As much as we adore summer dress season, the cooler weather that arrives with the dawn of every autumn undoubtedly provides the better outfit opportunities. There’s nothing better than piling on the knitwear ahead of a fresh, autumnal walk – and cashmere is, without a doubt, the most luxurious layer of them all.
Rewind a decade or so, and the words “affordable” and “cashmere” were not synonymous in any sense of the word. Far from it, in fact – a totally impossible oxymoron, with the best cashmere sweaters costing hundreds (if not thousands) of pounds.
At the likes of Prada, Dolce & Gabbana and The Row, you can easily pay upwards of £1,000 for a cashmere jumper or cardigan. Why? The very finest cashmere is crafted from Grade-A fibres that come from the cashmere goats’ bellies in the spring. The fibres here are the longest and the softest of them all, holding their shape over time and seldom pilling (read: going fluffy or “bobbly” on the surface).
But we don’t all want to remortgage our house to slip into a sumptuous cashmere knit as we work from home. Luckily, the fashion world has made strides in the cashmere arena of late, and today, bagging yourself a good-quality and long-lasting cashmere knit on the high street is entirely possible. If you know where to look. Upper-tier high street labels and mid-range designers have begun to combine these aforementioned Grade-A fibres with lower quality hairs (or wool/polyester/Nylon) to strike the perfect balance between cost and quality.
Nowadays, expensive doesn’t have to mean mean less durable or less soft – and these high street stores prove it. We’ve searched high and low (and quizzed GLAMOUR Editors on their favourite cashmere knits) to whittle the high street’s cashmere offering down to 16 luxurious affordable cashmere pieces.
Where to buy the best affordable cashmere:
Wondering which high street stores our favourite affordable cashmere comes from? Whether you’re on the hunt for a cashmere sweater, cashmere cardigan or a cosy AF pair of cashmere lounge trousers, these are the stores you should be making a beeline for.
Mango reigns supreme in the colour-pop cashmere arena, while Arket’s crew-neck cashmere sweater has – in a whole plethora of ever-changing hues – sold out season after season since its launch. If you ask us, their roll-neck recycled cashmere jumper is now giving it a run for its money. COS is our go-to for affordable cashmere vests, trousers and cardigans, while Uniqlo has cemented itself as the server of the softest cashmere (at the most affordable price) around.
