The cashmere market is a mess. You have $35 "cashmere" sweaters at discount retailers sitting next to $450 ones at department stores, and no obvious way to tell what you are actually buying. Some expensive cashmere is worth it. Some is overpriced. Some cheap cashmere is a waste of money no matter how you look at it. Here is how to navigate it.

Good cashmere is genuinely worth spending on. It is softer than wool, lighter, warmer by weight, and with proper care, lasts decades. The $35 version is almost certainly not good cashmere, regardless of what the label says.

How to spot real cashmere

Real cashmere comes from the undercoat of cashmere goats, primarily from Mongolia and China. The fiber length and diameter determine the quality. Long, fine fibers pill less and stay softer longer. Short, thick fibers make cheaper sweaters that felt and pill badly within a season.

Ply refers to the number of threads twisted together. A 2-ply cashmere sweater is standard. A 4-ply is heavier and warmer. You may also see "gauge," which refers to how tightly the knit is constructed; finer gauge looks more polished, chunkier gauge is more casual. For a versatile everyday sweater, 2-ply in a fine gauge is the right starting point.

The pill test: rub the fabric between your hands for 30 seconds. If it pills immediately, the fiber is short and the sweater will look worn after two wears. Quality cashmere holds up. You can also stretch a small section and release it: it should spring back to shape without distortion.

What to spend and which brands are worth it

For a quality 2-ply sweater in a classic cut, $120 to $250 is the realistic range for something that will last. There are good cashmere sweaters for women (opens in new tab) at the lower end of that range if you know what to look for. Below $80, you are almost always getting lower-grade fiber or a cashmere-wool blend labeled ambiguously.

At the $200 to $400 range, brands like Naadam, Quince (on the accessible end), and Vince produce solid quality. Above $400, you are largely paying for label status. The fiber quality from a $250 sweater and a $600 one from a major fashion house is often indistinguishable. A Scottish-made or Mongolian-sourced cashmere from a mid-tier brand frequently outperforms a designer version at twice the price.

How to care for cashmere

Hand wash in cool water with a gentle detergent designed for wool or cashmere. Or use the delicate cycle on your machine in a mesh bag with cold water. Do not twist or wring. Press out excess water gently and lay flat on a towel to dry. Never hang cashmere to dry; it stretches under its own wet weight.

Pilling is not a defect. It is a natural feature of any knit fiber, cashmere included. The difference between quality and lower-grade cashmere is how quickly and how much it pills. Use a cashmere comb or a sweater stone to remove pills every few wears. This takes two minutes and extends the sweater's life significantly.

Store folded, never on a hanger. Store with cedar or lavender during off-season to deter moths, which love natural fiber. A cashmere sweater that is properly cared for lasts ten to fifteen years. That per-wear cost starts looking very reasonable.

Styling cashmere beyond the obvious

A cashmere crewneck tucked slightly into high-waist trousers looks more polished than the same done with cotton. A cashmere cardigan over a silk slip works as a layering piece that is simultaneously luxurious and practical. Cashmere also layers under a blazer without bulk, which few other sweater fabrics manage.

The color question: invest in a neutral first. Camel, ivory, navy, or grey. These wear with everything and do not date. Once you have one well-fitting neutral cashmere, a second in a softer color like dusty rose or sage makes sense. Avoid bold colors until you know the quality of a brand: color fading is more visible in saturated shades.