The Cashmere Checklist: What to Check Before You Buy
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Most scarves are bought on feel and returned on fit. Six checks, in the order that matters, will tell you more about a piece than any amount of touching it in a shop.
1. Start with the size, not the colour
Size decides how a scarf behaves. A 180 × 30 cm works under a coat collar; a 200 × 70 cm wrap is a different garment entirely. Decide how you will wear it first — our size guide lays out which dimensions suit which style — and only then choose the colour.
2. Read the fibre percentage
Look for a stated percentage: 100% cashmere, or a high figure such as 96% with wool for structure. "Cashmere touch", "cashmere-feel" and unqualified "cashmere blend" describe a marketing position, not a fibre. This piece covers the tests in detail.
3. Check the weight against the warmth
Pick it up. Genuine cashmere is warm relative to its weight because the fibre traps air in a fine crimp. If a scarf feels heavy and flat for its size, it is carrying more wool or synthetic than the label suggests — and it will feel colder outdoors than it did in the shop.
4. Look at the knit, not the finish
Softness can be sprayed on. What lasts is the knit: a dense, even structure that springs back when you scrunch it. Stretch a section gently and let go — good cashmere returns to shape. A surface that stays flattened was either loosely knitted or chemically softened.
5. Look at the edges and fringing
These are where cheap construction shows. Fringed ends should be evenly twisted and securely knotted; a woven hem should sit flat without puckering. On double-face and jacquard pieces, check that the two sides lie flat against each other rather than bubbling at the seam.
6. Ask what happens in month three
Every natural cashmere pills lightly at first, then settles. What you want to know is whether the piece still looks intentional after a season: does it hold its shape, does the colour stay even, does the fringe stay tidy. Fibre length is the hidden variable — the reason two identical-looking scarves age so differently.
The useful question is not "is it soft?" but "will it still be worth wearing in three winters?"
A quick in-shop sequence: size → percentage → weight-to-warmth → knit recovery → edges → care label. Two minutes, and it filters out most of what will disappoint you later.
Our cashmere collection lists the fibre content and exact dimensions on every product page, so you can run these checks before anything arrives.
Written by the Lanvelle team. Unsure between two sizes? Tell us how you wear it — service@lanvelle.com.