What could cheer up the prospect of autumn more than the arrival of new-season Chinti & Parker? Not much. The ethically-produced cashmeres and woollens are now routinely joined by dresses, skirts and blouses (not to mention easy-to-steal menswear). Feast your eyes… (more…)
Breaking news: those fabulous Chinti And Parker initial sweaters are now in the sale at half price on Net-a-Porter-com. I have the N one and can’t recommend it highly enough. In other Chinti And Parker news, there’s a great AW13 collab getting ready to drop in a couple of weeks with Patternity. The Chinti And Parker Meets Patternity collection comprises ethically-produced jersey separates, plus knit pants, dresses and sweaters in C & P’s signature cashmeres and Patternity’s geometric graphics. (more…)
The navy cashmere sweaters come in one size, which on me is suitably slouchy (I’m a UK 8), and are perfect for weekend afternoons out and about when you want to be warm enough but not bundled in a dozen layers. I usually stick to plain navy, black or grey knits but the contrast of navy with winter white results in a much-needed brightening effect on dull skin. At £350 these aren’t cheap, but they’re made in Italy from Italian cashmere and Chinti and Parker prides itself on its ethical practices.
I also asked about my cashmere bugbear – bobbling cashmere. Chinti and Parker’s Anna Singh’s advice is to “invest in a debobbler. Contrary to popular belief, high quality cashmere still bobbles over time. Our designer uses a blunt razor to keep hers nice and smooth, stretching her sweater out on an ironing board, but even she admits to the odd mishap, so a debobbler* is best.”
*UPDATE: Thank you lovely Amanda from The Womens Room blog for recommending the ‘John Lewis clothes shaver‘ for debobbling duties…
** Typically, it’s currently out of stock