Cashmere = warm for it's weight, n'est pas? I've only ever tried it on in stores for a few minutes. Of course, there are summer cashmeres, but my understanding is that it tends to be a cool weather garment.

I have no idea what the weather in Vancouver is. Is it over 75 F (24 C, I guess)? That would be too hot for the cashmere I've seen -- which has felt like a slightly lighter camel hair. 65 (18) would be the upper limit for me, and then maybe even 60 would be a more reasonable limit (15, it seems).

 

25 degrees Celsius would be considered a warm day here in the Vancouver area in the summer. Average range in July and August is between 13 and 22 degrees. I figure for a $500 difference, I can sweat a bit.

 

13... That's like 55 degrees. Tweed weather. You'd more than likely be fine.

 

You have a beautiful garment. Good buy. Cashmere is rather delicate and will wear faster than wool. A Samuelson cashmere should be treated with the greatest respect, that is to say be as gentle with it as you can. Don't subject it to your sweating in it. Treat it with care and may be with you for decades.

 

I'm hoping it doesn't wear significantly faster than wool! =0 I've never actually worn out a blazer or suit, just pants. My suits usually go out of style before they wear out.

 

Its Vancouver where it is hardly ever hot - correct? I think you will find it very comfortable except on the very warmest days.

 

The beauty of cashmere is it insulates well in winter, but also breathes. Thus, the comfort range of cashmere can be quite wide.

Arkirshner - do you find cashmere to be delicate because of the way it is normally made (into lighter fabrics) than wool? I have a few pair of cashmere socks and have found they wear far longer than wool dress socks of similar weight. I have found the same for the elbows of thin cashmere vs. thin merino wool sweaters (similar weight).

 

^^

There are both summer and winter weight cashmere. I think it probable that the jacket the OP picked up is the heavier weight from 2012 fall/winter stock. With respect to exactly how cashmere differs from wool I must defer as we have a few members who are true experts in fiber and cloth production. All I can say is that there is carded cashmere made from inferior fiber and worsted cashmere made from the finer fiber. Worsted can be woven in such a manner that it is almost as durable as merino wool, moreover worsted is much less likely to develop those infuriating little balls. I suspect your socks may have other fibers woven in with the cashmere to give added durability. As to your sweater elbows, it may be that you have cashmere woven to be as durable as cashmere can be compared to a wool woven without emphasis on durability. That cashmere is intrinsically less durable than wool is evident when one compares the most durable cashmere with the most durable heavy tweed wool.

I invite our fabric experts to explain wool v cashmere properly.