22nd September 2015

The BEST Cashmere Round-Up

Fashion - By Alexandra Stedman
Cashmere boucle jumper: £250, Hush. Denim shorts: £30, River Island. Nail polish: £15, Alexa Leather by Nails Inc

It’s that time of year, when I climb up into the loft and pull out all my old suitcases full of sweaters, cosy knits and coats. More often than not, I think ‘oh that doesn’t look too good anymore’…but with cashmere, I never get bored. A good cashmere jumper is for me, a great investment – but there are also bargains to be had. I decided to do a round-up to try on the best on the High Street – so I called all these in to my house purely for research (and I sent them all back in case you’re thinking I conveniently now own 17 different varieties of cashmere). All are 100% cashmere.

Oh it was a tough day in the office.

1. Orange and navy stripe, £325, Chinti & Parker (can be handwashed)


2. Navy cashmere crew-neck, £99.95, Gap


3. Crew-neck bus logo jumper, £159, Boden (machine washable)


4. V-neck blue jumper, £160, Iris & Ink at THEOUTNET.COM (can be handwashed)


5. Stripe crew-neck, £79, Marks & Spencer (machine washable)


6. Cashmere jumper, £319, Madeleine Thompson


7. Grey poloneck, Cos


8. Green crew-neck, £160, Whistles (can be handwash)


9. Grey cashmere logo jumper, £370, Bella Freud

When editing, I realised I was picking the most classic, boring, and mostly grey jumpers. I think this is because buying cashmere IS a big deal, so you’re often best to stick to great quality basics. Here is my round-up of the best (I wore with my denim shorts so you can compare the length and fit of them).

VALUE FOR MONEY: Uniqlo

Cashmere crew-neck: £69.90, Uniqlo
Annoyingly, this is the problem about borrowing clothes – the green one is not available online…but Uniqlo cashmere is up there with my top High Street cashmere – super affordable, a great shape and it comes in loads of colours – a must piece for the winter. Cons? It’s dry-clean only.
SUPER SOFT LUXURY: Hush
 
Boucle cashmere crew-neck: £250, Hush
If you want softer than soft curl up on the sofa cashmere, this is it. To be honest, this jumper made all the others look rather feeble. The con? It’s price…but you get what you pay for.
THE MENSWEAR CLASSIC – Marks & Spencer
 
Men’s crew-neck cashmere, £89, Marks & Spencer
 
As seen in my last LK Bennett post, my M&S men’s crew-neck is my favourite thing in my wardrobe at the moment (I actually own this one). I’m size 8-10 and wearing a men’s size S – I love how it sits a bit longer in the body as a mens’ style. Oh and it’s machine washable. Con? It isn’t as soft as some others, but it’s also not as pricey….
THE POLONECK: Cos
 
This is dropping online next week at £190, and I will keep you updated as it is BEAUTIFUL. Really stunningly soft and a thick, weighty cashmere. It’s long length will work as a tunic style which is very in for winter. The con? It’s not available yet…so will keep you posted.
THE LOOSE FIT ESSENTIAL: Whistles
Crew-neck jumper with pockets, £160, Whistles
Everyone needs that Sloppy Joe classic cashmere, right? And this one is amongst the softest WITH pockets. The con? The pockets are possibly too small to actually fit anything in, but they look great.
THE DESIGNER CASHMERE: Madeleine Thompson
 
Red edged crew-neck, £295, Madeleine Thompson (A/W collection coming to Net A Porter soon)
I’ve loved Madeleine Thompson’s cashmere for years, ever since I was at Eve magazine and we shot one of her beanie hats. Her pieces are much coveted on Net A Porter and I was thrilled to be able to try one on – the cashmere really is one of the softest, best quality around (I have a hoodie from years ago which always looks amazingly fresh – my airplane essential). The con? The price, of course.
THE BASIC GREY: Asos
 
Cashmere jumper, £95, Asos White
This is amazing quality, which I really wasn’t expecting. Really soft but it also looks really expensive. Might be one of my new cashmere ‘go-to store’. The con? None…you can even handwash it.
THE PREPPY NAVY: Gap
 
Crew-neck, £99.95, Gap
A pretty similar fit to the Uniqlo version, a classic navy cashmere crew will never go out of style – buy in a size up so you can style a shirt underneath. The con? The Uniqlo one is cheaper…
CHEAP & CHIC POLONECK: F+F
 
 
I’ll step right in with the con first: we might have to race each other to the stores for this one, as it’s not online at the moment. I’ve heard about F+F as a secret cashmere treasure trove and was so impressed with this sample. This longline poloneck is excellent quality – and now I need it! It will be available from 25th October and will be £70.
AND JUST BECAUSE…Bella Freud
 
Crew-neck logo cashmere, £370, Bella Freud
One for the birthday wishlist…Bella Freud has launched some of her iconic knitwear in cashmere – it’s basically the dream. The con? Do I really need another grey cashmere…?
I hope this has helped somewhat in the minefield that is cashmere jumpers. There’s so much choice out there at the moment though, which is great for those of us on the more ‘handwash’ end of the spectrum – good luck!

By Alexandra Stedman

Fashion Editor, Blogger, Realist

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Comments

  3. I adore cashmere, and have, er, just the odd one or two jumpers packed away. And some old cashmere dresses and tunics. I wash all my jumpers, and have found that handwashing is best as it seems to fluff up the cashmere more, which is not to say they don't also get chucked in the washing machine sometimes. But the washing machine seems to leave them flatter. Woolite is best, or a product for delicates, and I add a teeny tiny drop of fabric conditioner. I have some old Uniqlo which wash beautifully and come up wonderfully soft, (but I have noticed some Uniqlo cashmere seems a bit scratchy in the shop and would be reluctant to buy it just in case). I have been known to tumble dry a jumper on COOL for about ten mins, as this also seems to fluff it up and make it feel thicker. But take great care …….

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  4. Great post – I wash all my cashmere in the washing machine on delicate – even my Uniqlo and Everlane and I've never had any issues! Just make sure you use a woolen detergent as regular detergent has enzyme that can deteriorate the wool x

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  5. Gorgeous collection and great pics, thank you. The Cos one looks gorgeous. Ive just ordered a couple of cashmere jumpers from H&M Premium Collection which look great and fab price too!! Thanks x

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  7. Adored this post as I've been mulling over a new cashmere purchase. May I ask what sizes you went for on the ASOS, Hush and Bella Freud as all three are on my wish list?

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  8. I am a huge cashmere lover! I have a Boden cardigan that I've put on a hand-wash cycle in my machine over and over and it's been fab. That and my M&S jumpers are my favourite pieces of cashmere. The Outnet has a baby pink Madeleine Thompson in – that's going on my wish list! I missed out on a grey cashmere hoodie that F&F did the other year, will have to keep an eye out for that one, it's gorgeous. That Hush one though looks amazing – will watch for that in the sales! x

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