need to have all cashmere sweaters, but he really ought to have one or two.
+1. Agree with you and Greg_S on this.
If you get them on sale, and/or buy no name brands you can spend less than $50. Other than women liking it, I feel like you get the same warmth for less bulk. The BR cashmere-silk blend of v-necks is very thin and warm, much easier to layer IMO.
Yacko Yak is right, you have to get cashmere on sale after the winter. I got all my cashmere sweaters below $40 at the middle of spring. You will see those precious cashmere heavily discounted at 50%-80% off.
In my opinion cashmere is superior to blend material due to the warmth level. Even within cashmere they have different quality. It is common to see jcrew or banana republic or generic saks fifth ave cashmere starts pilling because they use lower quality cashmere threads. You could tell by simply rubbing the sweater, you will see some of the cashmere hair sticks on your finger. Higher quality sweaters from malo, isaia napoli, or armani have no such issues because they tend to use better quality threads. But the price is of course a lot higher.
But I still think the best cashmere sweater is the one made by your spouse or family and then given to you as a gift. Priceless. 🙂
J Crew cashmere is not the best quality. it’s a step up from the no-name cashmere sweaters you can find at TJ Max/Marshalls (that seem to pill as soon as you take them out of the store), but a far cry from the real stuff that costs a lot more than $200. cashmere chould be thick and dense.
Using this logic Joe, shouldn’t we all be driving Honda Accords?
When you’re going out & wearing a sweater…cashmere. When you’re lounging around the apartment, doing yardwork, camping, etc. & wearing a sweater…cotton or wool/acrylic-blend. I simply see no need for merino sweaters as they cost the same as cashmere sweaters (on sale) and aren’t as durable.
I can actually attest for the Lord & Taylor house brand cashmere- very high quality, doesn’t pill, holds up well over time. They also have a huge occasional sale where the price comes down quite a bit.
And add another +1 for Ben and Greg. From a clothing perspective, there is NOTHING that women love more than cashmere on a man. Lend a woman your cashmere sweater to wear when she’s cold (instead of a sweatshirt) and you are golden.
With cashmere and wool blends so readily accessible, pure cashmere is only desireable to me if the price is around the $50-60 range.
Civic. Or 1986 Ford Fiesta. That way we can all afford cashmere sweaters and selvage jeans 🙂
Stop bieng poor and buy it!
-get rich or die trying scrubs
I am allergic to wool. I can’t wear wool sweaters, wool coats, wool suits or wool anything. Anytime my skin touches wool, it will start itching and within an hour, I’ll start to develop a lasting rash. I have tried to wear protective layers or strategically wear wool but it really is no use.
My only option is cashmere. I know that I will never afford a cashmere car coat or something extravagant but a cashmere sweater or scarf does wonders on getting me through the winter.
Between Uniqlo and the Barney’s Warehouse Sale, I’ve managed to get cashmere sweaters for less than $80, and all I know is that my wife seems to love me more when I’ve got one on. At this point, except for a hiking sweater, I’m all cashmere all the time. For the long-term, I suggest buying something a little tight, as it stretches out over time.
Uniqlo has their cashmere on sale as part of their grand opening of their new global HQ store in NYC, if anyone is around. I think they’re ~$60. Likely less than optimal quality, but this is a site for those looking for affordable…
I’m in this group. Women like to touch it, feels lighter weight for laying without sacrificing warmth and, in my personal case, my girlfriend is horribly allergic to lambswool, but not cashmere.
I have a few nice wool sweaters but given a not-too-indecent price differential (sales, no-name-brands etc), I’ll go for cashmere every time.
Agree with BenR 100%.
Try thrift stores. I got a 100% cashmere overcoat at one during the summer for $20.
PTO is bullshit.
Easy with the insults.
Typo in article, says “And why by her a diamond”
Cashmere is lighter in weight & much warmer than wool.
the big issue for me is actually dry cleaning: i have to be selective on what i buy, whether merino or cashmere or anything else, because of the risk i’m taking when i hand it over to the dry cleaners. it’s incredibly difficult to find a consistently good (as in, your clothes come back cleaner than when you dropped them off…) dry cleaners in ithaca, ny!
I have always hand washed my sweaters. The only things I take to the dry cleaners are blazers and suits.
Have you seen Sebago’s Tremont? Slender, round toe with wood accent and vibram sole
Wool sweaters really don’t need to be cleaned that often, anyway. If you wear a shirt under them and hang them when you take them off, they really just need cleaning if you get something on them. Paying attention when you are eating a burrito and alternating between a few sweaters to let them air out pretty much takes care of the “cleaning.” Gross you say? When was the last time you washed your leather shoes? I’m all for cleanliness, but some things just don’t seem to need it.
The question I ask myself is “does cheap cashmere beat quality merino?” I can feel the difference between my Gap merino sweaters and BR extra fine merino sweaters. The BR just seems much stronger and softer.
I’ve seen cheap cashmere pill incredibly easily. It seems like $50 merino would outlast $50 cashmere.
Who doesn’t feel extra special when they get cashmere as a gift? I don’t think anyone says no to cashmere when it is seen as a treat, so just think of it that way. If you are going to buy cashmere, do it as an occasional treat-yourself-splurge.
Cashmere is one of the best possible fabrics for providing warmth and softness (see also, mohair). If you want to look stylish while staying warm (eg. not buying one of those down-filled garbage bag coats) layering cashmere is generally as good as it gets. It’s warm as hell, soft and breathable.
That being said, you really can’t half-ass cashmere. You’ve got to get the thick, dense stuff that costs more than $200 per item at retail (not to say you have to pay that price). Thin cashmere is too fragile and won’t last very long or provide the ultimate in cashmere comfort.
so @Glen, I would say cheap cashmere does not beat quality merino. My one Paul Smith cashmere and mohair sweater is the star of my winter wardrobe. But I have plenty of BR merino V Necks to keep me warm most of the time. When I have more money on hand, then I’ll invest in the good stuff exclusively – maybe get one of those chunky cable-knit sweaters that only look great in fine threads like cashmere…
Just got my Brooks Brothers white cable cashmere sweater. Best. Sweater. Ever. My only concern now is if I should wear undershirt. I mean, yeah, I definitely want sweater to last longer, so washing it every week is not an option. But on the other hand it is SO SOFT, what’s the point of not feeling it while in the undershirt?