Shear Persistence : Cashmere isn’t even limited by season anymore. Now it can be seen by the pool, the beach and the barbecue.
Cashmere, long associated with the cool fall and winter months, is coming out of the closet for spring and even the warmer days of summer.
At TSE Cashmere in South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, they’re putting a new spin on cashmere. This season they’re taking it to the beach, the pool, the barbecue.
“People are starting to realize cashmere is not just for winter,” says TSE Cashmere manager, Sandy Yablonka, who sports cashmere year-round.
She says cashmere can weather the heat, especially when blended with cooling, breathable silk.
“Silk gives cashmere a lighter feeling when it gets hot,” Yablonka says.
Proof that cashmere isn’t just for bulky sweaters can be found throughout TSE: There are cashmere and cashmere-silk blend bra tops, shorts, hooded sweat shirts and even a cashmere tank-style bathing suit.
Why throw on a cashmere sweat shirt on a balmy August night? Because people love the feel of the fiber, explains Mary Kay Harrison, divisional merchandising manager for TSE Cashmere. The cashmere and silk blends feel feather light and luxuriously soft to the touch.
“During the summer, we lighten up a lot,” Harrison says.
Although it’s known as a luxury fiber, cashmere doesn’t have to be worn with pearls and high heels. Change the accessories, and a black cashmere T-shirt can be worn with sandals and shorts.
“People assume cashmere is something you dress up, but it’s not. You can wear a lot of these things with jeans and tennis shoes,” Yablonka says.
TSE’s spring collection comes in mix-and-match separates in muted spring colors, including sea green, sandstone beige, papaya peach, slate blue, black and white.
For men, there are cashmere-silk drawstring sweat pants for $312, long- or short-sleeved polo-style shirts for about $200, and long-sleeved rugby shirts, one version in periwinkle and sea green stripes for $190. TSE’s cashmere T-shirts and hooded sweat shirts for men can go from the tennis club to the night club.
The women’s spring collection features sleeveless turtlenecks, T-shirts, tank dresses and shorts. Women can pair the square-neck bra top in sandstone for $125 with matching shorts, or wear the navy bra top with a pair of navy sweat pants.
For day or night, pour yourself into a long slip dress in navy cashmere with side slits and a scooped front and back for about $300. For lounging by the pool, try a cashmere robe in sea green or papaya for $824. The women’s zip-up sweat shirt goes for $205.
“Throw it on when you’re down by the beach,” Yablonka suggests.
A ballet-neck cap-sleeved top in sandstone cashmere is an ideal choice for spring, while the racer-back tank in solid colors or bold black and white or indigo and gray stripes can be worn throughout a long, hot summer. Both tops are $135.
In addition, the navy bathing suit for $182 can be worn as a tank top under suits or paired with a straight skirt. When worn with shorts, a long hooded zip-up cover-up is perfect for Southern California beaches at $412.
It takes four goats to make a single cashmere sweater, which is one reason why the prized fiber commands a high price.
Most of the world’s cashmere comes from the Gobi desert of China, where the climate and high altitude provide the ideal habitat for cashmere goats, according to Harrison. Each spring, after the final frost, the goats are rounded up and their bellies combed for their soft fur.
Spring is also the time to beat the high cost of cashmere by picking up bargains on last fall’s merchandise, says Michael Wu, owner of Cashmere Elite in Fashion Island, Newport Beach.
“Most cashmere is very conservative and traditional,” he says. It seldom goes out of style after one season.
“In September everything will be new, and the prices keep going up.”
Wu also carries warm-weather cashmere such as crew neck T-shirts, tank tops and tank dresses. Cashmere Elite has ribbed, scoop-neck T-shirts in black, red and beige for $210, cashmere-silk pants with matching sleeveless tops, both about $200, in peach, navy or ivory, and a tank dress in flaming orange or black for $380.
Many of the lighter-weight sweaters can be worn to parties or dinner on cool summer evenings, Wu says. He has long tunic-style sweaters of lightweight silk/cashmere in sea-foam green or gold for $480 that, when worn with leggings, are just the thing for a sunset stroll on the beach.
Still, there are some summer clothes that may not be suitable for cashmere, Wu says.
“We’ll have to wait for a cashmere bikini,” he says.
