Everlane Review: Twisted Merino & ReCashmere Varsity Cardigans

Regular readers will know that I’ve been aiming to build up my sweater collection. So even though it’s July, today I’m talking about sweaters. I’m reviewing two cardigans I tried from Everlane: the Twisted Merino Cardigan and the ReCashmere Varsity Cardigan. (The good thing about sweaters in summer is that they’re so off season, they’re on sale.)

I know this is probably not appealing for those of you in hot climates. But hey, I live in San Francisco, and as the saying goes, “The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco.” (This quote is widely attributed to Mark Twain, but he didn’t say these words exactly.)

To be honest, I deliberated for a long while over whether I should even write this review, given the way that Everlane handled recent layoffs and how former employees say the environment is toxic for Black and POC workers. I’ve been gathering my thoughts to share in an upcoming post. In short, I’m disappointed in Everlane.

However, I decided to go ahead with this post since I had already written half of it months ago. (I tried one of these cardigans before the lockdown. The other one I bought later to use up my store credit.) And I figured that this review might be helpful for those who are shopping secondhand and who have decided, like me, to not buy directly from Everlane at present time.

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The Twisted Merino Cardigan

I ordered this because I wanted a good layering piece and this boxy, loose cardigan looked like it fit the bill. It comes in three colors: dark wave (the blue shown below), heathered stone, and bone. Here is a 5′ 7″ model wearing the S.

And here is 5′ 4″ me wearing the XS.

Fit: Because it’s boxy and wide, I ordered both the XXS and XS. I went back and forth on the sizing, but in the end I decided that the XS, which is my normal Everlane size, seemed to look a bit better. It was looser fitting, which is how it’s meant to be.

Fabric: This cardigan is a medium thick (but not bulky) cotton and merino wool blend with a touch (4%) of linen. I found it a bit scratchy (but then again, I have sensitive skin). As I wore it, though, I got used to it. I tried it during an hour-long Zoom call and found that I was able to get through it without the cardigan bothering me too much. With washing and wear, it will probably soften over time.

Where It’s Made: Hong Kong. (I was going to link to the factory info here, but Everlane doesn’t seem to provide it for newer items, though it does for other products.) It seems well made.

What I Liked: The dark wave color, which actually has specks of black and white in it. This gives it an interesting visual texture. (The heathered stone has a similar look while the bone is just one solid color.) I liked the loose fit in the body and sleeves. (I am not into clingy cardigans!) It has pockets, too. I’m not sure I’d use them, but they are there and tastefully on the side so you don’t see them.

What I Didn’t: The sleeves were way long. I mean, I guess it’s supposed to be like that because it’s quite long on the model too. But it got in the way of doing stuff. So, I tried folding it up by a lot. Since the sleeve had a slight bell shape, I was afraid the fold wouldn’t stay in place, but it stayed OK.

Why I Didn’t Keep It: I couldn’t shake the feeling that this cardigan just wasn’t that flattering on me. I tried pairing it with lots of things in my wardrobe: different kinds of pants, skirts, dresses. I could only see myself wearing it with skinny pants like above. With other items, it didn’t look good.

I think this has to do with where it falls on me. It kind of cuts me in half. Maybe if it were shorter or longer, it would be a more visually appealing. After weeks of deliberating, I sent it back.

ReCashmere Varsity Cardigan

I ordered this because my sensitive skin can’t deal with a lot of cashmere but the mix in the ReCashmere line doesn’t bother me that much — as I learned when I bought the ReCashmere Stroopwafel Crew. (My review here). Here is a 5′ 10″ model wearing a S.

And here’s 5′ 4″ me also wearing a S.

Fit: This runs smaller for Everlane. I am a dress size 4 and an XS or S in most brands. In Everlane, which tends to be a bit oversized, I mostly wear XS, and sometimes a S. For this cardigan, I went with the S.

Fabric: ReCashmere is 60% recycled cashmere and 40% non-mulesed, extra-fine merino wool. Compared to nonrecycled cashmere, the carbon footprint is half. It doesn’t feel as soft to the touch as Everlane’s 100% cashmere items, yet it also doesn’t feel as prickly on my skin as those items do. The fabric is a pleasing medium weight and warm.

Where It’s Made: This factory in Dongguan, China. The quality seems good, but I haven’t worn it that much. Curious to hear from other folks who own this how much it pills. I wore the ReCashmere Stroopwafel Crew a fair amount over the winter and it pilled a little under the arms.

What I Liked: The short length works well on petite me. Because it falls right around the top of my hips, I can pair it with many things: skinny jeans, looser pants, skirts. Also, I can layer it over long sleeves. I’m wearing it above over a silk shirt. I am not a fan of tight-fitting cardigans with skinny sleeves. (I found this out the hard way after I bought a few cardigans from Uniqlo back in the day and barely wore them.) In this cardigan’s case, the sleeves are not bulky, but still have enough room to allow layering. I can also button up the cardigan and wear it by itself.

What I Didn’t: This is personal taste, but in general I don’t love thick rib detailing, which this cardigan has along the bottom, the ends of the sleeves, and down the front. This detail is more apparent in the lighter colors. In the darker ones, like the heathered ink I’m wearing, it doesn’t bother me.

Why I Kept It: I found it to be quite versatile and easy to style. This one was a keeper.

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You can find a directory to all my Everlane reviews here.