Cashmere overcoats

Cashmere Overcoat Tailored: what cashmere actually is

Cashmere is the fine undercoat of a cashmere goat, combed out rather than sheared. The fibres are much finer than sheep’s wool and considerably shorter.

Fineness is why it feels the way it does: fine fibres bend easily against the skin instead of prickling, and they trap more air per unit of weight, so cashmere is warmer than wool for the same thickness.

Shortness is why it pills. Short fibres work loose from the yarn under friction and tangle on the surface. This is inherent to the fibre and not a defect in the cloth.

Where it is worth it

A cashmere overcoat is a genuinely different experience from a wool one. It is lighter to carry, warmer than it has any right to be, and it does not scratch at the neck.

It makes most sense as a coat worn over tailoring for meetings, dinners and travel, rather than as an everyday coat. If it spends its life under a laptop bag strap, you are paying a substantial premium for a fibre and then abrading it daily.

For that role, wool is straightforwardly the better coat.

The blend

For most people this is the right answer, and it is not a compromise so much as a better specification.

Ten to thirty percent cashmere in a wool base lifts the hand noticeably. It feels soft at the collar and cuff where you actually touch it, while the wool provides structure, weather resistance and resilience.

A blend coat holds its shape better than pure cashmere too. Pure cashmere is a soft cloth and soft cloth drapes rather than standing, which suits an unstructured coat and works against a sharply tailored one.

Colour and weight

Camel is the classic cashmere overcoat colour and it is beautiful. It also shows every mark, so consider how the coat will be stored and carried.

Charcoal and navy are more practical and still look luxurious in cashmere because the fibre has a subtle halo that catches light regardless of colour.

For weight, cashmere achieves the same warmth at lower weight than wool, so a 400 gram cashmere coat is warmer than a 400 gram wool one. Do not use weight alone to compare across the two fibres.

Care

Brush after wearing with a soft clothes brush. Hang on a wide wooden hanger so the shoulders keep their shape.

Use a cashmere comb on pills rather than pulling them off, which drags more fibre out. Dry clean sparingly. See cashmere for more on the fibre.