Best Cashmere
- Thread starter lucywife
- Start date
Just to make it very clear - I do not work for BRORA as someone suggested. Simply letting everyone know the facts here. BRORA is a relatively small company and they control their production all the way. They buy their own top quality raw cashmere, and have done so for over 100 years! They have their own mill to process it and all the work is done here in this country. Naturally that means they are able to monitor the quality that come out and if anything goes wrong it can be sorted fairly quickly. It's a small-ish exclusive company relatively unknown, which is why I am posting their details. If you live in the UK they will even, mend old cashmere for you. Which in my book is a sign of excellence!
I hope you're not referring to me, as I'm the one who explicitly thanked you for mentioned this brand, unknown to me until now. I've become a die-hard fan from a get go, and already placed three orders with B and also won an eBay auction for another incredible piece. I simply just can't get enough, I've STARVED for a good cashmere
Interesting about Brora. Did you have troubles with some particular style?
I've just discovered Brora (thanks to a cool TPF'er) and can't get enough of it. So far I got three cashmere pieces (one is a Christmas present for DH, so cannot attest to its quality just yet), and rib cardi and jumper for myself. LUVING them!
I've never heard of Filippa K, but immediately went to look it up. I like her aesthetics a lot and would love to try her cashmere out. The only problem is... where to find it in US????
I don't own any Brora cardigans, but I have 5 sweaters in 3 different styles, 3 scarves and 2 pairs of socks, all started pilling within first 3 wears. Those tighter knit pill less, and it's not as dramatic as my cheaper cashmere from Pure. Nonetheless, my heart still beats for this company. The length of their fibers seem very good for a mid-market brand, and their loosest gauge is tighter than the normal standard of my cheaper cashmere.
I have always been told (some) pilling is impossible to avoid when it comes to hair, but I'm not too sure. In addition to my Filippa K I have a Burberry 70% cashmere 30% merino shawl/poncho that I've never had to remove pilling from either.
Filippa K had a store in San Francisco when she launched into US and Canada market, but that store no longer exist. US might not have worked out for her back then. Only thing I know is she's available through yoox.com, but no cashmere there for the moment.
Thank you very much, Goldfox for your input!
Since I just got into Brora I cannot fully attest to its quality. I got two cardigans: one is 2-ply rib knit and another one is 5-ply cable knit. I also jot the 2-ply rib jumper, which is not here yet... so... we'll see...
Thanks! Now that I know of Filippa K, I'll keep an eye on it.
Speaking of Burberry... I oh so much like this season cashmere sweaters, but the price tag of $1750 is absolutely prohibitive for mere mortals like moi
But oh so nice to dream of....
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I feel like a lot of the Cashmere quality has gone down over the years. Saks, J. Crew, Bloomies. It's a bummer!!
I currently have cashmere pullovers from 3 different high street brands in rotation:
- Benetton: thin fabric and strong pilling, softest of all three
- Uniqlo: solid quality, but medium to strong pilling
- Zara: not as soft as Benetton, but little pilling
The Benetton and Uniqlo ones are tight fitting on my arms while the Zara one is quite loose. Might that explain why the Zara one pills a lot less? How do they compare to high end brands? I heard that even Loro Piana pills
- Benetton: thin fabric and strong pilling, softest of all three
- Uniqlo: solid quality, but medium to strong pilling
- Zara: not as soft as Benetton, but little pilling
The Benetton and Uniqlo ones are tight fitting on my arms while the Zara one is quite loose. Might that explain why the Zara one pills a lot less? How do they compare to high end brands? I heard that even Loro Piana pills
Might be so nowadays. The quality of ALL cashmere has gone down according to some experts, and I, as a customer have to agree. I've had my LP jumpers for 10+ years and they hardly ever pill, even a little bit. Same for Bruno Manetti and Brunello C. On the other hand, I had tons of jumpers from Autumn Cashmere, TSE, that are long gone and forgotten, as they pilled and stretched. I've never bought any cashmere from B, U or Z so cannot compare.
The best cashmere I have is a house brand of the Swiss luxury chain Bon Genie Grieder. One is a 4-ply (10+ years old) and another is a 2-ply (7 years), and they hardly pilled. In general, the cut and the quality were superb and I'd almost compare the feel of their cashmere to Hermes. It was my favorite store for super luxury basics, hands down. The pricing was quite reasonable for what you were getting, even if it wasn't cheap.
Unfortunately, I moved to US and no longer have access to the goodies; their website only ships to Switzerland.
Unfortunately, I moved to US and no longer have access to the goodies; their website only ships to Switzerland.
The best cashmere I've ever owned is a ribbed cashmere t-shirt by Michael Kors. I want more, but can't find any for under $400.
I've owned cashmere from Macy's brands, Lord and Taylor, and Philosophy and *most* of it seems to be the same. I have a cashmere (mostly, there's a little of something else mixed in) sweater by Donna Karan that has held up REALLY nicely, but still pills.
I think pilling is just part of sweaters, no matter the fabric. I had a J crew one once, it was nice and light, but still pilled...
I've owned cashmere from Macy's brands, Lord and Taylor, and Philosophy and *most* of it seems to be the same. I have a cashmere (mostly, there's a little of something else mixed in) sweater by Donna Karan that has held up REALLY nicely, but still pills.
I think pilling is just part of sweaters, no matter the fabric. I had a J crew one once, it was nice and light, but still pilled...
Love Grieder!
I used to live in CH and still head there when I visit....I can always find something there that I failed to pack!
I do appreciate that I can get Bompard shipped to the US though.
Yes, Ive noticed the J Crew quality of cashmere going down too
Yes, j crew has certainly gone down in quality. I have some sweaters and cardigans from 07/08, that have held up very well. In comparison, pieces I purchased in 11/'10 - we're returned, because of excessive pilling after 1 wear. I haven't purchased any since.
I did find out they switched manufacturing companies and suppliers, so that probably explains the problem.
LP still holding up, for now. I'm going into my third winter of heavy use on a cashmere-lined jacket and the lining still looks great. Also coming into my third winter of Michael Kors floor-length cashmere dresses and the only pilling is where the dress touches the floor.
Neiman's house brand is great, but these days you need to buy their $500 sweaters rather than the $200 ones to get anything good that will hold up, not pill, etc. They quality is not what it was 5 or so years ago, but it is still great. As a result of current quality, I baby a lot of my old sweaters! I also have a bunch of old Saks house brand, TSE, Lafayette 148, a few Loro Pianas and a super Todd & Duncan (came from Nordies collectors dept about 10+ years ago!).