The Budget Fashionista

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.

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.

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.

they have some nice ones on jcrew.com in the sale section.

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.

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 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…