Millys Uneducated Guide to Natural Fibers
The first step to enjoying the freezing cold and embracing your inner Ghengis Khan.
Here’s the thing.
I. Love. The. Cold.
We all know this.
I also happen to love BEING cold; nothing brings me more joy than the frozen rigidness of my appendages after stepping outside to below freezing weather. I know I’m in the minority.
BUT.
Another feeling I love is being warm in the freezing cold. And here’s how we’re going to achieve that cozy, toasty, mildly sweaty feeling.
Keep in mind I have zero credentials other than my own experience so…. proceed with caution.
1. Cashmere
A classic, and often the epitome of high class natural fibers, clothing made from 100% cashmere is a fantastic investment. It has the benefit of being incredibly soft (depending on the quality / weight of the cashmere) and of course being so so warm. Soft cashmere sweaters have the added benefit of not requiring an undershirt.
Not all cashmere is created equal. Be careful reading the label on the sweaters to ensure that it is in fact 100% cashmere and not just 90% (which could make a hell of a difference in terms of heat retention). Even then I would try to feel the material as much as possible and take note; is it fuzzy already? Is it rough to the touch? This doesn’t mean it’s bad quality but will impact the ways in which it may / may not be comfortable to wear.
I often find the cashmere sweaters I gravitate towards are thinner than you’d expect. A light layer in the form of a fitted vest or a turtleneck. This is a fiber that really excels in being the first layer of a layered outfit as I don’t find it fits as smoothly over other items, though of course that depends on the silhouette of the garment. Baggy cashmere sweaters hang beautifully and can absolutely be layered over a shirt or a dress.
Cashmere does exist in other forms; there are many coats made of 100% cashmere and/or cashmere blends. Cashmere socks and gloves are also wonderful but not as utilitarian… after all soggy gloves and socks are going to feel terrible no matter what the material is.
Scents: Safe to spray with perfume! Most sweaters tend to retain smells very well so I wouldn’t drown it in perfume? But a couple of sprays will be good for a decent amount of time.
2. Wool
A fiber that often requires time and patience and acceptance to maintain, wool might be the most meditative and versatile of the natural fibers. Used for coats, sweaters, socks, it can exist in basically every form but there are a couple of things to note.
Upon first impression, you may note that a 100% wool sweater feels more rough and scratchy and fuzzy than you’d expect. That has been the case for me with every wool item I’ve bought straight from the source (Mongolia and Iceland respectively). That’s largely because a sweater made completely from sheep wool is not made to be in direct contact with your skin; you should be wearing a base layer.
That being said depending on the animal it has the lovely added benefit of being more water repellant which makes it the perfect final outer layer AND perfect for socks! They dry very quickly so definitely perfect for any outdoor adventuring. Through wear and time they do soften and my yak wool blanket from 5 years ago is now wonderfully worn in and very snuggle-able.
On the more refined end my wool coats tend to be woven tight enough that they are smooth and soft to the touch. Coats do tend to be lined so you’d never really feel the fabric on your skin in the same way. These coats will keep you warm. VERY warm. So warm in fact that it’s important to adjust your outfit based on how long you’ll be moving in your coats/ sweaters because otherwise you end up being a sweaty mess in the middle of winter. Trust me I’ve been there.
When buying wool take a care to think about what you want to do in the item and how it would best fit into your life
Scents: Because my wool items tend to be an outer layer, I try my best not to spray it with any perfume directly. Of course scents will rub off on them, but I personally never want to douse my coats or my thicker sweaters with any one scent.
3. Care of Animal Hair Fibers
Animal hairs are just that… the hair of animals. They come in a wide variety because our wonderful planet is home to many many animals that have an abundance of hair. Yak hair, alpaca hair, sheep, horse, a blend, the choices are endless.
There absolutely is a sustainability angle here. These sweaters and coats should last a lifetime. This is why we gravitate towards natural fibers in the first place; these are the original clothing material available to us and with proper care these are items we should not need to throw out and rebuy. When we do get rid of them, it tends to be much easier to reuse / recycle natural materials than a synthetic blend.
In the correct environment, the harvesting of cashmere and wool does not and should not hurt the animal. Mongolian families weave horse hair into rope, sheer their sheep and comb for the fine baby fluff that we call cashmere and keep the same flock for generations. Icelandic people let their sheep run around all over the baren landscape and then sheer them to weave sweaters and socks and mittens and the sheep don’t give a shit. What this means is that ethically sourced wool / cashmere should be traceable. And in this way we are supporting both the sustainability of the practice and also the people for whom this is a core part of their history and culture.
We don’t always have the luxury of knowing.
It takes a fair amount of diligence to find stores that do have traceable natural fibers and to be honest I don’t usually do it.
In my personal opinion, the best thing we can do in these modern times is to invest in these items of clothing that yes is great quality but will also fit our lifestyle to ensure that we get great wear out of them and to give us motivation to keep them for years and years and years.
You absolutely should not be washing these garments very often.
These items are often completely fine with just being aired out. In fact for wool sweaters it was recommended to me that in the event you think it smells simply leave it out in the cold for a night. I wash my sweaters once a month which, given the number of sweaters I have to rotate through is probably more than necessary. What is probably more reasonable is to wash a sweater once every…. 7 wears? 10 wears? Depending on what you’re doing in them?
To wash, either soak in a basin and wash with baby shampoo / cashmere specific wash OR for my cheaper cashmere sweaters I throw it into the washer with baby shampoo/ cashmere wash and then ALWAYS ALWAYS lay out flat to dry. DO NOT MACHINE DRY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.
In the event you’ve done the inevitable and shrank a much loved sweater (I’ve done this 3 times now) you’ll want to resoak the sweater in a basin of lukewarm water with some hair conditioner. And then lay it out on a towel to dry while trying your best to periodically stretch the sweater back to its original form… it won’t completely be the same but it’s better than nothing.
For Coats: Don’t even bother, these belong with the dry cleaners.
4. Down
I’m from Canada. I know that a down jacket is important.
That being said I hate the look of a puffer coat on me so I avoid wearing one and so I avoid buying one and so I don’t have much to say here… though everyone and their mothers seem to rave about the ones from Uniqlo.
5. Synthetic Blends
Are you going camping?
Neither am I.
But if you are seriously freezing your ass off even under layers of wool and cashmere might I suggest a Heat-tech base layer?
I don’t really know or care what kind of bizarre synthetic material some of these are made of but they are machine wash (and dry!) able and don’t really cost an arm and a leg. Many of the base layers available at REI are actually cashmere or wool blends!
6. Silk
It is a fact that I’ve never been told until I experienced it… 100% silk is the least breathable fabric I’ve ever worn.
Which makes it the perfect fabric for winter.
Take a silk scarf and tuck it around your neck and the pull your coat over.. no air will ever get at your delicate throat. You may in fact overheat and come close to passing out. It insulates THAT well.
Scents: I’m quite liberal with perfume on a silk scarf / silk dress; they don’t retain smells all that well but take care and make sure you spray at a distance. Perfume can and will stain lighter colored silks.
Care: Hand wash in a tub and then air dry… or these go to the dry cleaners as well.
7. Shop
Almost every major retailer will carry some form of 100% cashmere and/or wool. It’s ultimately up to you to decide which brand / style you prefer.
Here are a list of my favorites
COS: Most of my workwear is from COS, including some cashmere knits and a lovely wool blend coat. Also… wool trousers anyone?
Joseph: Wonderful cashmere sweaters
Canada Goose: Outside of the traditional down coats they also make great scarves
All Saints: Specifically, the mens section. Often they have a great selection of merino wool sweaters is that signature grunge color palette
Lilysilk: From silk pants to cashmere sweaters to wool skirts, I’ve enjoyed every item I’ve purchased so far.
Zara: Are they the devil? yes. do they have some decent affordable sweaters? unfortunately also yes. Not the softest but they do get there with wear.