There’s nothing as soft, warm and cosy as cashmere when the cold weather sets in, but as I’m sure you’ve noticed, in the designer sales most of the cashmere on offer is in a colour you would never wear and a style or size that won’t do.
You can, of course, spend a fortune on cashmere. Cashmere of a higher quality and thicker ply than the cheaper versions, but if you want something that you can wear for a season of two and won’t break the bank then these are the best places to shop.
Boden offers lots of colours plus traditional and modern shapes. Some of these are on sale at the moment – the ones that are tend to be limited in size choice or more unusual styles. But Boden is definitely worth checking out for high quality, great service and a very good choice.
As you’d expect, Marks and Spencer cashmere comes in a wide range of colours and styles. What could be more covetable than Autograph’s soft pure cashmere v neck sweater (6 colours) for £75 or a pale grey pure cashmere hoodie for £119. Combine the quality and the prices and these are practically irresistible.
John Lewis launched its own brand a while back and it offers excellent cashmere for under £100. This is a small range in classic colours and styles but well worth checking out.
At a very slightly higher price level than the retailers above but offering a huge choice of styles is Pure Collection Cashmere, and when they’re on sale as they are now there are some really excellent bargains to find from their sustainable cashmere roll neck sweater which comes in no fewer than 14 colours and currently costs £81, to boyfriend cashmere cardigans and ponchos.
Uniqlo cashmere is the least expensive of all, with simple styling and usually a wide range of colours including crew neck cardigans, v neck sweaters and turtle neck sweaters – don’t expect anything very fancy, just cashmere pieces that will form your basics wardrobe and which are perfect for layering as well as wearing on their own.
If you’re prepared to wait just a little longer for your cashmere knitwear to arrive you should take a look at the Charter Club Cashmere collection at Macy’s in the US. The prices are good even when they’re not on sale, and when they are they’re exceptional, the dollar notwithstanding, and the quality is seriously good. You will have to pay for shipping and duty of course, but look carefully, you may well find it’s worth it….
