What’s in a Good Sweater?

Time to Buy

Best time to buy a sweater is at season end, just as the fall/ winter stock is being discounted by 50 percent or more.

Low- to mid-end

Limited budget? Aim for a sweater that’s made from lambs’ wool, from Shetland, or from merino wool. The first couple are hard-wearing and durable.

High-end

If you can stretch to over $350, go for cashmere. If you opt for cashmere below this mark, if it’s at full retail price, anyhow, they are quite often poorly crafted. Cashmere is expensive, so if you find a cashmere sweater selling for less than $350, it’s likely the company have skimped on construction.

What this can mean is shorter fibers utilized for the yarns, resulting in piling and more breakages, or it could mean loosely knitted and thin fabrics, resulting in loss of shape, given time.

In this case, it’s better to stick with the lambs’ wool, Shetlands, or merinos, as opposed to being caught up with the allure of a “cheap” cashmere.

Check for Quality

It’s very difficult to be sure of a sweater’s true quality until you’ve owned it for a while. After all, there’s little substitute for experience. You can make an educated guess, however.

With respect to cashmere, rub the fabric between your fingers. If there’s a light, oily residue on your skin, the fabric has been treated with some form of emulsion which spells low-quality.

For other materials, look for a thick knitting density and check elasticity of cuffs and collars. If you feel that the sweater could lose its shape relatively easily, it’s likely you’re right.

Pilling

Every sweater will, irrespective of quality, pill to some extent. But how much, and how fast? It’s recommended to use a sweater shaver to deal with pilling.

Where to Buy

At the high-end, there are a few recommended retailers:

-          Drumohr

-          John Smedley

-          InisMeain

-          Drake’s

-          William Lockie (via Heather Wallace)

This short list is certainly not exhausted.

More affordable sweater purchases which still offer very good value can be found at:

-          Brook Brothers

-          Howard Yount

-          Club Monaco

Brooks Brothers and Club Monaco frequently do significant mark-downs season-round, and that’s obviously a good time to make your investment.

For student’s, Club Monaco is a good choice. Buy in-store and you’ll get a 20 percent mark-down, providing you can show your student ID. Buy online and you get the same money-off by providing a college e-mail address at time of purchase.

 

Christmas Sweaters

For the quirkier look, and with respect to the male species, opt for the men’s Ugly Christmas Sweater, which makes for a quality purchase indeed!