c is for cashmere

3rd Annual Our Cashmere has Heart Event!

2012-01-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

For our third, Our Cashmere has Heart Event we've decided to offer the option of donation!

This year we are not only bringing our super popular Heart Wristlets back but we are also allowing people to make donations in our store to Heart & Stroke! As a thank you, anyone who donates $5 to the Heart & Stroke Foundation will receive 40% off all regularly priced items! Either way, it is all for a great cause.

As usual we will be handing out leaflets to promote Heart & Stroke awareness.

Heart Facts:

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women
Only one in seven women is aware that heart disease and stroke are their biggest heath concern

To learn more and take the Heart & Stroke Quiz go to:
http://www.thehearttruth.ca/

If you'd like to read more about the inspiration behind Our Cashmere has Heart Event go to:
http://www.thecashmereshop.blogspot.com/2011/01/2nd-annual-our-cashmere-has-heart-event.html

We hope to see you all during Heart Month!

Zoomer's look of the Day!!!

2012-01-10T07:48:00.000-08:00

I had a lovely day at work yesterday with lots of regular clients coming for visits! All were in good spirits and enjoying the weather. Among the visitors was Susan Langley who is one stylish lady!

We got chatting and she mentioned that she had been a Zoomer Look of the Day in December and was wearing our cashmere hat! I excitedly asked her for the photograph and here it is. The hat and the fur coat were meant for each other. I can only imagine the fun Susan and Barb got up to when they put these two items together.

The Perfect Gift

2011-11-09T12:34:00.000-08:00

It is approaching my favourite holiday, Christmas! The time of year when you try to find the perfect gifts for your nearest and dearest. I am one of those, who truly enjoys this activity. I love decorating my house, baking with my son and wrapping gifts. Searching for that little something for my girlfriend or the perfect stocking stuffer for my husband is something that gives me joy.

This year we've pulled out all the stops at the store, increasing our accessory department and offering so many amazing items, you are bound to find something for everyone. We've introduced longer wristlets, plain knit as well as heavy cable. There are now men's wristlets, which is something we have been asked about for years. Cashmere leg warmers and leggings are now available and are something I've been waiting to wear all year. Heavy cabled hats, crazy striped scarves and of course our new sock wall!!! I am particularly happy about the cashmere sock wall. For a number of years I have wanted to have a wall for socks, but I just couldn't figure out where to put it. Well it is here now, and there are over 30 different colours and styles of cashmere socks for both men and women!

I hope to see you all soon!

photo shoot in the park

2011-07-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Last Spring my good friend Christina of Christina Gapic Photography asked if I would like to do a photo shoot. She had just done a shoot with her friend Kyle in High Park and it had made her think of me. I jumped at the chance to work with Christina, she is an extremely talented photographer and is always a delight to be around.

We headed off to the park on a very cold and slightly wet Spring day. Kyle (the model) was a trooper, as her feet got socked in two different types of moccasins! The surrounding trees, twigs and cognac coloured grass were the absolute perfect pairing of our fall shoot. The cool spring air breezed past and we took breaks in my car to change cashmere outfits, add accessories and warm up.

Above are some of photos of the day and our beautiful model kyle.

To check out Christina's work, please go to her website:

www.christinagapic.com

Summer Sale

2011-06-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Summer Sale!!!!

As our pre-fall arrives and all the magazines have "fall must-haves" on their covers we are beginning our Summer Sale! We've had a fantastic collection this Spring/Summer so it is most definitely a great sale. There is also a display of our Pre-Fall items!

Mummy Window

2011-04-26T10:03:00.001-07:00

We have had a great response from our Mother's Day Sale! Here's a photo of the window which features Mama and Mummy signs hanging by ribbon.

This year I am so excited for Mother's Day. With one on the way and a very happy two and a half year old, I hope to spend the day at our local park watching our son ride is Like-a-Bike and drinking hot chocolate!

Cashmere in the Window:
100% Cashmere wraps are in the background and our mannequin is wearing 2 of our yarnz wraps as well as our ruffle neck 3/4 sleeve cardigan.

Mother's Day Sale

2011-04-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

It is almost Mother's Day, or in my household, "Mummy Day"! And we are excited at the store to be celebrating by having a sale in honor of this special day. The 25% off sale will include all of the new collection for Spring/Summer 2011 and will end on May 8th.

If you are shopping online, please enter the code: MomSale in the notes box during check out.

As many of you know I am expecting my second child and pictured above is myself and Declan my 2 and a half year old! We recently sat down with Jennifer Pearson and took some great photos. To see more of her work please go to: www.jenniferpearsonphotography.com

Spring Arrivals!

2011-04-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

Yeah for Spring! We have officially entered the season of spring and we have new arrivals and they are gorgeous. We've done a window with feathers this month, which is attracting a lot of attention and a the fabulous Yarnz scarves hanging in the back are a huge favorite this season.

Yarnz Scarves are in-store only $225 and 275
100% Cashmere wraps in-store and online $299

Spring!

2011-02-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

For all Canadian's the first signs of spring are a wonderfully exciting thing. It's time for all of our black, charcoal and deep purple to get packed away because.... the brights and pastels have arrived!

We've received our first shipment of the Spring collection. Candy coloured wraps, cardigans, cardi-wraps and shrugs have arrived. And we've also received a gorgeous collection from Yarnz. Our colour palette has a wide range of tones and shades from the most brilliant grass greens to soft shades of pink and of course includes the not to miss colour of the season honeysuckle... the colour of the moment.

Check our website and in-store for more details.

2nd Annual Our Cashmere has HEART Event!

2011-01-29T05:07:00.000-08:00

In 1995, long before I met my husband his Dad passed away from a heart attack. It was his Dad’s second heart attack, the first being when he was in his early 30s. He passed away at the age of 57, with 3 boys who were only in their 20s.

My husband John and his brothers have had more then 15 years with out their Dad, but his presence is still deeply missed. He is spoken of often in our house. I hear stories of dinners that they shared together, band practices that he attended and evenings spent together laughing and talking. There is always a melancholy to his recollections. I often see the pensiveness in John’s eyes, wishing that his Dad could have met our son, whose middle name is Libero in his memory.

In honor of Libero and the many others who are affected by heart disease, The Cashmere Shop is pleased to announce The 2^nd Annual, Our Cashmere has Heart Event. This year we have the 6 pairs of limited edition candy coloured heart wristlets.

$5 of each pair sold will go directly to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada. Available in store and on-line. 2 ply. $55 each.

For more information about The Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada please visit their website:

www.heartandstroke.ca

Cashmere Sale!

2011-01-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

It's officially sale time, we've got tons of discontinued items and samples... lots of samples. There are tons of things to look through and our spring collection arrives soon. See you soon!

The Perfect Sweater!

2010-12-17T11:59:00.000-08:00

As the old adage goes, the black cashmere turtleneck is a must-have and this month Zoomer says it's so! They've featured our women's black turtleneck which everyone should have in there wardrobe. I know I have one!

Fitted Women's Turtle Neck. 2 ply. $299. Available in Red, Navy, White, and Black.

Colourful Cashmere Socks!!

2010-12-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful cashmere socks were featured on GiveGoodGift.ca! We have a full range of colours for both women and men! These are a favourite Christmas gift and sell out fast.

Variety of Colours. 2Ply and 4Ply. $85-$95. In-store only.

http://givegoodgift.ca/cashmere-socks/

Toronto Life: Holiday Gift Guide

2010-11-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

This year our wristlets are featured in the Toronto Life, Holiday Gift Guide. It is fabulous guide of all the greatest things to get our loved ones and each year they have fresh ideas. I always get inspired by a couple of things and end of running to get them before they are all sold out.

Just a note: Toronto Life made a typo and our wristlets are actually $45 not the $85 that they printed... oops!

2 ply wristlets. Rib trim. Thumb hole. Available in a huge selection colours. $45

cashmere christmas!

2010-11-09T12:57:00.000-08:00

I am a lover of Christmas, I listen to the carols all summer and can't wait to get my tree up... Douglas fir from Sheridan Nurseries. This year, we've created the most gorgeous Cashmere Christmas stockings. I have always wanted to do a Cashmere Christmas Stocking and finally they are here! Our cashmere stocking's are a gorgeous heavy cable with silk lining, most definitely an heirloom piece. They were a huge hit with my family last year, and I hope they are with your family too!

Available in red and white with loop for hanging. $165

Is Camel the new black?!

2010-09-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

Cable Coat in Camel, our Classic Camel

Snood in Sand, a soft camel

Cowl Poncho in Mushroom, our Brown Camel

According to ALL of the Fall runway shows, camel is the IT colour! Although a lot of clients have been apprehensive about the return of this colour. I say, fear not. In order to accommodate the true fashionista we are doing three shades of camel; true camel which is the classic camel, soft camel which is best described as sand and brown camel which is similar to mushroom. If you are still nervous about wearing camel, try accessorizing with a wrap or gloves in camel. Because for Fall 2010, Camel is the new black.

Cable Coat $995, Snood $325, Cowl Poncho $995
All available on our website and in-store. Available in a variety of colour options.

Fall Photo Shoot

2010-09-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

2010-09-01T16:05:00.001-07:00

Styling our gorgeous model

I'm getting ready to toss the leaves

The leaf toss, check out our website for the final shot!

Fall is fast approaching although the weather is still very HOT! At the beginning of August we did part of our fall photo shoot. It was probably our best so far, with an absolute beauty of a model by the name of Chantilly. The team got together on a very hot August day, ate sushi, shot some images and had a great time playing with all of the props... ie. a red bird, leaves, roses and lots of rose petals. Look for the final images on our website during the first week of September.

Cashmere Photo Shoot

2010-06-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

In May, I finally had the time to shoot our Spring Cashmere. It was a really great experience, light, fresh and fun. We had an awesome team and a fabulous Model named Kirsten. As always our photographer was Anna Lisa Sang. I always enjoy working with her, we always have a great time together. Here are some of the images from the studio! I love love Love the pink and yellow flowers and have vowed to have them in my garden.... if only I could remember what they are called!

2010-06-11T13:43:00.000-07:00

Spring is here... Oops it's gone!

2010-03-30T17:53:00.000-07:00

Last week all Torontonians thought Spring had finally arrived. We were right, as of March 21st we officially enter the Spring season. But as all Canadians know, we are always teased with a bit of gorgeous weather before the real stuff arrives.

Retail is the best medicine for this kind of horrible taunt. Essentially the spring fashion season starts right after Christmas. Only proceeded by a cruise collection. Our cashmere Spring collection arrives each year in early January and online in late April. This year I literally jumped up and down when we put our collection on the shelves. I was just fed up with the drone of Torontonian charcoal, black and dark navy. Although it is almost all I wear in the Fall/Winter, I needed a pick-me-up.

Our Spring/Summer collection has been very well received. With a perfect balance of cardigans, frilled neck cardigans, sleeveless cardi-wraps, cardi-wraps with sleeves, ruffled cardi-wraps and a really cool upside down shrug. To compliment our sweaters we have continued our 100% cashmere knitted wraps and also introduced Yarnz woven wraps. They are gorgeous and the colours compliment our items wonderfully.

Our Collection of Yarnz wraps are available in-store only. Available in a selection of colours. $275 and $299.

The Sweater Collector

2010-03-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

I am a collector. I don't have a collection of china pigs or Royal Doulton dolls, my collection is soft. I collect sweaters, mostly cashmere sweaters. I also collect, much to the irritation of my husband, the thick card stock hang tags that accompany sweaters. Whether you collect china pigs or cashmere sweaters your friends will always keep you abreast of all things which may encompass your collection. In the spirit of that tradition, I received two e-mails from close friends which were accompanied by videos about sweaters!

The first is an amazing short film which opened the Pringle of Scotland Spring/Summer 2010 fashion show in Milan. A brilliant piece of work by David Shrigley. The second video is a blast from my past, a music video called "The Sweater" by Meryn Cadell. It was huge when I was young! Both are amazing and re-affirm that collecting all things "sweater" is far more fun than china pigs or Royal Doulton dolls.

Cashmere has HEART!

2010-01-04T09:48:00.000-08:00

Synonymous with love and St. Valentine's Day, the month of February is also Heart & Stroke awareness month. To honour this month of love and hearts, we have created limited edition heart wristlets.

For years I have wanted to design a special cashmere piece that would raise money for The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. I realized several years ago that no item would be better then our wristlets. And that is how our heart wristlets were born.

For each pair purchased $5 will be donated to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. A cause close to my heart.

A great gift for the people you love and the perfect Valentine's Day treat.

Available in-store now and online next week. 10 color combinations. $55 each.

Cashmere Sale

2010-01-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

Sale Baby.... It is that time of year, time for the sales! I've pulled out all of our SAMPLES and discontinued items. The items are a variety of basic colors and some nice pinks, blues and teals as well. I've already raided the table for some items for myself and so has Barb. And it couldn't be better timing because it is absolutely freezing! As I type this I'm sitting at the front of the store in two pairs of cashmere socks and two cashmere sweaters (one being 6 ply). I am definitely doing some heavy ply sweaters for next year!

Hope to see you all at our sale.
Alison

My Cashmere Gifts

2009-11-20T14:57:00.000-08:00

I've had my Christmas tree for almost three weeks and I sing Christmas carols in July... it is with out a doubt my favorite time of year. I love the scent of pine being heated by mini lights, the crackle of wood on a fire and I love choosing and gift wrapping all the presents for my friends and family members.

About a month before December I start getting hints, little suggestions, about what gorgeous cashmere piece my friends "just love" and what classic black turtle neck my family member "just needs". I smile and secretly write it all down. I love giving gifts and I love giving cashmere.

I usually spend one Sunday in my store choosing and gift wrapping. And this year it happened to be last Sunday.

For my littlest love, my son, I've ordered a bunch of warm and cozy cashmere sweaters in cable and fun stripes. I love the way he looks in his sweaters and he always gets comments about how cute he looks. A great pair of jeans and a cashmere sweater makes a one year old even more scrumptious (if that's possible)!

For my hubby, he'll get his usual round neck.... which I just can't get him out of and of course some socks, there is nothing quite like cashmere socks.

And this year, I've taken a cue from my clients and chosen the same gift only variations on color for my girlfriends. I've always thought it was cute when clients would do the same scarf and wristlets for their family and choose a different color for each person. So this year I've done the same. Each one of my girlfriends will get our fern mesh wrap and wristlets or gloves to match. (I hope they don't read this!)

Naughty or Nice, it's always a Cashmere Christmas in my house!

Cashmere Beret

2009-10-23T10:57:00.001-07:00

I'm often asked, "Do you have a favorite cashmere item?" The answer changes from year to year, but at the moment I am enthralled with our beret.

The month of October is not quite cold enough that I want to wear a proper Canadian toque but it is cold enough that I do need a hat. I love our beret because it is warm and also stylish. In no way do I feel as if I am compromising the look of my outfit when I'm wearing it, in fact I think it adds a touch of elegance.

Our beret is available in 6 different colors.

Black. Charcoal. Midnight Blue. Red. Sand (undyed). White.

Available in store and on-line $145

Cashmere Snood

2009-09-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Question: What is part hood and part scarf?

Answer: The Snood

I absolutely love the snood! It looks great on every one, it's elegant and classic and looks really cool. I first saw the snood about 7 years ago when I was flipping through a runway magazine called Gap Presse and it was love at first sight. At the time I was relatively new to knitwear design, in fact I was a serious newbie. I had no idea how to construct this wonderful thing, so it took a year before I even tried. When I did finally manage a drawing and received the snood, I was in love. However, I decided that it wouldn't fly in my store, so I shelved it. Then a couple of years later one of our made-to-measure clients, a young artist, wanted a shood and my love affair began again.

This year the snood is the number one accessory for this fall. We've designed two diferent snoods for Fall. One is a hood + scarf, that we've named cable snood. The other is a large cowl, with knit detail which will be available late October.

Our Cable Snood is available on our website & in our Store. $325.

Our Large Cowl Snood will be available late October.

http://www.thecashmereshop.com/

Red Cashmere

2009-09-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

Red and Crimson are two of the hottest colors for this fall season. They conjure images of strength, vivacity and have the ability to give an energy to the wearer. This fall we've done a collection in which red (a true red) is laced throughout our accessories and shown in several of our sweaters. Our new frilled cardigan, which has been flying off of our shelf, is fierce in red. I've had to re-order it twice since the middle of August!

I've always been shy when it comes to red and I was interested what red meant to others. What I found was that red symbolizes energy, action, confidence, survival and change to the majority of people I've spoken with. Interestingly these are also adjectives used when Chakra describes the color red. For our world, the collective re-newal of red & crimson in fashion is a much needed change from the somberness of last year. I'm hoping that it's exuberance will bring a new energy to '09.

Our new frilled cardigan is available in-store $465. It is not yet on our website. Seen on the model: berret $145, round neck sweater $299, & frilled cape $1499

2009-07-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

cashmere stuffed animals

cashmere sock monkeys in muskoka

I have always wanted to make cashmere stuffed animals for children. I love toys that are made from natural materials, offering a safe play toy for our next generation.

This year I’ve been fortunate to partner with Canadian Artist Robyn Thomas. She creates our sock monkeys from 100% cashmere socks and Welsh Wool Roving. Each cashmere sock monkey is hand sewn and has a unique personality and look. We offer them in a selection of bright colours as well as un-dyed cashmere. They are also available in custom made colours and stripes.

Our cashmere monkeys are available at our store location only or by phone order. These fabulous cashmere monkeys are available for $65. Custom cashmere monkeys are $65 and up.

2009-07-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

They only want the Good Stuff!

People often tell me their wonderful memories of an old sweater or their heirloom shawl. But unfortunately my ears are also subjected to terrible tales of sweaters ravaged by moths.

I have heard lots of stories about cherished cashmere being attacked by the dreadful moth. These tales often begins with the opening of a box, in which carefully stored items were placed for the summer. Only to find, when opened in the fall, that tiny beasties have ravaged vintage sweaters and beloved scarves and hats.

The arch-enemy of cashmere is to blame… this cruel sweater destroying insect is, the moth.

A surprise to many, the moth reproduces in the spring and their larvae is what eats our most cherished garments. They are attracted to the stains and odors that we leave behind on our cashmere and they have a feast of a good time while we are enjoying the spring and summer.

These little guys have good taste and turn their noses up at synthetics, they only want the good stuff!

Here are some suggestions to help avoid this enemy of cashmere and keep your garments beautiful and hole free.

1) Wash all of your cashmere before you store it, especially in the spring.

2) Keep it in a dry, clean and bright location.

3) Place each garment into a separate bag and put lavender and/or cedar beside all of your items.

For washing instructions please see our website.

www.thecashmereshop.com

2009-07-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

My First Cashmere Blog

I am officially taking the leap into the world of blogging. Oh boy! After a year or so of humming and hawing I’ve done it. I’ve decided to write about... cashmere. I hope to share my experiences, thoughts, and love of cashmere with you.