BATTLE OF THE CASHMERE SWEATERS; Is Fast-fashion Up To The Challenge¿

Hey everyone, welcome back! Today we have round two of our fast fashion fight. Back in March I did a video like this talking about trench coat options at accessible prices from fast fashion brands and kind of compared them to see what was worth it, what was not, what were we compromising in terms of cost and what quality we were getting back and you guys seemed to really like it so I thought I would do a second round with cashmere. Cashmere is a very, I would say, wide subject nowadays. You can have something for 90 bucks but you can also find something that costs 2,000. These are not going to be Loro Piana ultra luxury level of cashmere but I do think that they are acceptable so just keep that in mind. Second caveat, I'm pregnant, she said for the thousandth time on youtube, so the fit of these on my body are not really real life renditions so I really took into consideration the photographs and the pictures that these brands have on their websites. I will sort of describe the fit a little bit, I did try them all on, they all fit but I think the bump kind of is a little misleading, so don't consider this a try on, it's more of a review if you will. So let's begin with the most affordable option we have today from Uniqlo. Uniqlo cashmere has been a coat favorite for a long time, not only because of the price but also because of the array of colors that they have, for the quality that they manage to deliver with that price point. I think it's a nice compromise, it looks sturdy, looks robust, you can see the ribbing is quite well done, you don't have a lot of irregularities, if you hold this against the light you also don't see patchiness on the wool which is nice, you also don't see a little bit boxier which reminds me of the trench coat from Uniqlo that we saw last time, every piece from Uniqlo will usually have that kind of boxier, kind of androgynous japanese cut to them, so it is to be expected if you want something that's a bit more form-fitting, perhaps size down, but for a basic cashmere I think it's totally acceptable as an option, I love the color range as well, they come out with beautiful cerulean blues, they have beautiful pinks and purples, very, I would say, refined in terms of color palette, the biggest downside though for this piece, and I have read this online on multiple reviews, is the fact that it is a little bit itchy more than all of the others that I'm going to show you, so if you're looking to wear this sweater on its own, by itself as a top, without anything protecting your skin underneath, you will get that prickly feeling, I mean cashmere is not supposed to be completely smooth, if you find cashmere that is too smooth it means that it's probably been treated in some way, especially if it has a lower price point, but the itchiness does make me wonder what part of the goat's hair they've used, so probably something that is a little less premium, a little less soft, but you can always wear a little layer underneath and be fine with it, I do think that for what you're getting the price is pretty unbeatable. Second option at $119 is from H&M, I have to say that from all of the ones that I'm showing you, this one is my least favorite, it's the one that arrived with most creasing, which with cashmere is usually not a good sign, cashmere is supposed to actually be almost crease free, so this already gives me kind of a bit of doubt about the quality of this cashmere, it's also weirdly smooth and soft for the price point, which makes me a little suspicious and leads me to believe they've probably covered the cashmere with some type of treatment, of softener, of product that gives it that touch and feel, but that probably won't last after a few washes and will kind of mess with the quality of the yarn. It is the finer of all of the sweaters that I'm going to show you, it is sold as a fine knit sweater, but I think that when we're buying cashmere we want something that is cozy, something that is going to get us through the winter, and this is not it, they do have another option on the website that is a bit thicker, it looks like at $159 if I'm not mistaken, but very similar to this one, it's extremely wide, extremely baggy, extremely oversized, so really limiting in its fit, it also has that wide neckline which is present here as well, and you can see that it's very wide, not really well made, the ribbing seems a little flimsy, so I do think that after a few washes this will start to look wonky, just to give you a comparison between the two ribbings, you can see that Uniqlo is much better produced, I just feel like this won't last as long, from it just being on the hanger I can see a little bit of peeling, which is not a great sign, if you want to know if cashmere is going to peel you can do this test directly inside the store, start rubbing it together and if it starts peeling you know that with wear it will sort of give you that same effect, imagine it times a thousand, which is how many times you move arms and legs during the day, and you can see that it is already forming a peel, so for the price difference if you're looking for something that is affordable, like truly around the hundred dollar mark, I would absolutely go for Uniqlo and leave H&M, and then we get into our third option which is from Mango, and I think that this comes at $1.99, which begins to be a little bit steeper, I would consider Mango kind of similar to Uniqlo, Zara, so the 200 mark really has to give me something, really has to deliver an extra detail or quality or just something that is going to justify that price, and it looks pretty decent, I would not compare this to H&M, I would compare this a lot more to Uniqlo, but it is way softer, way smoother, way more soft and delicate and gentle on the skin, but it is a hundred bucks more expensive, so you start to get the feel that if you want that cloud-like quality cashmere, you do have to spend a little bit more. You can see that it is quite well made, it does have a weight to it, which is a good kind of little telltale sign for cashmere, the ribbing is really well made, you have the fully fashioned knit marks, which is basically when you see detailing like this, do you see that? There are the little kind of knit closure, so it's not a piece that's been cut and sewn together, which basically means that the sweater was knit in its entirety, so not only the material, the body, but also in the closings of the seams, it's very smooth if you look inside, you can see that it is an integral knit, it's not something that's been sewn together with needle and thread, takes more time, takes more material, which when you're paying 200 bucks you expect, it does have a bit more of a refined finish than the other ones that I've shown you, those are more basic, this one is a bit more premium. One little point that does worry me about this sweater, I don't know if you can see this, can you see it? Where it's been folded there is a slight curve, which could be a sign of this yarn not being resistant enough. When you buy cashmere, when you're spending your hard earned money on a more luxurious fabric, you want it to last forever. Cashmere that is high quality, if you kind of tug at it, if you stretch it, it will spring back immediately. It's actually a test that you can totally do in a store, so if you're buying your cashmere, don't be afraid, don't be embarrassed, do the peeling test, do the tugging, see if it springs back into shape, if it passes those tests, then you can actually consider buying it, but don't feel intimidated by salespeople, by people looking around, it's your money, you spend it on what you want and what you want is high quality cashmere. But now that I am sort of pulling on it and stuff like that, it doesn't seem to have that problem, so it might be a construction issue rather than the quality of the cashmere, so maybe another piece that is just like this one won't have that same bend, but just keep that in mind. The fit of this is slightly boxy, good for layering, not too oversized, not too frumpy, if you want it to be a little bit more fitted, just like with the Uniqlo, size down, you'll be okay. Is this a decent option? Yes, but for $200, it doesn't seem to be worth it, whereas this one from Kos at $250, and I know we're kind of getting up there in price, but this is gorgeous, I do have to say that this might be my favorite, although it is $50 up from the Mango, where you get the fully fashion marks, you can see here, for instance, it's a very simple type of technique, whereas with Kos, look at that, it's just beautifully done, you can see that it's not lazy, it's not done in a rush, everything aligns beautifully, I love that the ribbing, again, very regular, not too wide, not too tight, it took more yarn to make, it took more effort, more know-how to make, so you end up getting a piece that is in another category. It's definitely smoother, softer, heavier, so you know, again, that you're getting that density of fabric in that same size, but within the weaving of this piece, you're getting a lot more material, you can even see up close, I'll try to film this, I don't know if you can see the thickness of that weaving compared to the Mango one, do you see that? This is a forever piece, this is something that it's going to last, it's going to give you that warm feel, it's going to keep you warm, it's going to serve its function as a cashmere sweater. I see that the little fluff is shorter also, compared to the other ones, so peeling will probably not be as much of a problem, or it will take longer to peel every cashmere peels, just so you guys know, but if your cashmere is peeling too much, it means that the fiber that have been used is shorter, so you are starting to get friction around those fibers, shorter fibers means cheaper fibers, which means not great quality, you don't want to have to comb your sweater every time you wear it, and I think that that situation would be avoided with this one, just like with basically all the other ones, it does have a looser fit, so if you want this to be more streamlined, a little bit more sleek size down, but this is a cloud, a cloud of luxurious cashmere that I do think is worth the 250, if you have them in the bank. Last but not least, Massimo Gucci This one comes at $259, so very in line with the COS ones in terms of price, and I have to say in terms of weight, their similar COS is a little bit heavier, but when you look at the quality of Massimo Gucci, the smoothness, the overall shape and feel, construction, everything looks top-notch I think this is the most beautiful one in terms of fit, if you're looking to wear this in a multitude of ways, it has the v-neck, which is something that I usually don't go for, but with cashmere, given that it is plush and luxurious and beautiful, I think it just it's a nice thing to show a little bit of skin around this area, beautiful with the necklace for instance, it has the dropped shoulder kind of giving you that curve, it also has a thicker waistband, which is great for making it a bit more form-fitting, a bit more feminine in terms of silhouette, has a very clean finish, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of this guy here, but you can see that it is very well made, everything looks straight, everything looks as it should, there is no peeling, very similar in quality, it is a bit finer, so if you don't want too much chunkiness, which I wouldn't consider this so chunky, but this is a bit more refined, in my opinion this looks very high-end, has beautiful draping around the body, you can see that it falls in a very smooth, very ethereal way, if I had to choose between the Cos and the Massimo Ducci, I would go with Cos, because it does seem like it took more material, more technique to make, and it is a bit more versatile in terms of shape, it's that classic crewneck sweater, but if you're looking for something that is just divine, in terms of cashmere, I think this is beautiful! This is it everyone, I think we have a pretty good round up here, if I had to pick winners, I would go for Uniqlo, even though it is a little bit itchy, it's under a hundred dollars, and compared to H&M that has a similar price, to me it's not even the same category, this could be made out of a cheaper material, and I would respect it more, the Mango one we are already getting into $200 territory, which for fast fashion really needs to deliver me something extra, something that it's going to justify, otherwise I will just go a little bit higher and opt for the, in my opinion, winner of this challenge, which is Cos, Cos has some beautiful pieces always, if you're looking for something that is affordable, not cheap, but that has the right price for what they're delivering, without being too much, you can find beautiful treasures at Cos and this sweater is one of them, and Massimo Dutti takes the prize for beauty queen, because this is gorgeous, but if I had to choose one, I would go with Cos, this baby is going to last a lifetime, it's going to keep you warm in winter, it's going to allow you to wear it with a bunch of different things in your wardrobe, being this neutral shape and shade, looks high-end, feels high-end, just like cashmere should, this is it everyone, this is my little cashmere roundup, I know there are other brands that are also favorites when it comes to affordable cashmere, like Quince, like Natum, even Gap I've heard has some good cashmere, I don't get those brands here in Europe, so unfortunately I could not try them out, if you have though, leave a comment down below, just so that we know if they are worth the hype or not, if you don't have any cashmere in your wardrobe, I highly recommend you adding something, I know that it might seem costly and out of reach, but as I was saying in the video, cashmere has durability to it, which means that vintage secondhand cashmere are usually still in pretty good shape, so do your little research, go out to the little boutique or to the secondhand market online and try and find those pieces that are perhaps from known brands that usually would go for 400 or 500, but that will usually have a much more decent price if previously worn, unlike a lot of materials that with time really lose their magic and their freshness, cashmere does have the power of durability, so you will probably be able to find some beautiful pieces that have been preserved and that look good as new to this day, thank you guys so much for watching and we will see each other again next time, bye-bye!