Looking for good quality cardigans (NO wool/cashmere)

[wendibird22]

I find the LE to be too boxy shaped. I like to style a cardi differently...sometimes unbuttoned, sometimes belted, etc...and with the boxiness I can't do that very well without it looking bad. I have a few "trendy" colors/patterns from ON that have held up well. The best for color saturation and lack of pilling have actually been from NYC and Co (used to Lerner).

[twowhat?]

OK, so last night I saw a bunch of cute things from LOFT - I had to try a few out! I got these:







The first 2 are 100% cotton and the last one is ramie/viscose (I have another print in this cardi and it looks like it will hold up well with no pilling). I expect the first 2 will pill some but I LOVE the style and I'm totally a navy gal so I'm gonna risk it! LOFT has 40% off these items (full price) today. Not sure when it will end. I also threw in a couple of sweaters and a necklace to get FS All 3 get overall good reviews. If I love them, I will probably launder them VERY carefully to maximize their lifespan.

Oh, and I wanted to say to maybe check Hanna Anderssen for quality cardis. My girls have had several cardis from HA in more of a smooth interlock type knit in 100% cotton and they wear like IRON and are very soft. Seriously, we abuse abuse abuse them with washing and machine drying and they're still in fantastic shape. Maybe the womens' cardis are of similar quality but not sure the styles are all that great.

I'm gonna take a look at Splendid cardis too

[brittone2]

Twowhat, I've been looking at that first sweater for a while. Let me know how you like it if you don't mind I've taken to hand washing a huge portion of my wardrobe in the bathtub with euclan. Awful that it has to be that way, but it has definitely helped my clothes hold up much, much better.

OP, I don't own any, but maybe try the Jackie cardigan from jcrew? There are some blogs dedicated to jcrew specifically. Maybe they'll have pics that help you decide if it is too boxy or how it wears.https://www.jcrew.com/womens_categor...9350/29350.jsp

[twowhat?]

Twowhat, I've been looking at that first sweater for a while. Let me know how you like it if you don't mind I've taken to hand washing a huge portion of my wardrobe in the bathtub with euclan. Awful that it has to be that way, but it has definitely helped my clothes hold up much, much better.

OP, I don't own any, but maybe try the Jackie cardigan from jcrew? There are some blogs dedicated to jcrew specifically. Maybe they'll have pics that help you decide if it is too boxy or how it wears.https://www.jcrew.com/womens_categor...9350/29350.jsp

I'll let you know for sure! And yeah, I hear ya about laundering - I won't let DH touch my clothes, I am SO picky about laundering them gently, particularly the pieces I love and want to last!

[NJ_Mom2011]

I would try Uniqlo for cardigans. This is an outrageous suggestion, as I haven't bought one yet. But I have been so very happy with the quality of all of my cotton T shirts and sweaters there. I am horrible about washing, I wash heavy wash under hot weather, on a small front loaded washing machine. The Uniqlo cotton clothes still look great even after multiple washings, while my Target clothes are pilling. Uniqlo prices are not outrageous either. http://www.uniqlo.com/us/women/tops/...an-087259.html

Less traditional but stylish cardigan: http://www.uniqlo.com/us/women/tops/...61.html#09-004

[Tenasparkl]

I have a few from Land's End canvas that are a little more stylish than regular land's end and still look great after lots of wear. I bought a few print & striped cardigans from Hanna Andersson a while back when they were on super sale and they look as good as when I opened the box. I'm really happy with the quality. Splendid is great but I only have lighter weight wrap type things from them, not true cardigans. I wear them all the time. I've had many J. Crew Jackie cardigans over the years and always love them at first and then find that they either shrink or just look kind of blah. It's possible that I'm not following the wash instructions though. They usually have a nice selection of colors.

[s7714]

I would try Uniqlo for cardigans. This is an outrageous suggestion, as I haven't bought one yet. But I have been so very happy with the quality of all of my cotton T shirts and sweaters there. I am horrible about washing, I wash heavy wash under hot weather, on a small front loaded washing machine. The Uniqlo cotton clothes still look great even after multiple washings, while my Target clothes are pilling. Uniqlo prices are not outrageous either. http://www.uniqlo.com/us/women/tops/...an-087259.html

Less traditional but stylish cardigan: http://www.uniqlo.com/us/women/tops/...61.html#09-004

I do like the shirts and dresses I've gotten from there. Maybe I'll give them a try. Seems like their inventory varies so dramatically at times I kind of gave up on them.

[s7714]

Thanks everyone I'll start checking of these places.

[twowhat?]

OK, so I received this one today (that was super fast - it had a tag on it so must have come from a local store). I LOVE it. I wish it was longer (but I wish that about EVERYTHING these days) but it's really flattering and has some structure and could be easily dressed up for work! It is totally thicker than I imagined - in the picture it looks sheer because of the striped shirt underneath but in actuality the herringbone knit has the stripe to it! So it's not sheer at all and is about as thick as a sweatshirt. It's 100% cotton, so not itchy at all! The only thing is that I'm afraid to wash it even though it says machine wash and tumble dry low. When I do wash it, it will be in the bathtub, no tumbling, or dry clean The arms are cut quite slim, at least for the size xs that I got - but I have crazy skinny arms so it works great for me. If you have normal arms (seriously, my arms are TOO skinny and I actually wish they were thicker), then you might find the sleeves too snug for layering.

[twowhat?]

Twowhat, I've been looking at that first sweater for a while. Let me know how you like it if you don't mind I've taken to hand washing a huge portion of my wardrobe in the bathtub with euclan. Awful that it has to be that way, but it has definitely helped my clothes hold up much, much better.

OP, I don't own any, but maybe try the Jackie cardigan from jcrew? There are some blogs dedicated to jcrew specifically. Maybe they'll have pics that help you decide if it is too boxy or how it wears.https://www.jcrew.com/womens_categor...9350/29350.jsp

Got the first cardi (the navy blue one with white speckles). LOVE it. I have no idea how well it will hold up, and I imagine I will have to care very gently for it, but the material is substantial (not super thin like Target cardis), it's 100% cotton and very cozy, and it looks GREAT on! It can totally be dressed up for work even though it's listed in the loungewear section! Also, it appears to be sewn together quite well