Sweater aficionados know that cashmere is the premium cold-weather fabric for its superior warmth and softness. The prized fiber is made from cashmere goats, whose cold home requires their coat to be extra thick and warm to survive. Once turned into thread, however, it can be woven or knitted into varying thicknesses. So no matter how you prefer your cozy — perhaps as a ribbed cardigan, or as a fitted pullover, or even a light, sleeveless shell — the ways in which you can layer and wear it are limitless.
The thing about cashmere, however, is that it’s expensive — it is a rare fiber, after all. With the majority of the world’s supply coming from goats specifically living in the Gobi Desert, there’s a relatively long-ish supply chain process linked to producing sweaters and the like. To that end, the best cashmere sweaters generally veer towards basic or neutral (for versatility’s sake) — and it's only fitting that they're often purchased as investment pieces. (On the flip side, if a style is too-good-to-be-true cheap, the sweater is likely sus or blended with other not-as-soft materials.)
With so many fashion retailers and brands throwing around the “100% cashmere” language around, it’s hard to sort out where to find the sweaters worthy of your hard-earned dollars. So, for this edition of Hype Machine, we scanned through countless sites to filter out the highest-rated cashmere layerables according to serious cozy-seekers like you. (And, while Uniqlo doesn’t partake in customer reviews, we feel the retailer’s collection of cashmere crewnecks still deserves an honorable mention here for its longstanding level of quality and affordability.) Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, click on to see the best cashmere sweater styles the world wide web has to offer.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. All product details reflect the price and availability at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Everlane The Cashmere Polo
The Best Polo-Style Cashmere Sweater
Polo shirts and half-zip sweaters are making a huge comeback this year — and this cashmere pullover satisfies both trends in one.
The Hype: 4.77 out of 5 stars and 124 reviews on everlane.com
What Cozy Seekers Are Saying: "I absolutely love this sweater. I was looking for something similar last year, so when I saw it here, I immediately bought it. I was nervous given I purchased it in haste, but I 100% don’t regret it."
Everlane The Cashmere Polo, $, available at Everlane
Jenni Kayne Cashmere Cocoon Cardigan
The Best Cashmere Cardigan Sweater
Though this cashmere sweater is on the pricier end, this very beloved, very luxurious Jenni Kayne ribbed cardigan is worth every dollar according to the designer's rabid fanbase.
The Hype: 4.9 out of 5 stars and 116 reviews on jennikayne.com
What Cozy Seekers Are Saying: "The coziest of coziest! There’s a reason why they call this cardigan a cocoon. It literally wraps you in warmth. It’s also extremely versatile — wear it buttoned, unbuttoned, tucked into jeans or pants, you name it and the sweater delivers."
Jenni Kayne Cashmere Cocoon Cardigan, $, available at Jenni Kayne
Anthropologie Alani Cashmere Mock Neck Sweater
The Best Mock Neck Cashmere Sweater
Not quite a turtleneck and not quite a crew neck, this cashmere mock neck sweater is an easy style to throw on during these in-between-seasons weeks. Plus, take a look at all of the vibrant gemstone colors!
What Cozy Seekers Are Saying: "Super snuggly! Love the way this sweater hangs on my body. Super soft and not too thick of a fabric. I'll most likely layer it with an undershirt during cooler weather. The floral pattern looks vintage and I'm super happy with my purchase!"
Anthropologie Alani Cashmere Mock Neck Sweater, $, available at Anthropologie
This comfy ribbed sweater is made from Madewell's Do Well materials, which includes 70% recycled cashmere and 30% recycled wool. So, while this isn't a hundo cashmere, you can still feel fuzzy-good that this sweater's kinder to the environment.
The Hype: 4.8 out of 5 stars and 12 reviews on madewell.com
What Cozy Seekers Are Saying: "I ordered this in a size up to have an oversized/slouchy feel, and it's perfect! I would definitely say it's true to size if you're going for a less slouchy look though. The color is exquisite, like the perfect taupe/oatmeal/cream color mix. I am six months pregnant and feel like this sweater, even with the slight crop, will be something I'll be able to wear throughout my whole pregnancy. Can't wait to pair it with some cute black jeans and a jean jacket!"
Madewell (Re)sourced Cashmere Ribbed Mockneck Pullover Sweater, $, available at Madewell
Free People Skye Cashmere Pullover
The Best Sleeveless Cashmere Sweater
If you're down with the sweater vest trend, but want to specifically invest in a lux cashmere style, this top-rated pullover from Free People is worth a look.
The Hype: 4.6 out of 5 stars and 10 reviews on freepeople.com
What Cozy Seekers Are Saying: "A delicious, sophisticated hug! I have come to love cashmere for its lightness and incredible warmth... as I am often chilled. This piece, though sleeveless, is like getting a beautiful hug when I slip it on. The red is vibrant, and the material is perfect for wearing alone or over a blouse/turtleneck. Dressy, classy, and fun! There is ample room and it flows and settles nicely. I ordered an XS and it was billowy and chic! LOVE IT!"
Free People Skye Cashmere Pullover, $, available at Free People
Naadam Cashmere Hoodie
The Best Cashmere Hoodie
If you lived in a baggy hoodie all throughout the pandemic and want to continue on your cozy-comfy journey, grab one of these hooded cashmere sweaters — perfect for cocooning your head from the cold air.
The Hype: 4.3 out of 5 stars and 170 reviews on naadam.co
What Cozy Seekers Are Saying: "I regularly start and end my day in this item! It’s my happy place, paired with the cashmere jogger in that beautiful spicy cinnamon color. Soft and luxurious, yet light. I feel like I’m walking naked with a cloud of warm softness around me!"
Since this tunic-style cashmere sweater covers your hips and butt, it's a great choice for keeping you extra warm.
The Hype: 4.8 out of 5 stars and 160 reviews on gentleherd.com
What Cozy Seekers Are Saying: "Beautiful thick cozy sweater! I love how it sits just a bit below your hip so you can pull up or down! Definitely a good buy! I will be wearing this sweater a lot this year!"
Gentle Herd Oversized Cashmere Turtleneck Sweater, $, available at Gentle Herd
Jennie Liu Women's 100% Pure Cashmere Crew Neck Sweater
The Best Cashmere Crewneck On Amazon
Amazon can be a hit or miss, but this cashmere sweater is certainly a hit according to 375 reviewers who rated this sweater an overall 4.4 out of 5 stars. If that doesn't pique your immediate interest, then one of its many, poppy colorways surely will.
The Hype: 4.4 out of 5 stars and 375 reviews on amazon.com
What Cozy Seekers Are Saying: "I bought three of these cashmere crew neck sweaters and they are the most luxurious treat to wear. It's like wearing a soft, gentle hug all day long. They are of excellent quality and they hold up well to cold water wash (in a garment bag), air drying, and light ironing. I expect them to last many years and to be a staple of my winter wardrobe."
Jennie Liu Women's 100% Pure Cashmere Crew Neck Sweater, $, available at Amazon
Quince Mongolian Cashmere Duster Cardigan Sweater
The Best Cashmere Duster Sweater
If you want your cashmere sweater to look, feel, and fit more like outerwear, this open-front duster is the perfect grab-and-go jacket for fall. And, like with all of Quince's cashmere, this style is made entirely from Grade A Mongolian cashmere.
The Hype: 4.9 out of 5 stars and 12 reviews on onequince.com
What Cozy Seekers Are Saying: "Have been looking for a sweater like this for months...cashmere is thicker than I thought it would be. Super soft, high quality, really neutral style that I'll wear constantly."
Quince Mongolian Cashmere Duster Cardigan Sweater, $, available at Quince
Mott & Bow Cashmere Oversized V-Neck Willow
The Best V-Neck Cashmere Sweater
Mott & Bow offers a few cashmere sweater styles, but this slightly cropped V-neck sweater just edges out the crew neck for its easy, over-the-head pullover fit and wear.
The Hype: 4.25 out of 5 stars and 21 reviews on mottandbow.com
What Cozy Seekers Are Saying: "Like the cut of this versatile cashmere V-neck. When it first arrived I put it on and didn’t want to take it off cuz it was so soft and comfortable. Not too thin or thick. Wear alone or under a jacket. Like where the V hits on my chest."
Mott & Bow Cashmere Oversized V-Neck Willow, $, available at Mott & Bow
Nap Loungewear Chunky Oversized Crew Sweater
The Best Oversized Cashmere Sweater
Just look at the super wide, boxy silhouette of this cashmere sweater! If getting swathed by cashmere goodness is your top priority, let this one envelop you in ultimate softness.
It’s the second Monday in September, which, were it any other year, would mean nothing but a typical return to the 9-to-5 grind. In 2021, however, it's fashion’s biggest night: the Met Gala. After 16 long months without bathroom photos and step selfies, not to mention the most extravagant of ensembles, the “Oscars of Fashion” are back for Anna Wintour’s in-list — or anyone who could afford an estimated $30,000 seat.
Following the first in-person New York Fashion Week since February 2020, this year’s Met Gala is all about American fashion. Separated into two exhibitions — “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” — the Costume Institute at NYC's Metropolitan Museum of Art will attempt to tell America’s history through fashion and answer the question, “Who gets to be American?” But, what does that mean for the red carpet? Political and societal commentary obviously plays a heavy role in the sartorial choices of this year’s Met Gala attendees to varying degrees of effectiveness, as are looks borrowed from the archives of America’s most famous designers from the past, like Stephen Burrows, Halston, and Oscar de la Renta. We were most keen to see which contemporary designers would be represented and, in a way, canonized, like Christopher John Rogers, Pyer Moss, Prabal Gurung, and more.
See all the most telling looks from the 2021 Met Gala red carpet, ahead.
Emma Chamberlain wearing Louis Vuitton
Emma Chamberlain is not messing around at her first Met Gala, where, of course, she chose to wear Louis Vuitton. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue.
Keke Palmer
Hosting the first Met Gala livestream at your first Met Gala requires one to dress the part — and Keke Palmer did just that (and more) in this high-neck-low-back gown. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue.
Ilana Glazer
Keke Palmer's livestream co-host, Broad City's Ilana Glazer, took a literal approach to American fashion for her Met Gala ensemble, wearing elevated camouflage (featuring feathers). Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images.
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“I’ve been going to Jacob Riis Beach ever since my friend, Kenyon Farrow, a Black, queer activist, brought me there in 2005,” said activist and filmmaker Tourmaline of “The People’s Beach” of New York City, located on the other side of Jamaica Bay from Brooklyn, the preferred summertime destination for queer, trans, gender-nonconforming New Yorkers looking to get their tan on. For lots of Riis regulars, that spit of shore is something special: “I can remember a time that I felt so uncomfortable being at the beach and not wanting to be looked at,” Tourmaline said. “I can remember being in the water and not wanting to get out because I was afraid of getting dirty looks. I wasn’t feeling sexy and powerful, so I would be in the water way past a point where I should have been.” For Tourmaline, Riis was instrumental in changing her mindset.
“I can remember a time that I felt so uncomfortable being at the beach and not wanting to be looked at. I can remember being in the water and not wanting to get out because I was afraid of getting dirty looks. I wasn’t feeling sexy and powerful, so I would be in the water way past a point where I should have been.”
Tourmaline, filmmaker and activist
On Sunday, the filmmaker-designer presented a collection of swimsuits and beachwear for girls who don’t tuck, trans femmes, non-binary people, and intersex bodies, a collaboration with beloved swimwear brand Chromat. Founded by designer Becca McCharen-Tran in 2008, Chromat is known for its dedication to inclusivity. The spring ‘22 collection only expanded on that commitment.
“There isn’t a collection that aestheticizes the beauty of trans girls and trans femmes not tucking,” Tourmaline told Refinery29 ahead of the New York Fashion Week show. “And there isn’t a collection that does that with package support for trans men who want to pack.” In creating this collection with McCharen-Tran for Chromat, the duo is bringing fashion to a whole new place.
To do so, Tourmaline and McCharen-Tran went through nearly every suit in the Chromat archives, going back over ten years and asking themselves a series of questions about each one: Does this work for you? Is this comfortable? If not, what would you change about it? Some suits, they discovered, were perfect as is, likely because McCharen-Tran has always tried to design beachwear that’s wearable by many. Others needed slight adjustments, like an additional inch of fabric in the crotch area for added support or room. “So there are new pieces and then there are essentially upcycled pieces,” said McCharen-Tran.
”I see this collection as the beginning of something bigger.”
Becca McCharen-Tran, founder of Chromat
Highlights from the collection, which was meant to embrace what Chromat calls Collective Opulence Celebrating Kindred, or “COCK,” include thongs with extra string that goes around the hip, shorts that are low-cut on the leg opening, a tennis skort, a netted micro mini dress, a thong monokini, and a string bikini that’s available in both a narrow and a wide version, among countless other pieces. Every single item in the spring collection is available in sizes XS to 4X. “I see this collection as the beginning of something bigger,” said McCharen-Tran, whose mission is to improve Chromat and expand its reach with each new collection.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 12: Chromat x Tourmaline Spring/Summer 2022 runway show at New York Fashion Week: The Shows on September 12, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Shannon Finney/Getty Images for Chromat)
In the democratic spirit of Jacob Riis, the collection was presented in a pop-up format that allowed beachgoers — Chromat’s actual customers — to be the audience, as opposed to New York Fashion Week’s standard crowd. (According to McCharen-Tran, Riis is where she’s seen the most Chromat suits in the wild.) There was no announcement, or anything to notify people that a show was to take place on the beach’s boardwalk. And yet, after the first model, Joshua Allen, descended down the concrete runway, the crowd more than tripled, with cheers coming from every direction.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 12: A model walks the runway during the Chromat x Tourmaline Spring/Summer 2022 Runway Show at New York Fashion Week on September 12, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Shannon Finney/Getty Images for Chromat)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 12: A model walks the runway during the Chromat x Tourmaline Spring/Summer 2022 Runway Show at New York Fashion Week on September 12, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Shannon Finney/Getty Images for Chromat)
Immediately following the finale, led by Tourmaline and McCharen-Tran, the models took to the beach, throwing themselves on a bed of pink towels before running toward the water. This time, decked out in Chromat’s spring ‘21 collection, there wasn’t a glint of fear about entering the water in a swimsuit, such was the case with Tourmaline years ago. “I think this is such a powerful way to know how important fashion is,” she said.
Freelance writer Jess Sims, who watched the show live from the boardwalk, agrees with Tourmaline. “We say the word ‘inclusivity’ and a lot of fashion doesn’t take it seriously,” she told Refinery29 after the show wrapped. “Chromat has been massively inclusive for over a decade now, and once again, has found a way to include another community in fashion — and fashion should be for everyone.”
McCharen-Tran is steadfast in her quest to turn that “should” into “is.” But even she acknowledges that her work isn’t perfect yet. Despite fit-testing every suit on Tourmaline, who provided detailed feedback for the designer, McCharen-Tran explained that she can’t say for certain that every single person will find a suit in the spring ‘22 collection that’s a perfect fit. Not yet anyway. “But that is always our goal,” she said.
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NEW YORK, NY – MAY 07: Rihanna at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Jackson Lee/Getty Images)
In the fall of 2019, Stella Wunder and Carol Tchiakpe, both 19, met in a Facebook group for NYU’s incoming freshmen class. Two drama majors with a mutual obsession with the Met Gala, the aspiring actors immediately hit it off. “The beginning of May, every year, we were both the type to be on our phones at our respective high schools, checking to see what everyone was wearing,” Tchiakpe told Refinery29. They became fast friends, and eventually decided to move in together mid-pandemic. When April came around, and Page Six and Vogue announced that the gala would be pushed back from its typical first-Monday-in-May date to September timed to the Costume Institute’s dual exhibitions — “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” — Wunder and Tchiakpe, intrigued by the theme, came up with a way to get in on the action.
“When we heard that the Met Gala was officially being scheduled, we were both like, Who’s going to be there? What are they doing to wear? Who’s going to flop?” said Tchiakpe. They began jotting down their thoughts on a notepad before quickly realizing just how many opinions they both had. So, they took to their apartment wall, color-coordinating Post-its in three different sections — American commentary, people who pay homage to an American designer, and those who missed the mark — with predictions for every supposed attendee’s outfit scribbled on them in permanent marker. Then, they documented it all on TikTok.
On May 5, Wunder posted a video to her TikTok account, @lungtimes, titled “Met Gala predictions part 1.” In it, the two roommates narrowed down their laundry list of questions to three big ones: who will be there, what they will wear, and how it will be received. Overnight, the video went viral.
“I thought maybe a couple thousand people would watch and I’d be like, ‘Oh my god, that’s so cool,’” says Tchiakpe. “And then suddenly the next morning, Stella was like, ‘It’s fully hit like a million views.’ And I was like, ‘Come again?’”
Four months later, that number has more than doubled, with two million views and more than 565,000 likes. In the wake of their viral video, Tchiakpe and Wunder posted the remaining three parts of their initial prediction, made the wall into a shareable spreadsheet, and even considered a podcast. Wunder posts regular one-off predictions about particularly buzzy celebrities like Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and Zendaya, the least successful of which still got more than 20,000 views. She’s often asked questions only Anna Wintour, the chairwoman of the Gala, could possibly answer — from info about the guest list to what said guests will be wearing — but her 51,500 followers don’t know that. To them, Wunder is an expert — one that’s using her personal opinions and knowledge of the gala, accumulated through years of fandom, to introduce millions to the “Oscars of Fashion.”
Wunder and Tchiakpe are planning a watch party for the night, inviting their followers to join IRL as well as digitally, and creating a virtual Met Gala experience that anyone can take part in. (And no, they’re not charging $30,000 per seat for theirs.)
But TikTok, a share-everything type of platform, couldn’t be more different from the uber-exclusive nature of the Met Gala. At the annual fashion benefit, phones are not allowed (though some enterprising guests have snuck them in and taken now-legendary photos that show more rule-breaking). Hell, until this year, Vogue had never live streamed the event in an effort to keep every aspect of the evening under lock and key.
“TikTok is going to change the world of media by granting access and reach to [talent] that wouldn’t normally have gotten it.”
Stella Wunder
But TikTok’s algorithm and content style are different from any other social media platform we’ve seen before. The Met Gala’s hush-hush and rule-bound structure could use some of TikTok’s levity, and its ability to make anyone an overnight sensation could prove to supercharge the event’s fame-making and trend-setting powers.
“TikTok is going to change the world of media by granting access and reach to [talent] that wouldn’t normally have gotten it,” Wunder says. For example, if the Met Gala was able to make or break a young designer before it was introduced to TikTok’s 100 million-plus monthly active users in the U.S., think about what it can do now that it has an all-powerful algorithm behind it, which can turn any small business into a crown jewel with just one video. The same goes for wardrobe and hair stylists, makeup artists, and even first-time attendees. If the two million people who watched Wunder and Tchiakpe’s Met Gala predictions were to rally behind a certain look from the night, it could reach viral Rihanna-at-Heavenly-Bodies status many times over, giving all those who played a part in the look on a digital pedestal.
Since we already know that Gen Z enjoys an underdog mission, especially when it comes to fashion, it’s likely that Met Gala fans on TikTok will root for looks that aren’t heavily publicized elsewhere, giving opportunities to those among the new guard at the event. And for the first time, TikTokers will have a platform to amplify their opinions in a way that could potentially be even more popular than the PR-filtered messages put out by the fashion establishment. Not only does this create an entirely new kind of Met Gala experience, it also democratizes the event, which is famously elitist and exclusive.
No, the 73-year-old benefit isn’t going to be overrun by TikTokers, nor will iPhones suddenly be allowed to vlog every detail of what happens inside. But the Met Gala in the age of TikTok is different, if only because it’s opened itself up to millions of new, young, and opinionated people, all of whom can get in on the action simply by posting their thoughts regarding the star-studded event, speaking about it in the same off-the-cuff way so many do on TikTok, in one 15-second video. It worked for two 19-year-old drama students who’ve been fangirling over the Met Gala since high school. What’s to say it won’t for you, too? (Just don’t forget to hashtag #MetGala).
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