Dear Budget Fashionista,
I’m on the hunt for a good quality cashmere sweater. The max I would spend is 150 bucks. Do you have any suggestions on where to find one? How about buying it online without actually feeling the fabric? Is that advisable?
Answer: The key to cashmere to understand what makes a good cashmere sweater good. Cashmere is a soft, non itchy type of wool that originated in the Kashmir region of India from, you guessed it, the cashmere goat. It is strong, soft, material and is non-bulky. Good cashmere sweaters are often referred by the “ply” which is the thickness of the thread used to weave fabric. For example. 3ply sweaters are made with three single threads wound together to make a 3ply thread. The larger the ply, the better the sweater (although you can find quality, thin cashmere sweaters).
The Good Cashmere Test
- Check for Pillage. One way to tell if a sweater is made of good cashmere is to rub the fabric briskly between your pointy finger and thumb. Notice any pillage? If so, then mostly like it’s not “good” cashmere.
- Feel the Fabric. Also feel the fabric. Does it feel itchy? Good cashmere is very low on the itch wool factor.
- Check the Seams. Also check out the seams of the sweater. In more high quality cashmere sweaters, the seams are knitted together with yarn, not sewn together using regular needle and thread?
How to Find Cashmere Sweaters on a Budget
First wait until after Christmas to buy anything cashmere
In regards to where to buy it, my snobby Upper East Side friends, who consider themselves TRUE cashmere experts, swear by the department store Lord & Taylor’s cashmere sweaters. L&T cashmere sweaters come in a whole range of styles, sizes (petite and plus sizes) and colors for about $70 bucks. I own a beautiful turquoise cashmere cardigan that I got for $12.00 at Lord&Taylor’s after Christmas sale.
Other great brands are Vince , TSE, and even J Crew, which are very nice and very pricey if you purchase them at full retail price. Lucky for us, you can often find these brands at your local Saks Fifth Ave Outlet, Neiman Marcus Outlet, Filene’s Basement or TJ Maxx for up to 70% off retail price.
Several major discount department stores like Target, Kohls, and even Wal-Mart sell cheaper, versions of cashmere sweaters. However, these sweaters are often not 100% cashmere (even the label says otherwise), but cashmere blended with a cheaper wool like merona.
Founded in 2003, TBF is a fashion blog dedicated to helping you live your best for less. We give you the 411 on the latest fashion trends & tips and sample sales. 
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
There is definitely no reason to spend 150 on a cashmere sweater unless you are talking about buying a set or a long wrap or sweater-jacket style. A great way to make sure you are getting what you want in terms of feel is to check out various brands at a few higher-end stores and see what feels good. The material should have the same/similar “hand” regardless of the color. It is also a good plan to try on different brands. While I love the feel of Lord & Taylor’s house brand, the styles are sometimes too short-waisted for me and the sizes tend to run large. Checking things out in person and then looking for deals on the same brand online saves some of the risk of having to return things. White & Warren is another premium cashmere brand that I’ve found drastically reduced at Daffy’s. For easy returns, try ordering from LL Bean—while they rarely have sales on anything except reject colors, you can get nice sweaters for under 100, and she can return it if it isn’t what you want or even if it doesn’t wear well years down the road.
I forgot about White+Warren… Another great brand.. so is TSE which is wacky expensive but you can sometimes find on sale at Loehmanns
I got 1 cashmere sweaters for 19.97 each at walmart.com! They are good quality, 100% cashmere. Go figure.
The Wal-Mart sweater aren’t good quality. They pill after about 2 wears and shrink when washed- even by hand. Also the cashmere fibers are rough… I would much rather pay $70 and get something that will last (remember the cost per wear!) than $20 bucks for something I wear only once
This is one of the few times that I’d say buy in person, just to feel the fabric. I’m a big fan of online shopping, but if you end up going through the hassle of returning it then what’s the point?
Ann Taylor Loft is now carrying cashmere sweaters and they are currently on sale.
Macys always has good deals on cashmere before Christmas and even better deals after Christmas.
The new Uniqlo store in SoHo NYC boasts $50 cashmere sweaters in every color and style.
Overstock has some great choices. You can’t feel them, of course, but you can choose between different designers and only pay between $30 to $70. I’ve never had a problem with the items from the big O.
read all the fine print when you do buy a cashmere sweater online, i purchased one only to find that it was something like 25% cashmere and 75% silk, obviously not a pure cashmere blend.
Portolano is also a great brand and they’re having a sample sale right now in NYC.. You canalso find them on sale at bluefly.. but again wait until after christmas…
Excellent advice – I’m going to link to it from my blog. Jcrew.com has some nice options right now in their sale section, but be aware that they tend to sell out in certain sizes and colors quickly.
they have some nice ones on jcrew.com in the sale section.
One word: Steinmart. I’m not sure if they’re nationwide, but I know they’re all over Texas. I got a gorgeous pastel yellow cableknit cashmere turtleneck on sale for about $50 I think. I wear it all the time and it’s great quality.
If you live in New York, or one of the cities that has a Uni Qlo, there are so many different colors of cashmere sweaters from 59 to 69 on promotion right now. Also I kind of like Old Navy’s cashmere scoop neck sweaters for $49.50. For someone who loves clothing, but can’t and won’t spend much on clothing, these are on my wishlist.
You will find that vintage cashmere is of unrivalled quality. I have always had an easy time finding sweaters (for under $5) at thrift stores. Just hold them up to make sure there is no moth damage.
Kaitlin made a great point. There is alot of fraud and mislabeling of Cashmere. It is required by law that the label list the exact fabric content by percentage. Do not buy a sweater that says “pure cashmere”, it must say 100%. Also make sure the label has an RN#.
I recently bought a sweater at Saks Fifth Avenue, the large bold print signage advertised the sweaters as cashmere; and the sweaters felt soft, I bought one and after handwashing the sweater it lost it’s hand. I checked the label and it said 45% nylon with only a 5% cashmere content. I feel cheated but I should have checked the label before purchasing.
A good website for some consumer information and fraud reports is http://www.cashmere.org
I just purchased two cashmere sweaters from Ann Taylor Loft. Charter Club’s cashmere sweaters will be on sale for $39.99 December 19th and 20th at Macy*s. What do you guys think about CC??
I bought a CC cashmere sweater at Macy’s about a month ago. I have not yet washed it, but I really like it.
I went to NYC for the first time this year and found out that Daffy’s, which is practically everywhere in Manhattan, sells 100% cashmere sweaters in different styles and colors from $70-$89. I bought two and one for my mom.
how about banana republic’s italian cashmere line? i got a 100% cashmere cardigan yesterday on sale for $65.. the regular price was $148…
Another website to try is Bluefly.com, which sometimes carries Vince, TSE, and some of the other pricier cashmere brands at a discount. My experience has always been that you get what you pay for. The fancy department stores are going to have the better quality cashmere…unless you wait for it to go on sale after X-mas (as TBF suggests) but then you run the risk of a very limited choice in colors and sizes. It seems like everyone sells some sort of cashmere these days: Wal-mart, Target, Old Navy, and even the Kirkland brand at Costco. But again, just remember you get what you pay for!
Lands’ End is having some great prices on cashmere – theirs is very good quality. I think now they are at least 40% off. They sent me an email, but I don’t think it was a special coupon, I believe it is stated on the site for everyone.
I hate to say, I found cashmere from Wal-Mart and Target to be very itchy; JME
Though I understand both the love of cashmere and the love of a great bargain, I would like to caution everyone as to the overall impact these cheaply priced cashmere articles have on the environment at large. Farmers who provide this low-priced cashmere are overfarming the land to meet with demand, and as some of you noted the quality of this cashmere is nowhere near as good as the higher priced pieces. If you are buying cashmere simply to say, “I own cashmere,” then perhaps quality isn’t one of your concerns. But if you want cashmere that you will be able to enjoy for a good long time, stick with the higher end stores and their best sales. You’ll be doing the world, and yourself, a big favor.
I am a big fan of Lands End cashmere. I have had other cashmeres that just did NOT last…I have a collection from Lands End with pieces that are probably 10 years old. I buy a piece or 2 every year (and have paid full price because their stuff rarely goes on sale and they sell out quickly in plus sizes, especially the new colors). This year, due to the economy, they had awesome sales and I basically got 3 pieces for the price of 2 …some were only $60.00 and all had free shipping. I either hand wash my pieces or use Dryel to clean them…it works very well, especially to freshen the pieces or to remove smoky odors from a night out at an event, etc. As far as mail-order, Lands End has the best customer service and excellent quality. Once you order a piece and find your size, they stay fairly consistent. I am hard to fit, so I am used to having to order some things in the mail. Lands End provides a return label to send items back. I think they produce a quality item that is worth the effort. Prior to the Lands End items, I also had good luck with Lord & Taylor. I had a sweater from them that I wore for years until I got a hole that could not be repaired. I would have gotten more, but Lord & Taylor had closed all their stores in my state by then. P.S. Lands End was rated very highly by Consumer Reports for cashmere this past Fall.
I bought a couple of L&T house brand cashmeres two years ago, direct from a store. They are soft and have a nice “hand,” but they do pill quite a bit. Recently purchased house brand 2-ply cardie online, and found it to be hugely different from what was offered at the store. I returned it. Then I got my bill, which lumped together the shipping and the purchase price. When I called to say I had returned the merch, the rep told me I still owed over 10.00 for shipping. I had already spent 8.00 for return postage. Lesson: The 2-ply stuff offered online is nothing like what I purchased at the location. Perhaps the entire line has travelled downhill. I don’t know, as I haven’t been in the store lately, but will go next week. All I know is the so-called 2-ply cashmere I just returned from my online purchase was scratchy and thin. And it was “on sale” for nearly 90 bucks. Not a good buy, IMO.