Knitwear, particularly cashmere, is my favorite thing about fall dressing. I know everyone does not share my enthusiasm for knitwear. There are women who find sweaters too hot. That’s not me, I tend to run cold. When the weather turns cold, I can’t wait to bring out my collection of cashmere sweaters. Many I designed for various designers over the years. Most are heavyweight and made in small mills in Italy using cashmere processed there. The quality is incomparable. Some of my sweaters are over twenty years old and still look perfect. That's quality. I never dry clean or hang cashmere sweaters unless they’re super lightweight. It’s best to fold them with breathing room and hand wash in cold water with a mild soap like Woolite, roll in a towel to remove the excess water and dry flat.
For this sweater edit I wanted to cover shapes and styles that will build your wardrobe and be enjoyed for many falls to come. Quality knits, particularly cashmere, have hit astronomical prices lately. If you can afford it, I would encourage you to spend the four figure sum on a great cashmere sweater, providing you love it and the style has staying power. For the rest of us, I’ve rounded up great choices in that mid range that use natural fibers (often cashmere) and are of good quality. Many top designers now use a 70 wool 30 cashmere blend to get the look and some of the softness of all cashmere while keeping the price within reason.
When looking for sweaters, first I consider the style and the proportions. If that passes I look at the content. I’m a stickler for natural fibers. I won’t buy a sweater with nylon or acrylic unless it’s a small percentage. For the most part I like 100% cashmere, wool or cotton. It makes a huge difference in how well the sweater will look and hold up over time.
The vast price range for cashmere sweaters is confusing. At Uniqlo a fine gauge, basic cashmere sweater can be had for a hundred dollars (gauge refers to stitches per inch, 12 and up is very light and 3 gauge would be quite heavy). How is that possible? Not to get too technical but the raw materials and the parts of the goat where the wool is harvested are not the best. The processing of the raw materials to yarn can also be done much cheaper resulting in shorter fibers that tend to pill and have a rougher hand. All that said, in my opinion I would prefer that to a synthetic blend.
Enough said, let’s get on with the edit! Following are seven boards representing seven different categories of sweaters. Depending on your needs and preferences, all have a place in a well rounded, functional fall wardrobe.
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