How To Care For Cashmere Sweaters

After shrinking, pilling and accidentally stretching out my cashmere sweaters, I can tell you one thing - treat the cashmere like a baby - always be gentle! Cashmere is a little high maintenance, but the luxurious warmth and softness make this the winter essential! I specially love cashmere cardigans. There is something about a soft, structured, buttoned cardigan. It gives that ultimate lady like, sophisticated vibe and is as timeless as a little black dress. First Lady Mrs Obama even wore a cashmere cardigan when she visited Queen of England! I love to pair cashmere cardigan with a layering tee and skinny jeans for a casual look or with a skirt or a dress and pumps for a dressed up look.  Here is some of the ways I would style a cashmere cardigan.

More information on these pieces here

More information on these pieces here

More information on these pieces here

Now the care part - as I said you have to be very gentle with cashmere. And you have to take care of it  while wearing, storing and and cleaning. Here are some tips of cashmere care (some I learnt from personal experience, some common sense!)

• Do not put perfume on the sweater - The oils and alcohol in perfume can leave the stain. Put the perfume on your pulse points instead and spray a little on your hand and smooth out your hair for good smelling body and hair.
• If you are wearing a roll on deodorant, wait for few minutes before you put the sweater on to prevent the white waxy marks.
• Never hang your cashmere sweater on the hanger - It will stretch the shoulders. (learned this the hard way!)
• Fold the sweaters and put them on the flat surface in your closet. Fold the sweater between soft tissue papers to prevent pillage, wrinkling or the fold marks.
• Keep the sweaters away from objects with hooks or metal edges to prevent snagging.
• Use a fabric shaver to gently remove the pillage (tiny fuzz balls that surface after few uses, usually at the side where your arms rub your ribcage)  from the sweater. Never put pressure on the fabric shaver, just glide it gently. Information about some good fabric shavers here and here.
• Cashmere sweaters come with specific cleaning directions - some are dry clean only and some are Do Not Dryclean. From my personal experience - the Dry Clean Only are OK at the cleaners, but I always handwash the Do Not Dryclean/Handwash ones. I have actually washed the dry clean only sweaters too and they were fine. But you have to be very careful while handwashing the cashmere sweater. Use either a very mild detergent (like woolite for dedicates) or the baby shampoo! I used J&J baby shampoo and wash my sweater in the bath tub. Fill the tub with cold water (warm/hot water will shrink it), add some shampoo and soak the sweater in it. Very gently squish the sweater and slowly squeeze the soap. Empty the tub and wash it in clean water until all the shampoo is out. NEVER wring your sweater, just squeeze it gently. Roll the sweater between cotton towels and squeeze the extra water. Dry the sweater on a towel on a flat surfae (large counter top or a flat table) Make sure to lay it out in a correct form, it retains the shape it is dried in.
• For Cashmere blends, I even put it inside a zipper pillowcase and throw it in dryer with delicate - noheat fluff cycle. And then iron it (again on delicate setting, while sweater is inside out)
• Always clean your sweater before you store them. Again, fold them between tissue paper (insert a tissue paper inside the sweater too) and put them in a NON air tight soft cloth bag. Muslin bags are good for storing cashmere.

Cashmere is not a seasonal buy - its a wardrobe investment.  Good thing is cashmere is available in all price ranges. From Neiman Marcus to Saks to Kohls and TJ Maxx! I love JCrew and Ann Taylor cashmere for the quality and value for money!

Buy Cashmere cardigans here -