Perfect New Merino Shirts? RIP Women's Cloudveil
October 9, 2023 5:48 PM Subscribe
Please help me find the perfect merino shirt(s) to replace my long sleeve women's Cloudveil shirts that are officially too damaged for even me to wear now. They are 87% merino, 13% nylon, narrow fitting, and have shoulder seams. All other brands seem to scream "base layer only".
Cloudveil seems to have been bought out now and only seems to make men's clothing (!!!).
I have looked at Smartwool, Patagonia, all of the usual suspects. I want shirts I can wear everyday including to work that are passable. The Cloudveil ones actually looked nice- I wore them EVERYWEHERE, EVERYDAY. I need them to wear to work, to wear at home, to wear out etc.
They were the perfect thickness, thin but not too thin, thick enough to keep their shape and be warm. I have already paid too much for a couple of too thick and too casual Smartwool shirts (for work, great for cold days at home), and too thin Capilene-ish Patagonia ones (& I love Patagonia!).
I really just want to find the perfect shirt so I can order 3-5 (!!) and be set for Fall and Winter:)
Cloudveil seems to have been bought out now and only seems to make men's clothing (!!!).
I have looked at Smartwool, Patagonia, all of the usual suspects. I want shirts I can wear everyday including to work that are passable. The Cloudveil ones actually looked nice- I wore them EVERYWEHERE, EVERYDAY. I need them to wear to work, to wear at home, to wear out etc.
They were the perfect thickness, thin but not too thin, thick enough to keep their shape and be warm. I have already paid too much for a couple of too thick and too casual Smartwool shirts (for work, great for cold days at home), and too thin Capilene-ish Patagonia ones (& I love Patagonia!).
I really just want to find the perfect shirt so I can order 3-5 (!!) and be set for Fall and Winter:)
Smartwool got bought by a big Chinese manufacturing conglomerate and the quality has suffered dramatically. Icebreaker was bought by the same company, but they still have a few more years on ten-year contracts with the New Zealand-based sheep farmers they get their wool from, so they might not make the switch to shorter fibers for a little while longer. Anyway, I'd check out Icebreaker.
posted by knucklebones at 6:20 PM on October 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by knucklebones at 6:20 PM on October 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
And I'd recommend buying merino from REI to make use of their generous return policy for members while you're trying out different things.
posted by knucklebones at 6:21 PM on October 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by knucklebones at 6:21 PM on October 9, 2023 [2 favorites]
Have you looked at woolx and wool&? I have a couple things from each of these companies and they are all great.
posted by mjcon at 6:45 PM on October 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by mjcon at 6:45 PM on October 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
Not 100% sure how you are distinguishing between "sweater" and "shirt" (because I'd think that would involve buttons, but I don't think there are a ton of inexpensive merino button-ups out there to begin with, and I don't see any on Cloudveil's site now), but in the event it isn't buttons you're after, but rather a relatively light weight and slimmer profile, perhaps try Uniqlo? Their merino sweaters aren't crazy high quality, but they get the job done for a season or two.
posted by praemunire at 9:45 PM on October 9, 2023
posted by praemunire at 9:45 PM on October 9, 2023
Have you checked out Ibex? I’ve bought several items from them over the years (though not specifically the item you’re looking for) and have always been happy/impressed.
posted by nemutdero at 10:45 PM on October 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by nemutdero at 10:45 PM on October 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Hanro merino garments are a fortune, but if you calculate cost per wear of something you'll wear a lot, then maybe it's worth it. I'm still wearing two Hanro pieces I bought decades ago and wear all winter.
posted by Elsie at 3:33 AM on October 10, 2023
posted by Elsie at 3:33 AM on October 10, 2023
I second Wool& - they focus on everyday/work clothes, rather than outdoors-y attire. I’ve never tried their shirts, but I love the dresses I’ve gotten there.
posted by heurtebise at 7:20 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by heurtebise at 7:20 AM on October 10, 2023 [2 favorites]
Like you I wore merino shirts as my mainstay for corporate dress for 15 years. Back in the day the smartwool medium base didn't have logos, and those worked perfectly for me because they used to have an inset sleeve. But they changed to logos & raglan sleeves and they became either too thin or too thick. I'd put on a blazer over them, or wear them under a sleeveless dress and it was a pretty good "librarian/academic" look.
I switched to Uniqlo as @praemunire suggests. They have inexpensive long sleeve merino light sweaters in at least a half a dozen colors. They're washable (but don't toss them in the dryer) and I have some that have lasted six or seven years. They used to have a short sleeve version, but have opted for a high necked cropped/fitted version that doesn't work for me any longer. But keep an eye out, they may come back.
For a very brief time Allbirds was making a rayon/wool shirt as well. A little thinner. You can find them on clearance from time to time on Woot of all places. I've stocked up on those (even though they're the wrong size) because they were $15 each.
I have some Ibex pieces as well, though none of the straight shirts (sweaters & vests are excellent, they're all at least 15 years old now). They went out of business but someone bought them and restarted the brand with the original sources & patterns. I haven't bought anything from them yet.
Finally, you may want to look on Poshmark as there seems to be a pretty good assortment of pieces there, and if you have your old ones, you might be able to match up the product numbers.
Thanks to everyone else in this thread! I didn't know about some of these other places, I'm going to check them out as well.
posted by typetive at 9:48 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
I switched to Uniqlo as @praemunire suggests. They have inexpensive long sleeve merino light sweaters in at least a half a dozen colors. They're washable (but don't toss them in the dryer) and I have some that have lasted six or seven years. They used to have a short sleeve version, but have opted for a high necked cropped/fitted version that doesn't work for me any longer. But keep an eye out, they may come back.
For a very brief time Allbirds was making a rayon/wool shirt as well. A little thinner. You can find them on clearance from time to time on Woot of all places. I've stocked up on those (even though they're the wrong size) because they were $15 each.
I have some Ibex pieces as well, though none of the straight shirts (sweaters & vests are excellent, they're all at least 15 years old now). They went out of business but someone bought them and restarted the brand with the original sources & patterns. I haven't bought anything from them yet.
Finally, you may want to look on Poshmark as there seems to be a pretty good assortment of pieces there, and if you have your old ones, you might be able to match up the product numbers.
Thanks to everyone else in this thread! I didn't know about some of these other places, I'm going to check them out as well.
posted by typetive at 9:48 AM on October 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Oh! Costco carries thin merino tops by the brand Seg'ments for $18/ea in a few different colors once it gets cooler. Check for them if you're a member!
posted by knucklebones at 9:57 AM on October 10, 2023
posted by knucklebones at 9:57 AM on October 10, 2023
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posted by so fucking future at 6:09 PM on October 9, 2023