"SOFT TOUCH" feature story on everything you need to know to buy luxury cashmere: what to look for, information on ply, the hottest labels, and how to care for.

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2. SHOPPER
It's fitting that the word cashmere
startswith cash.
After all, centuries
ago,it was only the royalty of
Europeand India who could afford
to wear cashmere The name
shawls.
itselfconjures images luxury,
up of
and there'snothingthat compares
to the feelof cashmere the body:
on
soft, sensuous,
seriously
sexy.
But what, exactly,makesit
.'::;
so pricey?Firstoff, it is made
The cauiar only with the silkyunder-
fleece goatsthat liveat high
of
'"ligfoloitlrrrr, (thepure-white goat,
altitudes Kel
found only in Mongolia,China,
ij,;l
Kashmirand Tibet, is thoughtto
producethe finestdown).Goats
produceaboutfiveounces fleece
of
a year,and it takes20 goatsto make
Then the down hasto
onesweater.
be transportedto a factory where
it can be separated
from the rough
Luscious color is the
hot trend in cashmere:
Mint cashmere
and-silk throw by Mala
ouch outer hairs(which give poor-
quality cashmere scratchyfeel),
its
Testa, $590; 212-343- purifiedand spuninto yarn.Sure,
9399. Lemongrass it's labor-intensive
work. But the
crew by Rebecca result-a fabric that hasretained
Moses, $528; at Berg- its allurethroughthe ages-is
dorf Goodman. Ralph worth it.'What bettertesramenr
Lauren fuchsia scarf, than the words that follow every-
$275; at select Polo touches "Ooh!
time someone it?
Ralph Lauren stores. Cashmere."-Nancy Angiello
David Lawrence

3. THE IN STYLE SHOPPER
low to high
The bestin classic
cashmere
twinsets:
from beautifullybasicto luxurious couture
r-4)l ---t
L,,/ rg: t'
I
i'
I i
I
|, ,,J ., I
,/
l, --,/
Land's End cardigan J. Grew Collection Ballantyne cardigan Heidi Weisel cardigan Ghanel cardigan and
and short-sleevesweater, cardigan and shell, $480; and short-sleeve sweater and shell,$1,200;to short-sleeve sweater,
$265: 800-356-4444. at select J. Grew stores. $690; 212-988-5252. order at Neiman Marcus. $ 1,750; 8oo-550-ooos.
label
fables careand handling
Onc of tlre rno st cor r f us ingt hings about buy ing c it s h - What's the bestway to cleancashmere?
Someexpertssay hand-
nrere is th c lab el. H er e' s whr r t it nt eilns - or c loes n' t . washingdone wrong can ruin a piece,and recommend using a
dry-cleaner
who knows how to handleluxury fabrics.Other pros
I " M ac lc in Sc ot lanc l"or "M ac le in
swearby hand-washing,
sincedry-cleaning
chemicalscan strip
r, ,. [t:rl1'" rlletrnsthirt lt rvrrsselvn irnc]fin-
t1 cashmere natural oils, leavingit rougher and drier. If you do
of
ishectrhere. But virtually all rirw cash-
I hand wash,do it right: Soak garment in cold water with nonde-
. "mere is from the high irltitLrcles Asia.
"- a'
of
-r71<.t-a' tergentsoap(like ForeverNew, available Neiman Marcus)for
at
I Labels cirn lie: roo percel)t cirshnrere
no more than ro minutes,rinse well in cold water, then roll in a
is often anything but. The best rest for
white terry towel to get rid of excesswater. Reshapegarment;
quality is touch-if the piece feels
dry flat on a towel out of direct heatand sunlight.Storein a cloth
coarse (no matter the labelreads),
bag (to allow breathing), a cedar chest or with cedar balls.
in
the raw cashmere w cleaned cor-
rectly,or zrnythingfrom 's wool Turtlenecks (top
to camel hair may have been woven in. and bottom) by
,
I Arrother quick qualiry test is to shake Michael Kors,
the garment:If it sheds, short fi
or Pale.greenV-neck
fall out, it's a reject. sweater by J. Crew
Collection, $275.
Gollectionturtleneck, $495.

4. THE IN STYLE SHOPPER
trendwatcb
Cashmere
hasn'tbeenleft out of fall's softsell:scarves
stretchy, body-huggingtrend; when it's
C O M PAN Y D ET AIL co sT
combined with Lycra or nylon, cashmere
ultraglamorous. practical
becomes A
Malo Born in Italy z5 yearsago, Malo is Variegated blue
plus:The mix makescashmere tight
fit
known for vibrant colors showcasedin scart, $395; at
under jacketsand keepsit from getting
bold stripes,patterns and weaves.
For select Malo
baggyand losing its shape.
Add body-
the true sybarite:a cashmeretravel boutiques, or call
consciousfit to barelythere shapeand
pillow and blanket in their own case, 212-755-7915.
the result is pure sizzle-as seenin this
cashmere-Lycra
halter by Randolph
The hipsters of cashmere.Trend- Han4knlt wide
Duke for Halston Signature($jzo; at
setterslove the edgy, earthy colors- ribbed muftl6r in
Neiman Marcus stores),
For cashmere
burnt sienna,mustard, deep plum- lir green, $gSS; at
that's alluring evenwithout stretch,
in the newest shapelystyles:wide, TSE boutiquos, or
look for it in tight, revealingstyles
straightJeg trousers, natty pea coats, @ll800-522-2276.
meant to be worn againstthe skin,
like Heidi'Weisel's sleeve
cap
Loro Piana Since r8oz, this Italian family business Fringodgold
gowns with deepsideslits,
has done everything from processing scart,t290; at
Ralph Lauren Collection's
raw cashmereto weaving the fabric- LoroPiana
plunging V-neck or off-
which the fashion housesof Armani boutiquo,N,Y.C.,
the-shoulder
sweaters,
andJil Sanderbuy for their lines. 2't2-98G7961.
and tight halter
dresses
by
RalphLauren The king of classicshas his luxurious Purplascart,
RebeccaMoses.
staples-hand-knit socks in zz colors, $275;availableat
chalk-stripe blankets-but he's also soloct Polo Ralph
myths: plylie
the gone sery: new this season, glittery
gray cashmere
eveningdress.
a Laurenstores
nationwide.
"The more plies,the better" is the single
biggestcashmere out there.Most people
lie their pricier Collection label,
Besides Ribbed charcoal
think that thicker is better, and the more plies J. Crew hasa catalogueline with a muffler with
a garment has,the more it's worth. The truth: selectionof classic
crewsfor only long fring€,
Ply is simply the number of singlestrandsspun $r85, which makesit the placeto $150; at solect
together to make the yarn; it isn't a designa- spring for that must-havefun color. J. Crew stores.
tion of quality. Having tons of pliesmeans
nothing if the original raw materialand yarn Ballantyne Tried-and-true
Scottishcashmere Red scarf with
that's usedis poor; a garment may feel thick, sincethe late r8oos.They're masters ribbod edge, $475;
better quality.The best
but it's not necessarily of the cashmereargyle (the classicdia- at Cashmsre
stuff, whether it is single-ply six-ply,will
or mond pattern) and triumphantly tra- Cashmere, N.Y.C.;
havethe bestfeel.So,touch it: All cashmere ditional rwinsets.
crewsand V-necks. 212.s,4&5252.
should be light, breathableand utterly soft.
In S t yl e se p te mb e r ' 1 997