Brushed Cashmere Is the Knitwear Upgrade You Won’t Regret This Winter

Now that winter is officially wintering, it’s time for a serious wardrobe assessment. Because gone are the days—mild, forgiving-even, temperature-wise—when you can traipse around town wearing a leather bomber jacket. This week’s icy wind-chill factor has meant that a winter coat, obviously, is now mandatory, as well as layers (plural!) of thermals and knitwear. And while it can be rather brutal emerging into the cold, bracing yourself as you travel from A-B, there is one upside.

It’s officially the season of brushed cashmere, a plushly-textured variation on what might be the most sumptuous, not to mention warm, of the yarns. Rather like the spectrum of carpet piles, the difference between a classic cashmere jumper and brushed cashmere is the surface (the latter is less uniform, more tactile). As The White Company, who has several luxurious options in this particular department for winter, puts it as part of one product description: “Our brushed cashmere has a sensational feel—so tactile, ultra soft and cosy to slip into, with an almost soft-focus appearance.”

Stockholm’s Soft Goat is another brand that excels at brushed cashmere, with a dedicated category on its website that also includes alpaca. From short-sleeved turtlenecks with a slightly moulded appearance to elegant column skirts that couldn’t be cosier, it should be your first port of call.

The best way to wear brushed cashmere might be the most immersive option, with knitted items from top to toe (to wit, a ribbed bucket hat, a brushed-cashmere sweater, a mohair skirt, wool tights and, okay, sturdy leather boots right at the bottom).

Another is to offset its texture against a contrasting fabric, patent leather, say, or even sequins as it’s the season of goodwill. When M&S x 16Arlington dropped their hotly-anticipated collaboration earlier this month, the brushed-cashmere items looked almost delectably festive styled with silver-gilded pencil skirts.