If you are planning a holiday very soon, you will likely be heading to somewhere very sunny where swimwear will take precedence over warm clothing. And if you’re not heading to the beach, you might be exploring somewhere rural where Gore-Tex hiking outfits will be the order of the day.
However, with the nights already beginning to draw in, some people will be planning further ahead for their holidays, when the weather won’t be as hot and they have to pack something warm and snug for their trip.
Cashmere clothing may swiftly come to mind as something warm and comfortable and therefore ideal for such a situation, but that is not the only attribute that makes it great for travel.
Writing for Travels and Treasures, columnist Tanya Taylor noted that the best things to take in a suitcase are those that won’t get creased and wrinkled in a suitcase, as holiday time is never well spent ironing clothes.
She listed a number of clothing materials that will not crease up and thus are ideal for this task, as well as some (such as linen and silk) that will leave holidaymakers destined to be asking around for the hotel ironing board.
Cashmere was very firmly in the first category. The writer said: “This material should be in everyone’s wardrobe, especially if you want fabrics that won’t wrinkle while you are on the go.”
She added: “Cashmere is a wonderful fabric, and not just for cozying up to a loved one during the winter months.”
This double endorsement, both for the class and beauty of the material and also for its practicality as a material that does not crease up, offers a pretty powerful combination of reasons to take it with you on your holidays in the autumn and winter. If you prefer the ski slopes to the beach, the answer to the question of what to wear is obvious.
As it happens, not ironing cashmere isn’t just about avoiding a tiresome chore when you unload a suitcase after a long journey. It can also be a very wise move when caring for the material and ensuring it enjoys a long life, making it not just sustainable, but something you can enjoy wearing for many years.
Harper’s Bazaar recommends using a steamer to help clean and freshen up clothing like cashmere, as well as other materials like denim.
This suggestion came in an article about sustainability and it is certainly true that making any garment last will help the environment, an area in which the fashion industry has come in for a lot of criticism in recent years.
However, cashmere can never be a ‘fast fashion’ item. It is too enduringly fashionable, too valuable as an investment in style and comfort, to be treated as something not to be made to last or treated as such.
When its convenience and class help it become one of the first things you should put in your suitcase when you go on holiday, it becomes even more valuable and something you will want to look after, so you can take it with you on your travels many more times.
