cuttingpiecesLA: Autumn Throw Down:All about cashmere

I admit it, I don't like fall. Charlotte is a redhead and likes Autumn but I am a blond and all about summer, and I hate seeing all those yummy summer colors go away and be replaced by "earth tones". But the one thing I like about the fall..CASHMERE! Throws on every sofa and chair. I admit, I'm obsessed, I buy often and I have been burned by cheap cashmere and the dreaded blend. Just don't buy the blend. If it ain't 100% cashmere, it ain't cashmere. The best cashmere comes from the western hemisphere, where the goats are combed, and not shorn, because cashmere is the down(like duck down.. get it?)The cashmere goats produce a double fleece, the best is the undercoat. When the goats are shorn, more hair gets mixed with the down and it isn't as soft.And never buy Shatoosh,purported to be the softest cashmere in the world, even if you can afford it. Its falsely claimed to be naturally collected hair of the Tibetan antelope, but they are hunted and slaughtered for their chin hair. You might as well wear Siberian Tiger skin!It's illegal to import to the States now, but still available in Europe and around the world.

There's a lot of cashmere out there right now, and there are some good bargains to be had. This is what I found this morning.

above from Bloomingdale's.$275 in these colors...Blech. Too expensive, boring choices.(There's cardboard in there plumping up the layers!)
below from overstock.com $99 yes! virtually identical to Bloomies.