Since I published my initial thoughts on Quince, I admit I’ve been scouring their website and saving products to my wishlist left and right (will I purchase all of these items? Probably not, but it’s a nice way to save items for consideration in the future). That wishlist includes a range of items – from fine jewelry to bath mats – but when I decided to place another order, I figured I should focus on a more immediate need.
When Michael and I moved to Charlotte a few years ago, my sweater collection was pretty puny (Florida’s sunny weather meant I could get away with just a few cozy knits!). Over the course of my first few Carolina winters, I brought a few new sweaters into the mix – and even knit a couple of my own! – but lately, I’ve been craving a little more variety in my cold-weather clothing. Quince’s sweater section is full of solid-colored knits in a variety of fiber types and silhouettes, so it seemed like a good place to start shifting items from my wishlist into my shopping cart. And with their generous return policy, I knew I had little to lose.
So I turned to some of my favorite sweater fibers: alpaca, cashmere, and cotton. My preference for sweater fabrics will always be natural fibers over blends, and I typically prefer the warmth and temperature-regulating abilities of animal fibers over plant fibers. However, cotton is one fiber I choose on occasion because it can be a great easy-to-care-for budget alternative (take, for example, the $5o difference between the cotton and cashmere versions of the same sweater), and I appreciate its weightiness in certain situations. And I understand from my knitting journey that sometimes synthetics are blended into natural fibers for strength and longevity – and price – so I kept that in mind while shopping, too.
Looking for more honest style reviews? Check out my index of reviews, sorted by brand
I fiddled around with the sweater styles on the Quince site, taking into account what is currently in my wardrobe, and landed on five sweaters to try. I kept the color palette neutral, as I know my color preferences well, and stuck to a mix-and-matchable set of camels, whites, and black. In preparation for today’s post, I’ve worn each sweater multiple times and laundered each sweater at least once. Since sweaters feel like a bit of an investment and I tend to hold onto mine for years (or until they start to unravel), I wanted to be able to share with you today a little about how to care for each one. I’ll also touch on the fit, quality, and how to style each of the five sweaters I selected: 100% Organic Cotton Fisherman Crew Sweater, Mongolian Cashmere Crewneck Sweater, 100% Organic Cotton Oversized Cardigan, Baby Alpaca-Wool Cropped Cardigan, and 100% Organic Cotton Boyfriend Crew.
And a little housekeeping note: Sweaters are shown here on the rack for the purpose of this post. You should never hang your knits from the shoulders as they can stretch out of shape; instead, fold them and place them in a sweater box or drawer, or use this hack for hanging in your closet.
100% ORGANIC COTTON FISHERMAN CREW SWEATER
100% Organic Cotton Fisherman Crew Sweater Color | Ivory Size | Small Price |$39.90$49.90 Materials | 100% Organic Cotton Also Wearing | Pants℅ | Shoes | Bag* | Belt | Necklace℅ | Earrings* | Ring℅
I figure a good place to start this series of reviews is with the first Quince sweater I added to cart: the 100% Organic Cotton Fisherman Crew Sweater. Frequently touted as a dupe for Jenni Kayne’s Fisherman Sweater, this ribbed sweater fills a white-sweater gap in my wardrobe. I don’t own that particular sweater to be able to verify the comparison myself, but I can say the Quince version feels much heavier and more luxurious than its price tag suggests. Well-made garments make a simple outfit feel polished, and this sweater adds an air of “expensiveness” to even a pair of jeans and flats (although it is certainly machine-knit, it looks as though it could have been knit by hand).
When styling this sweater, I’ve come to think of it as the cool-weather equivalent of a white T-shirt. It can be dressed up or down easily and serves as a neutral backdrop for the rest of your look (although I will say, pairing this sweater with cute navy shorts during the summer might just be obligatory if you live anywhere in New England). But no matter what – in the white, at least – I always wear a nude-to-me tank underneath as the structure of the knit means a little skin can show through. As for the fit, the model has a good seven inches on me, and the sweater is much longer on my body (perhaps if I feel particularly brave one day, I’ll consider unraveling and reknitting it a little shorter!). I usually wear this sweater with a French tuck as it’s a little bulky for a full tuck with thinner pants, and not a length I prefer to wear untucked (see photo above). Due to the length and amount of stretch, if I were to reorder today I’d probably choose an XS for a slightly closer fit.
Care-wise, I’m used to line-drying my sweaters, but the care instructions say to tumble dry low – I split the difference by drying it for just a few minutes to draw out some of the moisture and then lay it flat on my drying rack to fully dry. After a few wears and washes, the cotton fibers are starting to soften and puff out more and the “crispness” is starting to give way to a more lived-in feel, typical of cotton. But other than laundering it, I haven’t had to depill or perform any other maintenance on this sweater so far (yay!).
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MONGOLIAN CASHMERE CREWNECK SWEATER
Mongolian Cashmere Crewneck Sweater℅ Color | Camel Size | Small Price | $50 Materials | 100% Grade-A Mongolian Cashmere Also Wearing | Jeans | Boots² | Necklace℅ | Earrings² | Ring℅
Quince’s famous $50 Cashmere sweater (at least, that is the price at the time of publication – with costs rising everywhere, it’s hard to imagine it staying the same for long). Quince compares this to Everlane’s cashmere sweaters (of which I own several), so I do feel comfortable comparing the two brands in this category. The fit, thickness, softness, and weight of this sweater and Everlane’s Cashmere Crew are certainly comparable. With my eyes closed, I have difficulty feeling the difference in the quality between the two. But where I do notice a difference is in the maintenance: the Quince sweater pills much faster than the Everlane cashmere, and so I’m finding I have to depill it more frequently. Although Quince states this is Grade-A cashmere, I suspect the fibers are on the shorter side and thus more susceptible to friction and pilling. Quince sells a cashmere comb, but sometimes I’m a rebel and (carefully) use an electric shaver for efficiency’s sake. I’m tempted to try their Luxe Baby Cashmere which is double the price (and Quince claims it has a $1450 value), and presumably has longer fibers which will be less prone to pilling – but that’s a review for another day…
Styling this sweater is a dream for anyone who loves to get out the door quickly; because it’s light yet warm, it can be easily tucked or layered. Lately, I’ve been playing with the concept of “tension” in my outfits, and I like pairing this soft, classic, could-be-stuffy sweater with tougher pieces like leather pants or distressed denim. But it would look just as lovely with a silk skirt or trousers.
Quince recommends hand-washing this sweater; to space out the time between washings, wear a tank or tee underneath (this helps keep the sweater from coming in contact with your skin’s oils and sweat). When hand-washing, I like to use a gentle detergent (I recently made the switch to this wool wash after the meltdown at The Laundress), and then roll it up tight in a towel to remove the excess water before laying it flat to dry.
As for sizing, I took a small here and I really love the subtle drape. I could probably get away with an XS if I wanted a little closer fit, but I appreciate having a little ease in my garments these days and am happy with the size I chose. As with many of my sweaters, I have to give the cuff a little turn to keep it from grazing my knuckles (ah, the joys of being 5’4″).
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100% ORGANIC COTTON OVERSIZED CARDIGAN
100% Organic Cotton Oversized Cardigan Color | Ivory Size | Small Price | $49.90 Materials | 100% Organic Cotton Also Wearing | Tee | Jeans | Shoes | Necklace℅ | Earrings* | Ring℅
This style of sweater has slightly faded in its trendiness over the past few years, but not every setting requires the most on-trend outfit (and it’ll certainly be back in style one day soon!). The oversized cardigan looks like it’s begging for what I consider the peak 2018 slow-fashion uniform of skinny jeans, mules, and a flowy tee. I’ve kept the concept here but switched up the elements slightly – going for a more current straight jean with a higher rise (officially a mom jean) and a tighter tee for balance. I kept the mules, though, because they’re so beautifully made – how could I not? But you could easily go all-oversized with a wide-leg pant and combat boots if that’s more your style.
With layers in mind, I ordered a Small, but it’s so heavy, warm, and generously sized that I might have gotten away with an XS. It’s really very cozy and in a similar style of knit to the Fisherman Sweater reviewed above. The care instructions are the same, and I approach washing this cotton cardigan the same. I appreciate the attention to detail with the design of this; the subtle curve inward at the hem, the knit-in pockets (pockets!), and the balloon sleeves are a beautiful, practical touch (although long on me, as always). It has been a real delight to wear so far. My only qualm? The ultra-bright white “Ivory”. It’s more of a bright blue-white than pictured on their site, and I always feel like I’m one bite of lasagna away from total destruction. Quince has since released a beautiful Speckled Beige, and I might be more smitten with its softer color than this one. I suppose when the inevitable staining happens, this sweater might be relegated to the loungewear pile, and I might just wind up with a second one…
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BABY ALPACA-WOOL CROPPED CARDIGAN
Baby Alpaca-Wool Cropped Cardigan Color | Camel Size | Small Price | $59.90 Materials | 52% Merino Wool, 31% Nylon, 17% Baby Alpaca Also Wearing | Tank℅ | Jeans* | Beret (save 15% with code ALYSSA) | Shoes℅ (save $10 with code WAYWARD) | Necklace℅ | Earrings* | Ring℅
The Quince website doesn’t disclose the percentages for this sweater (the listing just reads “baby alpaca wool, extrafine merino wool, and nylon”), so I was a little disappointed when it arrived and I looked at the tag to see this sweater is over 50% merino wool. But once I tried it on, my heart simply couldn’t bear to return it; it’s basically the lightweight, neutral cropped cardi of my dreams. It hits just below my waist and has the sweetest puffy balloon sleeves – and the lightest, softest material and drape. I think the size Small was the right choice here, and despite how beautiful the ivory and light grey versions look, I wouldn’t go any lighter than this camel color as it’s quite thin and sheer. I’ve probably worn this sweater twice as many times as my similar alpaca cardigan from Everlane (reviewed here, with the alpaca and merino percentages almost-flipped: 58% Alpaca, 34% Nylon, 8% Merino Wool), and the Quince version has pilled much faster. But its low price, lightweight warmth, and perfect camel color keep me reaching for it (and my sweater comb) over and over.
I often toss this on over dresses to fight the chill or wear it fully buttoned with high-rise jeans (and a nude-to-me cami underneath), but I wear it as shown here the very most. Although the care instructions read “Dry Clean Only,” I happily thwart the rules and gently hand-wash. It has reached more of a lived-in state than its original fluffy condition, but that’s very normal for anything alpaca.
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100% ORGANIC COTTON BOYFRIEND CREW
100% Organic Cotton Boyfriend Crew Color | Black Size | Extra-Small Price |$39.90$49.90 Materials | 100% Organic Cotton Also Wearing | Pants℅ | Shoes℅ (save 10% with code WAYWARD10) | Belt* | Bag℅ | Necklace℅ | Earrings* | Ring℅
According to my boyfriend fiancé, this sweater is a bit of a misnomer, as he says he would never wear a sweater this cropped (I also of course reminded him there are other boyfriends in the world, but I digress). But whatever you choose to call it, it’s become a fast fave in my wardrobe. It has a very casual vibe that I dig on carefree days and has just the right amount of both sturdiness and drape. The knit is much tighter than the ribbed knit of the other cotton sweaters here, and I find it’s extremely opaque because of this. After poring over the reviews, I decided to size down to an Extra-Small, and I’m glad I did. It’s still plenty boxy and wide in the smaller size, but the cropped length keeps it from swallowing me whole. I like to wear this with a French tuck or untucked, depending on my mood/outfit. I also think it would look fantastic with a button-down, but those who have sensory sensitivities around clothing may find the neckline a bit tight.
To launder, Quince recommends machine-washing and either tumble-drying or line-drying. Again, I split the difference with no ill effects, but I don’t think I would fully tumble-dry this or any sweater in order to help them last longer. And, just one more reminder: please don’t hang your sweaters from their shoulders!
*This item is no longer available and a similar product is linked
FINAL THOUGHTS ON QUINCE SWEATERS
The cost-to-quality ratio of Quince’s sweaters is truly unbeatable, however, these savings come with a little extra necessary maintenance (ahh, the old money-or-time quandary). All sweaters eventually pill – yes, even ultra-expensive Loro Piana cashmere pills – and across the board, I’m finding modern sweaters are pilling faster than ever. I still prefer to knit my own or shop older sweaters second-hand, but when buying new ones, I figure I may as well save a little money on the front end. If I’m already going to be spending some of my time sitting on the sofa with a sweater comb, why not?
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How do you store your knitwear?
I got a sweater and leather jacket from Quince for Christmas. I love them! I wish I’d known you were an affiliate! I’ll use your links next time I order. ☺️
Ooh, which sweater did you get? Glad to hear you love the leather jacket – I’ve been eyeing the suede one!
Thank you so much – that’s so generous of you!
I love this review! It’s so timely for me, as I received a Quince gift card for Christmas and have been trying to decide what to order. I’ve just gone back to work part-time, and I’m hoping to discover any wardrobe holes before I pounce. As someone who is 5’3, I wouldn’t be sad if they introduced petites. I loved it when Everlane added ankle/short to its lineup!
What a great Christmas gift! I love how you’re approaching adding items to your wardrobe (dressing for the office can sometimes feel like a drag, but it helps when you can mix in pieces you already own and love) – I really like their wishlist feature for narrowing things down when you decide what you need.
Petites would be such a great addition! I’m right on the cusp at 5’4″, and have had to embrace learning how to hem pants. Having them already at the right length would be such a benefit.
It’s interesting to see their sweaters on a normal body instead of a model. They are just not that flattering. I don’t mean to be unkind. I bought two of boyfriend crew neck cashmere, both had pilled horribly after after just a couple of wearings. I won’t be going back to shop for more.