The one true Cashmere Sweater to rule them all

May 19, 2021 8:50 AM

So as part of my upcoming Alaska trip I've decided that it's time to invest in one quality men's sweater. AND to make it cashmere. The thing is, most sweaters I've seen so far look great for lounging on a night beach in southern Spain but not so much for more rugged conditions. What's the right way to buy the right cashmere sweater now that will last for many years to come?
posted by rileyray3000 to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

I have this article bookmarked and refer to it often: How To Buy Better Sweaters and Make Them Last. Following her advice has really helped me build a solid, high-quality collection of warm sweaters (mostly vintage men’s cashmere sweaters, as recommended, usually from Poshmark) and clothes in general.
posted by stellaluna at 9:19 AM on May 19, 2021 [3 favorites]

Cashmere is not rugged. The very qualities of the fiber that make it soft and light make it less than hardy. Don't take some beautiful fancy sweater camping in the backwoods!
posted by praemunire at 10:12 AM on May 19, 2021 [26 favorites]

Seconding praemunire - I've tried both for living 2 years in Nepal with no central heating, and found that merino wool pills/tears far less than cashmere, when wearing the same sweater for months on end.
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 11:00 AM on May 19, 2021 [3 favorites]

How about a merino sweater from an outdoorsy wool company?

I think that’s going to last longer. Cashmere can be delicate. If you want cashmere, I think vintage is the way to go.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:12 AM on May 19, 2021

How about a merino/cashmere blended sweater?
posted by oneirodynia at 11:44 AM on May 19, 2021 [1 favorite]

And yeah, agree with everyone above that a 100% cashmere sweater is not for outdoorsy adventures. Merino is more resilient and easier to clean and will last longer under less-than-ideal conditions. Cashmere is goat hair so the fibers are shorter than merino wool, and therefore is made into finer goods that will tend to show rough treatment. A blend can give you some of the softness and some of the resilience.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:47 AM on May 19, 2021

If you want soft and durable, you might want to look into alpaca sweaters instead.
posted by ananci at 12:41 PM on May 19, 2021 [5 favorites]

Ibex is another brand for merino. They shut down a few years ago but recently restarted with new owners. Can’t speak personally to the new product’s quality, but a lot of the old ones were great. This resurrected classic gets good reviews.
posted by soy bean at 5:50 PM on May 19, 2021

If you have the time/inclination, shop secondhand. You can spend the same amount on 2-3 very nice sweaters but you won't feel super-precious about them being eaten by a bear or whatever. If you can physically go to thrift or consignment stores and shop by feel, that's ideal. Touch all the sweaters and if anything feels good check the tags. The article stellaluna links above is a good overview of what to expect from different fiber contents. As that article points out, clothing quality has been going downhill so the best-quality sweater you can find may be 20+ years old.
posted by doift at 7:24 PM on May 19, 2021

My brother-in-law lives in Alaska. Maybe it's just his area / circle of acquaintances, but most of them valued warmth and durability over style when it came to any sort of cold-weather clothing.
posted by TimHare at 7:59 PM on May 19, 2021 [2 favorites]

If you are set on going for wool, I like a good, basic shetland crewneck. They're durable and versatile.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:17 AM on May 20, 2021 [2 favorites]

Coming here to join the folks advocating for merino over cashmere. Or more old school still - I take a 30 year old traditional Norwegian sweater on top of merino base layers when spending time in cold places - like camping on a glacier. Or consider vintage cashmere. Buying used these days is definitely a good strategy for better quality.
posted by leslies at 6:48 AM on May 20, 2021

Any Merino that doesn't look technical?
posted by Beholder at 2:15 PM on May 20, 2021

Any Merino that doesn't look technical?
Filson? Not cheap but Alaska worthy.
posted by soy bean at 7:07 AM on May 21, 2021