I’ve been curious about Quince’s sweater offerings. So far, I’ve been pleased with some of their other items, such as their washable silk, cashmere beanie, and their Turkish spa towels. (Which I see they’ve finally made in more colors — my review here). After stalking the site a bit (as things sell out and I had to wait for a restock), I ordered the Mongolian Cashmere Fisherman Crewneck Sweater.
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Cashmere Fisherman Sweaters: Jenni Kayne vs. Quince
I’m not the first to notice that the Quince sweater resembles Jenni Kayne’s Cashmere Fisherman Sweater. Both are Mongolian cashmere with a similar classic Fisherman knit.
Cashmere Fisherman Sweaters: Jenni Kayne vs Quince
Differences: Jenni Kayne makes their sweaters in a larger range of sizes, from XS to 3X, as well as more colors (at present count: 10). The Quince sweater comes in XS to XL and in a seven neutral color options. And then there’s the notable price difference: $90 for Quince versus $395 for Jenni Kayne. (There’s also cotton versions of both sweaters that are also strikingly similar: Quince, Jenni Kayne.)
Inquiring minds want to know: Is the Jenni Kayne sweater four times as good as the Quince sweater? Alas, I am not the blogger who can tell you that as I haven’t tried the Jenni Kayne sweater. I suspect there’s some some very real differences in quality, though the Quince version remains a convincing-looking dupe.
OK, on to the try-on.
Fit & Fabric
Here’s a 5′ 7″ model wearing size S in the brown:
And here’s 5′ 4″ me (Or at least I think I’m 5’4″. But someone just told me at a doctor’s office that I’m 5’2″ and I was: noooo, that can’t be right.) Also wearing the brown in S:
Quince Sweater // Everlane Jeans [review] // dr. Liza boots [review]
Fit: True to size with a boxy fit. The S measures 20″ across, a comfortable, roomy (but not too roomy) fit. I wish that Quince included garment measurements for each size on their site. As it were, most of their garments just have a generic size chart. The description for this sweater does mention that the length in size small is 22.25″. But by my tape measure it’s 23″ long.
This sweater has a good slouch factor. It does fall longer on me in the body than on the model, but then again I’m petite, and in the model photo, it looks like the sweater is tucked under.
Fabric: The knit is lovely. Not super tight. (Like if you hold up the sleeve to the light, you can see light come through.) Quince says it’s 7-gauge. It’s a medium weight, though not bulky. It manages to feel light and almost a bit airy.
Itchiness Factor: I have sensitive-ish skin and some cashmere itches me, but not this. I found it soft and comfortable. And it’s quite warm, toastier than other cashmere sweaters I own.
Quince Mongolian Cashmere Fisherman Crewneck Sweater in brown. It comes in six other colors.
A closer look at the thickness of the sweater.
The Deliberation
Did I keep it? As someone petite, I found the length a bit long. I mean, it’s not bad, but it’s not ideal. I wish there were a cropped version of this sweater that was 2″ shorter in the body. And of course the sleeves fell way long on me.
Tucking it in created better proportions for me. (See how cute it is below?) But since the knit is medium weight, there’s a decent amount of fabric to tuck. All tucked into my high-waisted jeans, it felt uncomfortably tight. But what about doing a half tuck? Yes, I tried that too. But again, it felt awkward due to the fabric thickness.
Quince Sweater // Everlane Jeans [review] // dr. Liza boots [review]
Those who are long-torsoed though, will probably find this sweater too short in the body. I can understand why Quince made this sweater in this length, as it’s probably a good middle ground.
I went back and forth on whether to keep this. At one point, I also considered the XS and wrote to Quince to ask about the measurements. (Body length: 21 5/8″, Pit to pit: 18.5″). Though I like the feel and color, I sent it back. I don’t want to risk it becoming one of those items I don’t wear because a detail just wasn’t right.
You probably want to know how it wears and how much it pills. I want to know that too! If you own this sweater, do comment on how it’s worn. Sorry that I don’t have that info. But I hope the fit info was helpful.
UPDATE 10/10/23 – Elaine from Fairly Curated reports that her sweater pilled a lot.
If you’re interested in trying Quince, here’s my referral code, which will take $20 off your first order. It will also generate a credit for me, so thank you!
