Ahhhh, cashmere. It’s the sweater we all want until we see the price tag.
I bit the bullet a few years ago and picked up a cashmere sweater at Talbots on sale. It’s gray (a color I don’t wear) and a bit of a high crew neckline (we all know how I feel about turtlenecks) but it just feels so darn good on I can’t bear to part with it.
I want more. And I don’t want to pay a gazillion dollars either. So I scour the racks at thrift stores for cashmere, and here are some of my lessons learned.
Why is it so hard to find a V-neck? Is it something to do with the knit or a secret added expense to make a V-neck versus a crew neck?
Speaking of crew necks, pay attention to how large the neck opening is. If you are sensitive to necklines like me, this is important. This goes for any sweater really, but cashmere neck construction seem to be especially unforgiving.
It’s hard to hide your tummy with cashmere. Maybe this is because I have a generous middle, but cashmere is clingy on me. And yet its so soft I just don’t care. I pick the bottoms carefully as to minimize the rolls.
Beware buying sight unseen (like Poshmark). I picked up a sweater at a reasonable price, and while I love the color (lavender) and V-neck, I think it was improperly washed so it’s a bit short and the weave is tight. This makes the fit boxy which isn’t my favorite. I keep putting it in my Goodwill box and then I take it out again because of the color.
Check out the blue cardigan though! A terrific Goodwill score!
If I’m paying retail for a sweater, I want to be sure I’m getting something I will wear for years. This makes me leery of purchasing anything new on-line. There aren’t many brick and mortar shops that carry cashmere so they are hard to find for a try-on.
Last but not least, I learned another lesson when I picked up this green cashmere sweater at Savers (you can read about our haul here). My friend Liz persuaded me to get it, although I was worried about the neck. For twelve dollars, I figured what the heck!
As I suspected, it hugged my curves. I really wanted to wear it with the brown paperbag waist skirt and the colors together are a delight.
Then, on my first wear, I discovered a hole. And another. And another. Cashmere is delicious to moths and the weave is so fine holes are hard to see until stretched out.
By some miracle, I found a spool of thread in my sewing box the same color of the sweater. I patched up the holes as best I could. It’s not perfect, but good enough if you don’t know they’re there, you might be hard-pressed to see the mends.
But I’m going to stay on the hunt!
Do you love cashmere? Is there anything you’re on the prowl for, either thrifted or retail?
For the last few years I have found cashmere sweaters on sale at Macy’s, at the start of winter. They have been reasonable enough to get a couple, so I now own several in different colors. I love them. I also found holes in my thrift store cashmere finds and have abandoned that tactic. I’ve seen cashmere at Marshalls too, but the quality is a little less than what I found at Macy’s. Happy hunting!.
I will have to find the closest Macy’s- the one here closed. Sadness.
I, too, love the feel of cashmere. My daughter introduced me to Patagonia and their ethics. I found recycled cashmere sweaters made from garment factory scraps. They are not inexpensive, but the one I bought fits well, is soft and comfy. This doesn’t get around the possible issue of maltreatment of the animals when cashmere wool is gathered, but I do like the idea of using materials that would have gone in the trash. Patagonia also has a used garment site where folks have returned their Patagonia items and they are up for resale.
I will check that out! Thank you. ☺