Is J.Crew’s New ‘Premium’ Cashmere Better Than Its Regular Cashmere?
We’ve long recommended J.Crew’s cashmere. Our contributor Diksha Basu has called it “light, almost like muslin, but in a way that seems like magic.” Senior editor Hilary Reid says it can survive multiple dry cleanings with minimal pilling. “A lot of people come to our store just for the cashmere,” an employee told our former writer (and one-time J.Crew sales associate), Chloe Anello. I’ve been a regular J.Crew cashmere shopper for years, too. No matter what cashmere I try — Uniqlo’s, Quince’s, etc. — I always come back to J.Crew’s. So I was intrigued to learn that the brand’s original cashmere has since rebranded to “signature,” and new tiers called “premium” and “luxury” have been added to the women’s Cashmere Shop. Now, J.Crew’s cashmere weights are feather, signature, premium, and luxury — which are a light weight, a “just-right” weight, a medium weight, and a heavy weight, respectively. Plus there’s brushed, which is described as the brand’s “special fuzzy texture.” Unsurprisingly, the new weights cost more: The premium starts at $178 and luxury $278, compared with the signature’s average $148 price tag. Curious to see if there was a real difference in feel, I recently tried cashmere sweaters in every weight J.Crew offers. For reference, I’m about five-two and I’m wearing a medium unless otherwise noted.
Feather: The lightest and flimsiest of the bunch
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There are very few J.Crew featherweight (now shortened to “feather”) styles remaining in stock. Other than the Featherweight Cashmere Cardigan, the rest of the brand’s featherweight cashmere (the Featherweight Cashmere Relaxed Crewneck Sweater, Featherweight Cashmere Ribbed Sweater-Tee, Featherweight Cashmere Boatneck Ribbed Tank Top …) is nearly sold out (and in the sale department). That’s because, as a representative informed me, the fabrication is being phased out for the season. I understand why. You can really only get away with wearing it between Memorial Day and Election Day. (Reid believed the weight to be ideal “in that it’s warm but not too hot for the fall, and in the winter, I’ll layer a T-shirt underneath.”) Anything colder than 64 degrees and you’re going to be rubbing your arms and saying Brr in it. I found it okay for the unseasonably warm days we had in October. But now that daylight saving time is over, I think it’s just a little too light. And I found it to be near spiderweb delicate. I feared what would happen if a thread got caught in anything, and I noticed some pilling the first time I wore it. Again, I was being careful. Getting the size large was the right call, too, as I think the medium would’ve been too small. This way, it’s vaguely Agnès B. Snap Cardigan–y.
Signature: The cashmere you know remains on the thinner side
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I was worried the rebranded name meant something bad had happened to J.Crew’s signature cashmere. (Like when your favorite neighborhood restaurant gets a new owner.) Thankfully, this is the same dependable mall-brand cashmere I know and love. To be fair, it’s thinner than the premium, brushed, or luxury, but not as thin as feather. And the signature’s weight is on par with Quince’s and Uniqlo’s (cheaper) offerings — but J.Crew’s is softer overall, in my experience.It’s maybe not what you’re wearing in January and February, but in November, December, March, and April, it’ll be great. I ordered a Perfect Cashmere Crewneck earlier this year (pre–signature name change), and this Perfect Cashmere Crewneck seems basically identical. I only discovered a bit of slight pilling under the arms of the crewneck after wearing it with my Alex Mill Cambridge Jacket, likely due to friction with the boiled wool. It usually takes over a handful of wears for me to notice pilling on my J.Crew cashmere from years past. But my Dritz comb fixed this right up.
Premium: The best value for a reasonable amount of warmth
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J.Crew’s premium cashmere is a hair thicker than its signature, but the yarn itself feels heartier (and not at all delicate like the featherweight). It’s closer to the “just-right” weight J.Crew promises the signature to be. It keeps me from sweating and asking, “Is it hot in here, or is it just me?” repeatedly. Sometimes, you don’t need to be that warm — not if your prewar radiator has kicked in, at least — and this makes me feel warm but not warm warm. It’s even warmer than C by Bloomingdale’s cashmere (which I’ve previously described as feeling like you’re wrapped like a love letter in an envelope). Wearing this “premium” cashmere is the equivalent of turning the thermostat up to a sensible 71 degrees. I was happy with J.Crew’s signature cashmere, but after trying the premium, it’s all I want to be in for the next few weeks. I’d even be willing to pay full price, which ranges from $178 to $248.
Brushed: The most sensory-overload fabrication
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My least-favorite J.Crew cashmere fabrication is brushed. J.Crew used “longer fibers that are specially washed for an extra-fuzzy texture.” It’s like being nosed by a kitten’s whiskers. For someone with sensitive skin, it can be sensory overload. I couldn’t tell whether I was actually itchy or it was just the nature of the fibers. Another inconvenience is that those very fibers come off in little tufts (rather than standard pills). You’re going to want a lint roller on hand. Something else to note: J.Crew puts the brushed in the middle of the premium and the luxury on its cashmere-weight scale, but I’d say it’s between the signature and the premium.
Luxury: The perfect middle-of-the-winter weight
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To my great chagrin, I liked J.Crew’s most-expensive cashmere more than I thought I would. I wasn’t entirely sure the price tag — $278 — was warranted until I tried it on. There’s an immediate, noticeable difference between the luxury, signature, and premium cashmeres. This is a heftier, weightier, and chunkier knit. During every teeth-chattering morning in recent weeks, this is what I reached for. Even as someone who tends to run hot, I felt comfortable in it. With it, you’re more than ready for the next cold front — it’s the perfect middle-of-the-winter weight. It’s giving the Guest in Residence cashmere (which I wore an embarrassing amount of times last January) a run for its money. Part of what you’re paying for, too, is the craftsmanship, like wider, ribbed trims and cable detailing. That said, out of a sheer abundance of caution — given the price — I’d prefer getting it dry cleaned rather than trying to hand-wash it myself.
More cashmere we recommend
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The winner of writer Brenley Goertzen’s monthslong hunt for our next best sweater overall.
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Quince’s affordable, not-too-precious crewneck is a favorite of writer Arielle Avila’s.
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Uniqlo’s cashmere only gets softer after a couple of washings, according to Avila.
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