January 13, 2025
It’s something we all need to do – wear what we already own much more frequently, and make certain that anything we buy will be worn a lot, for years and years…
In pursuit of making good decisions, I hear from you. A current dilemma seems to surround the idea of a cashmere sweatshirt – is it a sweatshirt, or a cashmere sweater? Do I wear with casually, or do I dress it up?
To which I respond? YES. Yes to all. Swing every which way with a beautiful sweatshirt, and wear it so often that it’s a comfortable “top of mind” starter for any outfit, for most occasions.
I have ideas starting with casual and ranging up to somewhat dressy. I’m going to share these without comment, so I can clearly hear your opinions:
Gray cashmere sweatshirt sweater – J.Crew; labradorite earrings – Zohreh V. Jewellery; scarf – Delinor; white oxford shirt – L.L.Bean; jeans – Alex Mill; weekender bag – Béis; sneakers – Naturalizer
Gray cashmere sweatshirt sweater – J.Crew; earrings – Kendra Scott; flannel shirt – L.L.Bean; backpack – Lefrik; boots – Miz Mooz; navy cords – L.L.Bean
Brooch – Latelita; earrings – Donatello Gian; gray cashmere sweatshirt sweater – J.Crew; ivory lace-trimmed blouse – Boden; navy wool pants – Alex Mill; bag – Zatchels; loafers – Munro
gray cashmere sweatshirt sweater – J.Crew; earrings – Latelita; silver scarf – Nordstrom; bag – La Regale; mules – Azalea Wang; silk pants – Alas
Earrings – Marie June Jewelry; gray cashmere sweatshirt sweater – J.Crew; scarf – Faherty; blue topaz bracelet – Charlotte’s Web Jewellery; denim skirt – Lands’ End; driving loafers – Samuel Hubbard
Herkimer quartz earrings – Child of Wild; necklace – Heaven Mayhem; scarf – Elizabetta; gray cashmere sweatshirt sweater – J.Crew; skirt – Banana Republic; ballet flats – Abeo
My fancy schmancy sweatshirt is a black hoodie – no zipper, nor kangaroo pocket. But it’s very roomy, quite thick, and has a hood (of course). Wearing a hoodie with a skirt is just the tiniest bit rebellious, in my heart…
love,
Janice
p.s. Ten years ago, we looked at a grey capsule wardrobe with grey accessories. I’ll bet THIS heroine owns a grey cashmere sweatshirt!
p.p.s. I’m about to finish The Death of Democracy by Benjamin Carter Hett. Everything you thought you knew about the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazism isn’t exactly wrong, but the events were much more complicated, and interesting.
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I’d love it and wear it. I have a marled grey chunky knit cowl neck which I wear at least once a week. I washed the other day. My husband noticed a hole right in the middle of the front. I’m not sure how I can mend it. 😪
Have a look on Youtube/Pinterest I’m sure you will find something to help. I had moths attack a cashmere sweater and although I’m no mending expert it looks pretty inconspicuous.
Mending and extending the life of loved clothes seems to be getting a very big thing in the UK and I recently saw someone on Instagram who makes a living out of artistically mending wool garments, absolutely beautiful work but out of reach of my budget I’m afraid!
My favorite maroon wool sweater was also viciously attacked by moths this year. I have mended it in the past, but I think it is beyond help now. I am trying to work up the courage to toss it. What can you do with a too holey but loved sweater?
Embroidery! There are books, FB groups, and YouTube on visible mending. I really regret ever having thrown out sweaters.
I’m not a very crafty person so embroidery has never been an option for me, but a few years ago I discovered needle felting for holes in sweaters, where you take a tuft of wool roving (loose wool before it’s spun into yarn), and then literally stab it into place with a special needle that’s inexpensive and easy to use (under the sweater you put a small foam pad — the wool becomes part of the fabric. It takes just a few minutes for each hole repair. Mostly I make polka dots, but those who are more adept and creative make hearts, bugs, flowers, etc. It has saved *so* many sweaters for me. You can see it here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DuyGqaHkOM
I’ll admit, I wouldn’t wear a sweatshirt-styled sweater for a dressier situation or with a skirt. I’d probably just get a more normally styled sweater, just a size or two bigger, which would make it feel more casual to me. I don’t feel the same way about a cashmere hoodie, and would gladly wear it with a skirt. And probably some chunky combat-style boots.
I actually have a cashmere hoodie too – mine is a cream cable knit and I love it, although I haven’t worn it since last winter when I was stuck wearing it for 5 days in a row due to a winter power outage during historically cold weather. I really need to get past that and put it back into rotation soon!
All of these are brilliant except not a fan of the last one. I like it with the denim skirt but not a full skirt. But then again I don’t like full skirts in general.
First of all, I love this idea. 100% transparency here, but I do not wear round neck sweatshirts. Ever. I have some cute 3/4 zips or zip ups that I’ll wear to yoga, or to do housework, but I just don’t wear them on a daily basis. However, I do have a gray cashmere v-neck sweater (also from J.Crew) that I wear constantly. For those of us who just aren’t sweatshirt wearers, I think a traditional, simple gray slim knit sweater could easily fill the void.
Now, onto the fabulous styling; love it all! I would wear every single one of these looks except for the dressy gray and white printed trousers. While I’m on the petite side, I do have thighs and print of any sort (especially in white) doesn’t work for me. However, I’d love to see a midi skirt in this fabric and style it exactly the same way.
This capsule would be so easy to jazz up with pops of pink too!
I had the exact same thought about the patterned pants. Give me a slim maxi skirt in the same and I’d rock that outfit too.
Love these looks I am trying to wear what I have in new ways and not buy more
Do you think I could use a gray cashmere cardigan as a substitute…maybe wear it button up and backwards?
Sure, why not? I see similar styling in the Sezane website all the time. I jut wouldn’t want a sewn-in label.
Ok, I’ll admit it – in my head, turning cashmere into a sweatshirt is a sad waste of a gorgeous fabric. With that said, I just clicked on practically every link here – you found some really excellent things! I’d cheerfully wear a traditional sweater with quite a lot of these outfits. I have a longer grey cashmere mockneck that’s been a favorite lately – cozy as a sweatshirt, but much more polished.
I think for someone with a casual lifestyle, who would actually feel comfortable wearing a sweatshirt, this sweater could be a workhorse. Dressier yet still familiar and comfortable. If the person would feel out of place or weird in a sweatshirt, then no, I would give it a pass. That said, I like all the more casual outfits. No, I like All the outfits, but can only see myself in the more casual ones.
I received a cashmere hoody in a beautiful camel color for Christmas. I’m not sure I would style it dressy, but I do wear it a lot!
I have a grey sweater a lot like that–merino wool from JCrew, with sweatshirt-style pockets, very warm. (Found it at a thrift store, couldn’t imagine why anyone would NOT want it.) I will wear it today (with jeans and a denim shirt) in honour both of your post and the heavy snow that’s keeping me from going out this morning to pick up a library hold.
I’m not a sweatshirt fan, but I have a wonderful charcoal sweater that is slightly oversized and a touch more casual that would work wonderfully in almost all of these outfits. Perfect ideas for a wardrobe for my next travel debate tournament with Son coming up soon. I would skip the patterned pants, maybe add a bright accent color. I’d definitely wear the denim skirt outfit with my navy ankle-high cowboy booties.
I am not a fan of hoodie sweaters. I have two that I lwould ike, except I hate how the hood pulls the neck back. I constantly feel like I am choking, so I’m constantly pulling them down in front. I’ve never heard anyone else complaining about this, so I guess its a “me” problem.
Laurie, my grandmother, my mother, and I all hate/hated having anything tight around our necks. You are not alone! I would have the same problem with a garment that needed to be pulled down constantly.
I have been thinking about buying a cashmere sweatshirt, this may have decided me!
On another note of possible interest to others: I bought a gray cashmere t-shirt from Quince a few years ago. It’s a great three-season piece and good quality (unlike some of the things I’ve bought there) but the gray was the wrong shade and washed me out, so I rarely wore it. I thought about getting rid of it and buying a blue one, but all they had was cobalt (also not a good shade for me, though I love it). Rather than give it away I decided to try dying it. At first I felt guilty at possibly ruining a sweater I “paid good money for,” and then I realized that if I’d bought it used the idea wouldn’t bother me at all– and it was used, by me. I think that sometimes in efforts not to waste things, we overestimate their value–there are millions and millions of sweaters in our country alone. “Ruining” one is not a sin. Anyway, I dyed it a dark blue and it came out a light, muted blue that is perfect for me. I spent about $3 for the dye and have a lovely cashmere sweater.
HOWEVER–anyone trying this should know that dying takes immense amounts of water. I had to rinse it over and over and over (talk about feeling guilty for waste) and some dye still comes out when I wash it by hand a few times a year. And when you dye a colored garment, you don’t know how the color will come out in the end. It’s a lot of work and water for a gamble. if you’re curious–some people dye things all the time–give it a try! But I think that will be my one and only foray into dying garment.
Wow. I love everything. New favorite post.
I don’t mind wearing sweatshirts, but I agree with Laurie T I am not a fan of hoodies – I have a couple and never wear them. If my son hadn’t given them to me, and if they didn’t have his AirForce squadron image on it I wouldn’t keep them. Not only do they pull the neckline up, but I’m never quite sure what to do with the hood when I have a coat on over the hoodie. No matter what I try it doesn’t work for me. All that being said, I would wear a “regular” sweatshirt in any of the ways above. I have a patterned scarf in gray, light blue and burgandy I usually wear with my gray sweatshirts to spark them up a bit.
One of my favorite posts, too. Many great ideas. I would want to find a medium gray cashmere sweatshirt with straight shoulders, and not heathered. Then I could run with most of these ideas. And, although I have a lot of navy and gray clothes, I don’t tend to wear them together. Seems too masculine? Not sure. I smiled when I read the post about hooded cashmere sweater/sweatshirt. I bought a navy one in 2023 at Macy’s black Friday sale and LOVE it. Finally, on the theme of ‘Wear What You’ve Got,’ I pulled out a hooded velour set yesterday (please don’t laugh) and enjoyed many compliments and cozy hugs. It will come out to play again next Sunday.
I like these outfits, but I find it’s the grey that I have a hard time getting over. The sweatshirt-style with the grey feels too athletic to me. I would prefer this be with another neutral – black, navy, camel or even olive.
Speaking of wearing something a lot – how is your Oliver Charles sweater? An update on that would be very welcome. I’d like to know all the different ways you are wearing it.
I love all these outfits – except my gray cashmere would be merino. I love the combinations. Gray and blue? yes please . . .
Agree with issues with hoodies – the necklines pull in such a way that I just can’t do it . . .
As for dying wool (or cashmere), there are dyes specifically for wool and silk – which adhere differently that dyes made for plant-based fibers. That may be why there was a difficulty in the dye washing out. But it’s worth it if you can continue to wear an item rather than discard it!
Another great post with interesting ideas. I personally would not spend money for this sweatshirt. I am sure the cashmere would make it cozy and warm but I am hard on clothes and sweatshirts, for me, are worn around home doing lots of jobs, like cleaning, gardening, grooming dogs etc. I do not see myself putting this with a skirt unless it was a v neck, then maybe, but more likely I would just opt for a regular sweater. However, one of my goals this year is to try and wear everything in my closet before buying more clothes, so this post has given me some great ideas for other items I own. Happy Monday everyone.
For the last 20+ years, the cashmere hoodie/sweatshirt has been the clothing item that represents best to me how women in Silicon Valley technical careers (like my sister) thread the demanding, rigid dress code needle of that work environment: obviously casual, a bit expensive, not too feminine.
In these flat lay images, this particular piece looks almost aggressively casual – grey color, heather texture, raglan sleeves, the standard crewneck with that triangle notch thing – very old-school gym sweatshirt, just in cashmere. But in the model photos on the retailer site, it does look much more like a sweater with some aspects of sweatshirt design; it appears to have a much finer gauge knit than I was expecting, for example, which gives it more of the drape you expect from a thin sweater.
For a cashmere sweatshirt-sweater than leans more sweatshirt, I think the more casual, daily wear options above look great, but I don’t know that you can really “get away with” wearing it for a dressier occasion where it will just blend in. In those cases, it will definitely have that street-style juxtaposition vibe…which could be perfect for you/the situation or could feel very off. This seems like the case where the disparate levels of refinement between the sweatshirt and the rest of the outfit maintains a “casual + dressy” look, not one where the pieces blend into something in between or the sweatshirt is elevated by the rest of the look. The sweatshirt is going to feel like an outlier and the combination is going to make a statement. I personally would style it with a mix of casual and dressy, not as the one casual piece in an otherwise dressy outfit, to drive home the intentionality of the juxtaposition.
For a cashmere sweatshirt-sweater than leans more sweater (esp. fine gauge), I think it could work well in a dressier outfit, though perhaps not a very dressy one, as well as fine in nice-casual situations, much of business casual, etc. In very casual situations, I think it’s just going to read as a cashmere sweater, which may or may not feel/look right.
Overall, with the sweatshirt-that-looks-more-sweater, I’m not sure why you would choose the sweatshirt-sweater version over just the sweater version, though, unless there is something about the little details or the fit that checks your particular style boxes. Of course, J Crew is one of those retailers that likes to position their models in ways that make it very difficult to gauge what the thing really looks like (and of course, it’s easy for things to look oversized and drapey on the typical model, so not a great representation of the fit at all, unless you have a similar body type/size).
I mean, I can imagine a heroine who is comfortable with sweatshirts but leery of dressier pieces maybe seeing this as a step up from her usual, where the sweatshirt aspects are reassuring in some way. But I don’t see this kind of piece having the same effect for a heroine who is comfortable with cashmere sweaters looking for a slightly more casual version, you know? I don’t want to overstate it, but when I look at the J Crew images…well, I don’t know…it looks kind of young and cheap to me for cashmere??? I hope that’s just a how-it-looks-on-screen thing and not a reflection of the actual garment (obviously you’d evaluate this in person). But since I haven’t shopped for cashmere in 10 years or so (longer in retail than secondhand) and I always tended to prefer a more substantial knit than this, maybe this is just what cashmere looks like in 2025. Maybe it’s not quite as “nice” as the cashmere in my head. (For the record, as I’ve aged, my dry sensitive skin can no longer tolerate the itchiness of any kind of wool, including cashmere, so I don’t really pay attention to it to have a recent point of comparison.)
In sum, I’d say this is exactly the kind of piece you really need to put through its fit and styling paces before you commit to keeping it because it’s unusually difficult to make heads or tails of how it will really function in a heroine’s particular wardrobe. Of course, we should do this most things we purchase! But I feel like this is the kind of piece that you could buy thinking will work for XYZ but discover too late that it really, really doesn’t. I’d want to contextualize the heck out of this thing before deciding I’m going to keep it.
Ugh, “young and cheap” sounds really snobby, which I didn’t intend. I think it’s something about how thin and insubstantial it looks to me in the model images makes it seem lower quality than the $168 price tag suggests and thus geared toward younger shoppers who grew up in the very casual era of fashion/style and are used to fast fashion quality. Of course, seeing the sweater in person, I might change my mind 100%. (In which case I would tell the people at J Crew that their website is doing their clothing a major disservice by making it look less appealing than it is!)
Sally in St. Paul. I didn’t really pay attention to where the sweater was from. Details details. Then I read your post and realized it was J Crew. I have a number of J Crew cashmere sweaters. Just saying, I always have to go up one size (because I like my things loose fitting) and they are not the quality of some. The best cashmere sweater I have is a zillion years old and bought at Macy’s. The J Crew sweaters are probably third, with LLBean coming in the middle. I will also say though, that I am easy on clothes, so the fact that the J Crew sweaters are not as thick and sturdy as some doesn’t really bother me as at that time the price point was also doable.
Thank you, Janice, for the very timely book recommendation, and also for the non-Amazon link. I’m in Canada and found the e-book version on Kobo for just $6.99 so it will be my treat of the week…