Something to live in...

I love a cozy sweater. Perhaps it comes from having grown up in a state like Maine. It's chilly for much of the year, and one is always in need of an extra layer or two. Of course, there is nothing quite like cashmere to make one's day more comfortable. Especially in its most basic form.

My earliest memories of appreciating the feel of cashmere didn't come from my mother, interestingly enough. It was my father who loved his cashmere sweaters and wore them, often with a shirt and tie, to work, and of course on the weekends. Cranberry, gun metal gray, Bermuda blue, soft yellow and the loveliest shades of teal, my father always had an enviable collection. V-necks and cardigans. His five daughters would beg for his castoffs, to no avail. He kept them in clear plastic boxes and stored them on the top shelf of his closet. I used to gaze up at them as a little girl, admiring all of the colors and counting them as if to keep track. 

I associate cashmere with comfort in the literal sense because of my father. I used to amble up on his lap as he read the Wall Street Journal in his den after dinner. It was my chance to have some time with my dad. We very rarely said anything. He was serious about reading his papers, but I would nestle myself in there and just listen. To the Henry Mancini in the background. To the turning pages. To the distant sound of my mother, cleaning up the kitchen. And I will never forget how soft his sweaters were...

Maybe because of his inspiration, I have always gravitated toward the more polished, yet comfortable men's styles when it comes to wearing sweaters ~ v-necks, boxy turtlenecks, roomy cardigans. There is something infinitely richer and more stylish to me when a sweater with a little weight to it is worn with casual ease. Elegant even.

That's an extremely tall order in the contemporary women's market today. Everything is over styled and under fitted, if you will. There is nothing worse to me than the indulgence of cashmere in a fitted, trendy piece. It's just not for me.

J. Crew, bless its heart, has finally answered my clarion call. The cashmere Boyfriend Sweater is a v-neck with a roomy cut. In other words, room to breathe and room to move. I love it ~ it's so much less uptight than its traditional counterpart, with a deep neckline that is wonderfully flattering and feminine. Available in basic colors like black, heather gray and camel, it's also available in great bursts of color like deep poppy and heather emerald, for $228.

Photo compliments of JCrew.com

Another delightful option is J. Crew's cashmere Isabel Sweatshirt. This is casual at its most deluxe, but with such yummy fabric and wonderful drape, it can jazz up any ensemble with ease. Available in an eclectic array of colors like caramel, dark poppy, navy, classic pine and heather nordic blue, it retails for $248.

Sweatshirt? Says who....

Photo compliments of JCrew.com