Soft, plush, and infinitely comfortable, cashmere is the most classically luxurious garment a man can wear, whether made into a coat, suit, sport coat, sweater, golf shirt, or even a pair of socks. But here's an update: Cashmere is no longer relegated to the cooler months. Now, this luxurious fiber is being made into light and medium weight shirts, sweaters, and jackets that are virtually seasonless.
Credit Loro Piana, the world's largest producer of cashmere fabrics and apparel and perhaps the most revered name in Italian fashion, as the first company to turn out cashmere clothing that can be worn 10 months out of the year. Among the company's best items are unlined sports jackets made of 9-ounce worsted cashmere that are constructed without padding to feel like a cardigan when worn.
"From a performance standpoint, cashmere can stand up to any other fiber, including wool," the president and CEO of Loro Piana USA, Pier Luigi Guerci, said. "Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't wear out so long as the fabric is properly finished and the garment is well-made."
Of course, don't expect to pay lightweight prices for all this luxury; practically anything cashmere is heavy on the wallet, especially if it's made in Italy. For the uninitiated, cashmere has a regal history - legend has it that the Caesars' togas in ancient Rome were made of the fiber.
The name "cashmere" descends from Kashmir, the wild and mountainous area of India and Pakistan where most cashmere yarn was produced and woven. The actual fleece comes from the wild goats of Tibet and Outer Mongolia, from whom the cashmere fibers are sheared. Interestingly, only the under down - the soft, down-like hair from the goats' fleece - is used, rather than the coarse outer hair.
As with the Roman Caesars, throughout history cashmere has always won favor among the noble and wealthy. Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, popularized cashmere among the French upper classes after having the fiber locally woven into her famous "ring shawl" - so called because the fiber was woven so finely the shawl itself could be drawn through her wedding ring. Fact or fiction? It's anyone's guess.
Cashmere is considered one of the world's most luxurious fibers for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that almost all quality cashmere knitwear commonly is knitted by hand. After each goat is individually combed in the spring - the shedding season - the fibers are washed, de-haired, dyed, and spun mechanically with the most technologically advanced machinery. Fine cashmere yarns are then handframed to a particular garment's specifications. It is a tedious and labor-intensive operation, and one that usually results in a high-quality yet expensive garment.
When one considers that up to four miles of yarn goes into one super-fine cashmere sweater, and that it takes a single Tibetan goat four years to grow enough fleece for a man's sweater, it is not surprising that cashmere is considered a luxury. Of course, we're talking about top-quality, virgin cashmere yarn, not the mass-market cashmere that often utilizes reconstituted fiber and is blended with inexpensive wools.
China today turns out cashmere garments at relatively affordable prices - such as the knitwear often sold at department stores and chains like Old Navy - but Scotland is believed to be the producer of the highest quality. Romantic lore contends that the purity in the waters of the River Tweed, where the yarns are first washed, lends optimum softness and silkiness to such brands as Ballantyne, Drumohr, and John Smedley. More likely, the soft hand of Scottish cashmere knitwear is a result of the work of local artisans who have been processing and knitting the luxurious yarn for generations. Ditto for Italy, where companies such as Loro Piana, Agnona, Avon Celli, and Ermenegildo Zegna have spun new fashion twists on this traditionally elegant fiber.
Over the years, cashmere manufacturers have attempted, unsuccessfully, to breed more cashmere goats in other parts of the world, such as the British Isles, Australia, and New Zealand. Unfortunately, the weather in these regions can hardly approximate the windy and frigid conditions in Mongolia and Tibet - conditions that may well have inspired the local goats to grow the insulating fleece under their bellies in the first place. Necessity is, after all, the mother of invention.
Where To Buy
Malo has perhaps the biggest collection of cashmere goods, including a wide range of sweaters, cardigans, and outerwear. Known for using Mongolian goat cashmere, it also has a home collection. Malo, 814 Madison Ave. at 68th Street, 212-396-4721; 125 Wooster St., between Prince and Spring streets, 212-941-7444.
Since 1921, Ballantyne Cashmere has been producing inner- and outerwear for both sexes, as well as home goods such as luxury blankets. The store has a wide selection of outerwear accessories, including scarves and gloves, and also features a number of sweaters for those under-the-coat fashion aficionados. Ballantyne Cashmere, 965 Madison Ave., between 75th and 76th streets, 212-988-5252.
A bright, expansive corner store, TSE Cashmere showcases an ever-broadening color palette of cashmere knits for men and women. Look for a range of exclusive designs here as well. TSE Cashmere, 827 Madison Ave. at 69th Street, 212-472-7790.
In the company's only free-standing shop in New York, you can find a huge supply of Loro Piana cashmere in all its manifestations, from slippers and sweaters to suits and topcoats. Loro Piana, 821 Madison Ave. at 68th Street, 212-980-7961.
