Growing up Cashmere was the ultimate in luxury knitwear. Expensive and exclusive. Not everyone stocked it as it was cost prohibitive in comparison to wool knitwear.
The quality of everyday British knitwear was also pretty good. Every high street would have someone selling beautifully constructed Scottish woollens.

Now Cashmere is available everywhere from online discounters through to chain stores. The prices are reasonable but the old quality standards aren't there anymore.

I used to love N Peal when they were in the Burlington Arcade. Ralph cashmere is pretty good although you're paying a premium for the name. I had cashmere v necks from the old Brooks that were also excellent. I recently tried on a Johnstons of Elgin cashmere cable crew and it took me back to what cashmere used to be.

Take it. Recently scored a mustard fisherman style from S Fisher (of Burlington Arcade) from charity. Very good quality. Somehow feels inches thick and weightless at the same time. A steal at £4.50.
Also a grey crew neck wrongly labled up in Zara at £9.99. Chinese certainly. But I chuckled as I strolled out of the store.
I like that I haven’t paid much for either. It stops me being too precious about them and enjoy wearing them as ‘throw ons’

I have to leave it. Cashmere is too clingy. For the shortish, squarish Ivyist, who has contours, anything tight and/or clingy is disastrous.

I’ve only ever had one cashmere item, a crew neck sweater. It didn’t wear very well, so I tend to consider it doesn’t stack up as Ivy clothing which should be capable of being worn endlessly, sold and re-sold on eBay, passed on to the next generation etc.

I have been very pleased with William Lockie for many years now.

Too refined and too fussy imo

Last edited by oxford cloth button down (2022-04-19 06:58:24)

Cashmere not Ivy?  Who reckons that? 
Too refined?  As Nye Bevan once said - admittedly in a very different context - nothing is too good for the working class.