I have a reputation for being obsessed with looking after my clothes. Everything has the right hanger, box or covering. Some items are best folded up in a drawer with a more than substantial amount of moth repellent; important shoes are kept in their original boxes; and I separate my tights from my neatly matched, rolled-up socks. I like to make things last and enjoy fussing over my precious items, new and old.
One thing I still don’t really know how to look after, though, is cashmere. How does one wash cashmere at home? Is that a fashion crime? Should your cashmere sweaters go in the freezer or something? Are there especially evil moths that will just come for my cosiest knits at a certain time of the year? How long can I wear a cashmere sweater for and expect it to last or look passable? Questions, questions!
Well, someone who basically speaks cashmere, Anna Singh, co-founder of Chinti & Parker, kindly gave me the answers. So here’s her expert guide to caring for your cashmere pieces, which highlighted quite a few things I’ve been doing wrong over the years…