Bargain cashmere can fool the unwary and still feel lovely. Touch is not enough to be sure your bargain won’t pill or loose its shape the first time you wear it. (Actually pilling can happen on good quality cashmere too and there is a solution. Get a cashmere comb.)
When you buy cashmere there are a five tips that can help you :
- Look at the tension in the knitting:gently (very gently!) stretch a small part of the fabric. If the quality is good it should return quickly to shape and not leave a mark.
- Hold it up to the light with your hand behind it. If you can see your hand clearly leave it and try somewhere else. The best cashmere has a density to it.
- Look at the surface of the fabric. The fluffier it seems the more it will pill as it is probably made from shorter hairs.
- That wonderful softness we all crave can be a trap too. Softness can be achieved by over-milling which makes an inferior cashmere seem silky. Over-milled fabrics will form bigger pills and and lose shape.
- Best quality cashmere may actually feel less soft and silky in the shop! It matures and softens with wear and even gentle hand-washing. The best quality cashmere improves with age so vintage is always an option.
If you are buying cashmere online and can’t touch look for sites that explain exactly where their cashmere comes from and the lengths of fibers used. Sites like Pure Collection, Brora, or Hush are all good value and score well on sustainability too. Brunello Cucinelli, or Loro Piana’s “baby cashmere” are gorgeous if you have more to spend. Try their sale sections for bargain cashmere.
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