DON'T be misled; nothing but nothing can beat the luxurious comfort of cashmere. The trouble is, almost nothing costs as much. So when a relatively low priced source of this fibre is discovered, the word deserves to be spread. Cashmere by Design's simple, easy pieces are available in a number of outlets in Britain but they can also be bought by mail order and even with the few extra pounds this adds to overall cost, they're still great value for money.
These are essentially basics rather than high fashion items of clothing, which means they'll earn their worth over successive seasons. The shapes are clean and spare long crewneck sweaters and twinsets for women and similar classics including v necks and polo shirts for men. While parts of the collection are in 100 per cent cashmere, others come mixed with silk such as this striped scoop neck nautical example which retails for £79. The company also produces some pure silk pieces including terrific wide legged palazzo pants. The choice of colours is just as generous too - running from lavender and paprika to perennial black and white. Cashmere by Design has a catalogue and can be contacted at 64 Neal Street, London WC2H 9PA, Tel. 0044-171-2403652.