First, I love the post. I always appreciate the back story to J.Crew's product. (Keep these coming!) Second, I totally agree that J.Crew rocks the best hues for cashmere. Each season brings out a new round of colors I have to have! Third, let's talk quality. (Which seemed to be lacking in the post... coincidence? Maybe. Probably not.) J.Crew needs to "dig deeper" into producing cashmere that can last longer without getting holes or pilling.02/02
From the Catalog: Cashmere Cravings
straight from the pages of our February catalog,
here’s the inside scoop on our delectable
Italian cashmere (every stitch has a story)Hue knew: It just gets better. Our much-loved Italian cashmere, now in 18 customized shades—painstakingly narrowed down from 40—for the perfect palette of can’t-look-away colors.
(Not) run of the mill: We go to great lengths—4,028 miles (from New York City to Quarona, Italy) to be exact—to ensure that each shade has just the right depth, saturation and brightness.
Soft sell: Our cashmere is sourced from Mongolian cashmere goats that are cared for by nomad herders and gently combed in the summer months for their downy fleece (yes, we just gloated about our goats).
From custom-dyed shell buttons to one-of-a-kind cable weaves, there’s so much more to our cashmere than meets the eye. Dig deeper at jcrew.com’s cashmere shop.
What are your thoughts on J.Crew's cashmere? Do you think their current line stands up to its predecessors? If so, please share! :)
I love Jcrew, but they are so overpriced. Especially their cashmere. JoeFresh offered a 100% cashmere sweater almost identical to the Isabel for $69 CAD this Christmas. Snapped them up in camel, pink and navy. The colours are gorgeous and they don't pill.
ReplyDeleteRead here: http://desiretoacquire.blogspot.com/2011/12/joe-fresh-is-my-new-jcrew.html
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the prices are way too high. I am wearing a 2008 cashmere sweater today that has never pilled, but then I have other cashmere sweaters from the same year that do pill. A little consistency would go a long way.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI gave up on the JC cashmere since the cardis I bough last year pilled so badly. I agree with Marzz about the Joe Fresh cashmere.
ReplyDeleteOT-Madewell has a contest going on. Enter daily to win one of their 'spring' looks.
I bought a black J Crew cashmere carigan last year - and it looks awful, even through I haven't worn it very much. Its now retired - I only wear it around the house when I'm cold. I'd be embarressed to wear it anywhere now.
ReplyDeleteI did get an email about cashmere shop where they addressed care of sweaters and pilling. You may want to check out the link here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jcrew.com/womens_feature/thecashmereshop.jsp?srcCode=EMBW02008
(You may hit a splash page and have to also click on third link.)
Perhaps they have noticed an uptick on the web about people mentioning this concern. I don't have any from prior years to compare it to so not sure about quality dropping. My very few cashmere ones are fairly good. It's the non cashmere ones that are nearly intolerable (i.e. Hadley sweater which I may as well trash after two months which is not acceptable.)
I found the cashmere from F/W 2011 to be pretty good, although I only bought two sweaters and they were both purple. I have a blue cardigan from 2009 that pills so badly it looks like I have two muppets growing out of my chest by the end of the day. I never wear it out of the house.
ReplyDeleteI read on another thread that a shopper was told by CS some bull regarding "JCs cashmere is extra soft therefore it pills, take a comb to it, blah blah".
ReplyDelete(Speechless)
I have 30-YEARS-OLD cashmere sweaters that haven't pilled after numerous wears and washings. My 09 and 10 cashmere pieces are all looking shabby after just a couple years' wear. The Featherweight knits are especially HEINOUS.
Only bought 1 cardi this past fall, so far it's OK looking, but I have no faith that it'll stay that way through to next year.
I'll NOT be spending my money on JC's cashmere again, no matter how pretty the colours.
Agree. Who cares what gorgeous colors JCrew makes in their sweaters if you cannot wear them out of the house b/c of the high pill factor or look like you have two furry friends you carry around for fun?!
ReplyDeleteLove the colors. Hate the new 'quality'.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone purchased cashmere lately? I'm considering the cashmere waffle cardigan in grey. For $258 I don't want the pilling nightmare that has been JCrew cashmere since 2009. I still wear an argyle cashmere sweater from 2007 or '08 that looks so good! Any cashmere I bought in 2009 - 2010 (didn't buy any in 2011 due to quality) looks terrible, full of pills. The bad thing is the sweaters pilled immediately. All the combing in the world helps only a little. So what do you think? Do I buy the waffle cardi?
ReplyDeleteI am the one who got told by Jcrew that the 2010 cashmere I bought pilled because "it is such high quality" and that I needed to buy a comb and special cashmere wash to take care of it. WTH? I have a cashmere cardi I boguth from Ann Taylor in 2004 that has never pilled, and I wear it several times a week all winter long.
ReplyDeleteI ordered a sweater stone from Amazon and I am going to follow her instruction...if that does not fix the atrocity of the sweater it is going back. I don't care if I got it marked down to $50 super-sale - that is $50 wasted if I cannot wear it outside the house. Harrumph.
lol I will never buy JCrew cashmere--"made in italy" my ass
ReplyDeletemy WV is "pinchie." hee
I'm going to wait for a sale, as I usually do, to buy cashmere. I've moved to featherweights now because I'm getting the warms in regular cashmere.
ReplyDeleteThe kiwi color is just stunning.
I'll NEVER spend any more money on JCrew cashmere. Last November I indulged my family on a trip to Scotland, and I scheduled a private tour at the Johnstons of Elgin cashmere mill. What a treat!!! THAT is cashmere. Beautiful, thick, never pills, etc etc. Just to name a few, they manufacture the cashmere for Chanel, Paul Smith, Brora, Burberry's and many more. Noreen, their sales rep is a doll, very friendly and knowledgeable. At a B&B in the Highlands, our hosts recommended a stop at Bruar's House, an incredible mall in the middle of the beautiful Scottish countryside with all kinds of cashmere and tweed pieces, and a deli full of shortbread, marmalades and other local delicacies (including Haggis, of course :). Bottom line, don't waste your money on JCrew cashmere. The colors may be cute but it's terrible. Save your money and indulge on Johnstons of Elgin or other Scottish cashmere brands.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have a recommendation for a place to purchase good-quality, reasonably priced cashmere? I'd love to buy a classic black cardigan this year, and I'm willing to pay up to $200, but I want it to last!
ReplyDeleteI was thinking J Crew before I caught this thread while I was researching--was hoping you folks would have some recommendations!
ReplyDelete