If you have been following me for awhile, I think you may have noticed my love for cashmere. The reason was really simple – I can’t wear wool because my skin doesn’t agree with it and it would go insanely itchy and red. I don’t want to wear something to torture myself in any shape or form, so my next best option is cashmere. When you browse on the internet/ in stores, you will see many brands come out with cashmere jumpers and usually the prices are quite scary, at least HK$5,000-6,000 for one! For something more high-end, you could be looking at close to HK$10,000. To be fair, they are nice, but I just can’t convince myself to spend that much on a bloody jumper, so I have been looking at different brands for 3 years and I think I could now come up with a few more affordable options for you. Mind you, cashmere is quite expensive to start with, so when I say more affordable options, I mean below HK$2,000.
Marks & Spencer Pure Cashmere Round Neck Jumper HK$1,300
Check it out here
Marks & Spencer Pure Cashmere V-Neck Jumper HK$1,300
Check it out here
(Product Photos are from Marks & Spencer Website)
The first option is Marks & Spencer of course! I discovered it somewhat in late 2016 (if I recall correctly) and I was ecstatic! Finally a cashmere jumper with great quality without breaking an arm and a leg! If you live in the U.K. or going to the U.K., be sure to check the cashmere collection out in Marks & Spencer there because they are so much cheaper than Hong Kong. In U.K., they are only £100! What a great bargain! I just looked at the official websites (linked above), the round neck one comes in 15 colours and the v-neck one comes in 10 colours. It also comes in stripes, a hoodie and a cardigan format, so there is something for everyone! The vast selection of cashmere items really deserves a big thumbs-up! But one thing, I find the cut of Marks & Spencer cashmere jumpers to be quite fitted. Usually I am a size 14 when it comes to UK sizing because I like my clothes to be more loose fitting to give a chill vibe. Surprisingly when I put a Marks & Spencer cashmere jumper size 14 on, it wasn’t as loose as I would imagine (check out what I mean here). So, if you like your jumpers quite fitted and not too baggy, then I would absolutely recommend you to check them out, they are really soft and of great quality.
Zara Cashmere Sweater HK$1,299
Check it out here
Zara Cashmere V-neck Sweater HK$1,199
Check it out here
(Product Photos are from Zara Website)
How I Style It
Handbag: Chloe Tess in Big Size (link)
Top: Zara Cashmere in size M (link)
Jeans: Zara (got it 3 years ago)
Shoes: Chanel Slingback
Sunglasses: Tom Ford
Next up is Zara! I came across the cashmere collection last year but they were sold out too quickly, I didn’t have a chance to give them a go. However, this year, due to my Paris trip, I did my “winter clothes” shopping quite early and I managed to get a couple of their cashmere sweaters (check out the try-on video here). At this particular moment you are reading this post, I should be living in them in Paris so I will be able to tell you more about them when I come back. But I did have a few occasions to try them out in the not-so-cold Hong Kong and I found that they are a bit less soft than Marks & Spencer ones. Don’t get me wrong, they are still soft, comfortable to wear and haven’t caused my skin to get itchy. But if I really need to compare, they are just a tiny wee bit less soft than the Marks & Spencer ones. I do like the look of the Zara ones on me though because they are more of an oversize fit, I got all mine in size M and they just drape over my body like a dream. When it comes to jumpers/ sweaters, I do like mine to be giving that “off duty look”. If you are interested in an oversize fit like me, then I would recommend these Zara ones to you. The only down side is that the colour selection is a bit “meh” but you will get the basic-non-fancy colours.
And who remembers I got the Acne Studios Canada Wool scarves last year? These come in so many different colours, like black (here), grey (here), pink (here) and camel (here). I got these in the “regular” size and not the narrow ones, because I like my scarves to feel like a blanket (the word cosy comes to mind). Let me give you a quick feedback on what I think about them. Though they are the star product of Acne Studios, they are made from wool, they feel quite rough to touch and they don’t feel soft. When they touch my neck, they do not feel comfortable. If you are interested to buy these and expect them to be soft, nah, don’t bother! But if you like a gigantic scarf and don’t mind the fact that it’s not that soft to touch, then go ahead. I personally would still keep using these but I am not going to repurchase other colours within the range as I don’t rate them!
Zara Cashmere Scarf HK$999
Check it out here
(Product Photo is from Zara Website)
Due to my experience with the famous Acne Studios scarves, Zara cashmere scarf got my attention after my sweater purchase. I bought this deep grey one and got it the other day! It’s much softer and comfortable around my neck than the Acne Studios ones. Right, Zara is not high-end, so the price of this cashmere comes so much lower than the Acne Studios’ ones as well. Who cares, for me, comfort comes before brand names because I need to feel comfortable in something to feel good. If I wear all branded clothing but I can’t feel comfy in them, that’s just going to irritate me throughout the day! Back to the Zara scarf, one thing I notice is that if you use this over a black top, your black top is going to be covered with fluffs. I don’t know how I feel about that yet and I will need to try it out some more in Paris before I can finalise my thoughts, so I will report back on this at a later date.
Right, quite a few of you watched my Zara try-on haul and suggest that I should buy my cashmere from the following brand instead.
Everlane The Cashmere Rib V-Neck USD145
Check it out here
(Product Photo is from Everlane Website)
Right, I immediately went onto the website and found that they do a really good selection of cashmere items, and there are so many different ones to choose from. I almost got really tempted, but then Emma Hill’s video came in at the right time to stop me. Basically, she bought a few items including the lovely cashmere jumpers, and she mentioned that they were quite short on her and they were not exactly soft. Since she always bought her cashmere from Marks and Spencer, so I know what she was comparing them to. Honestly, I know I wouldn’t like the shorter fit as well because I do have a long torso! I really had to thank Emma’s video coming in at the right time, otherwise I don’t think my bank account would be too happy. Check out Emma’s review on Everlan here, she does fashion videos and weekly vlogs. She has a very lovely and funny personality! I love her and go give her some love if you enjoy fashion – her style is very close to mine!
Figleaves Bliss Cashmere Tie Detail Hoody £160
Check it out here
One last brand/ store. You know I already got my cashmere V-necks and round necks so I was in a way all set for my Paris trip. However, one day I had a vision – wouldn’t it be cool to have a cashmere hoodie layering underneath a leather jacket and wouldn’t it be cool to have some cashmere lounge wear as well? Now you all know where I am heading to. What’s worse is that Lydia Millen did a collaboration with Figleaves and she has a whole video about their lounge wear (here), and OMG quite a few of them are cashmere! So that’s how I got to spend money before I head to Paris again! I got the above hoodie and it would be perfect for flights and layering underneath a leather/ jeans jacket. And I also got the following items as well.
Figleaves Bliss Cashmere Roundneck Jumper £160
Check it out here
Figleaves Bliss Cashmere Wide Leg Pant £150
Check it out here
Figleaves Camelia Soft Touch Button Through PJ Set £60
Check it out here
(Product Photos are from Figleaves Website)
The last photo of the PJ set is not exactly cashmere but since I am telling you what I got, I might just as well show you. I love a good PJ set and this style is right up my street, so I give them a go. Also, I seldom see any brands with cashmere in a good navy, so when I saw these, I was like “hell yea”! At this moment, I can’t tell you much about them, because as I am writing this, I still haven’t received them yet. But they will arrive before I head off to Paris and of course these new babies are coming with me. By then, I will be able to tell you if they are truly comfortable and amazing. So, be sure to stay tuned on my Facebook (here) and Instagram (@iamhakme), I probably will tell you what I think about these items briefly over there. And also, for a full blown Vlogmas series, be sure to check out my YouTube (here) in December. They will be all Paris related!
Gonna love you and leave you now. I hope this blog post sums up what my findings are on the more affordable cashmere options and I do hope that it would be a good reference point for you!
