My dad used to have a saying any time I complained about the price tag on some high-quality item I wanted to buy. “Buy once, cry once.” This was normally said anytime I asked for him to purchase the cheaper version of whatever tool/work-tool/shirt/gadget/etc that I felt I simply must own. Headshake from him as he pulled out his wallet to pay full price for the correct item, while muttering some nonsense about “false economy.” I think I learned the lesson, kind of…mostly…but not really. Then three years ago I had sons aged eight and six get school pictures done and decided to be cheap.
Bought them jumpers from Target. They lasted through about two launderings before they looked like thrift store rejects. Compare that to a wool jumper that my mum bought me in college that’s seen me through twenty years and three kids.
We’re talking Sunday dinner at mums wool jumper wearing here. Beer pong, snot-fests, accidental mascara…it’s survived it all.
Then it dawned on me that maybe dad did know what he was talking about.
When I started rebuilding my wardrobe after what I’m calling the great awakening of 2019 (Also known as when I realised I look like I gave up on life 8 hours a day), I had been buying cheap thin wool jumpers from anywhere that sold them. Ended up tossing them out every season when they started to pill, lose their shape, or generally look sad and worn out after six months of wear. Kind of stupid when I thought about it, because yeah, $20 jumper every season adds up.
But spending $40-$60 on a jumper seemed insanely extravagant. So I did the math. Pretty basic math too.
If I’m buying three new jumpers every year at $40 a piece we’re looking at $120 spent on jumpers every year. Now let’s say I buy really nice jumpers but ones that last. $200 jumper every two years sounds about right. So rather than spending $120/year on crappy jumpers I could spend $40/year on ones that would last me a lot longer.
Does my sleep deprived brain understand basic math? Yes. The hard part was what qualifies a jumper as “quality?” How did I know that a $200 jumper was actually twenty times better than the Target sweats I was used to buying?
Like most things these days, good ol’ fashioned internet research. Apparently there’s a whole world of British jumper makers that have been doing things mostly the same way for decades. Seriously.
Scroll through the websites of any of these companies and you’ll see jumper after jumper of “basic” styles that have changed very little since, well, your grandpas day. A lot of these companies are concentrated in the Scottish borders. Little towns like Hawick that most of us have never heard of, but have been producing jumpers on machines that look almost exactly the same as they did 50 years ago.
William Lockie is one such company. Started knitting back in 1874. Which means they were making awesome wool jumpers when your great grandparents were wearing whatever it was great grandparents wore back then.
At first I was put off by the price. Seriously, $300 for a basic crewneck?? I could buy three of those cheap ones for that price.
But when it arrived I was sold. Really great wool feels like a totally different thing than what I was used to. Thick, but not itchy.
Heavy without being bulky. It fits like a dream, instead of those cheap baggy jumper we all know and love. Oh and it’s held up to every stain, spill, toddler encounter that I could throw at it.
Thing is two years old now and still looks brand new. Zipper has started sagging from use but overall they really are built to last. Pro tip – wool gets softer and better with age, not worse like most clothing does.
Cheap synthetic blends pill and get home laundry looking after two months of wear. Quality wool just gets better. Another company I really like is Jamieson’s of Shetland.
I love their Fair Isle pattern jumpers. Reminds me of a picture my grandparents had of the British countryside. Jumper I got from them about a year and half ago is now my go-to jumper for those days where I need to look somewhat put together but not stuffy.
School functions, casual work meetings, weekend trips to the market where I’m trying to pretend like I’m the dad who has his life together (spoiler alert: I do not). Bonus points for hiding stains with a Fair Isle pattern. Trying to learn that lesson with lighter jumpers right now…Bright white/light grey= death to any mum/dad who thinks they can get away with not changing a shirt after every meal.
This brand Johnstons of Elgin makes amazing cashmere. Was kind of snobby about cashmere before I had kids. Always felt like fancy trousers stuff for people who didn’t have to worry about their kid wiping boogers all over their clothes.
But holy crap if this stuff isn’t the cat’s pyjamas. Light as can be but still warm. It’s warm without adding bulk, so it looks fairly dressy enough for work but comfortable enough that I can sit on the floor and build lego ships with Jackson without fear of ruining it.
Same drill as above though, very high quality means you actually want to buy from someone who knows what they’re talking about. Johnston’s has been crafting this wool since 17?? Yep 1797.
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Crewneck will run you right around what I used to spend on three cheaper jumpers, but this thing is leaps and bounds ahead of anything I’ve ever owned. Feels like the rental car comparison all over again. Both will drive you where you need to go, but you know which one is going to make you miserable the whole time.
Ok, now for something completely different. North Sea Clothing makes these jumpers based off of what the navy used to issue to their sailors. Got the submariner roll-neck last winter and it’s amazing.
Seriously feels like you’re wearing armour. Maybe not sword-shooting tough, but liquid bullet proof at the very least. And it’s wool.
So wool soft. Doesn’t look like much…something out of a submarineWWII film probably, but hey, when it’s 40 degrees out in texas I’m wearing whatever keeps me warm. John Smedley has become my everyday jumper go-to.
Looks sharp enough for a meeting but doesn’t make me feel like a stuffy shirt and jumper combo picking up kids. Got a polo jumper and it’s perfect for Texas. Warm, but not heavy.
Can wear solo if it’s warm out, but thin enough that I can layer it under a blazer for work as well. The knit is so fine that it doesn’t look like your typical grandma jumper. Looks more like a fancy shirt, which is great for those work from home zoom calls where you need to look sharp up top but who cares about trousers.
Albam is another more modern twist on that classic feel. Feels a little more contemporary than some of the heritage weighted brands, but still made with all the same love and attention to detail that founded British wool. None of these jumpers will come with care instructions that say machine washable.
And here’s the crazy part…I don’t even mind. Wool doesn’t need to be washed that often. It’s naturally antibacterial, meaning it won’t hold odors like other fabrics can.
Worst case scenario you need to wash it, take a shower and you’re good as new. But nine times out of ten airing it on a hanger overnight is enough. When you do need to wash them, it’s super simple.
Cold water, wool soap ( woolite brand works great, but you can find them about $10 for a bottle from the above brands as well) Lay flat to dry. Seriously it’s that easy. Got a hole in one of my cashmere jumpers last year thanks to Sophie loving me so much she tried to attack me with a safety pin the second I sat down.
Was happily surprised to find that alot of these brands will repair your jumper for a small fee. Johnston’s repaired mine for about $20 and you can barely tell where the hole was. Where does that even put us price wise compared to buying from target?
You can probably get three hole-y twenty dollar jumpers for what one of these cost, but will they last you 15+ years? Probably not. Anyway.
The moral of the story is I love these jumpers. Never going back. I used to view jumpers as disposable.
Wear em until they look sad, chuck em and buy new ones. Now I’ve found myself with multiple jumpers I actually LIKE wearing. They make my day better by just putting them on.
Sounds crazy but I love wearing stuff that was made to actually last instead of falling apart. There’s also the environment angle I wasn’t expecting care about but do. Buying less but higher quality means less consumption overall.
Buy one jumper that lasts twenty years instead of four that need replacing every season. Anyone else feel less stressed about having fewer, better things?
Best part is Lauren finally stopped complaining that my jumpers look like hell all the time.
Pretty sure she’s struggled to find things for me to wear half of the time we’ve been married, so now that I actually have stuff that doesn’t look like a retired-schoolteacher invaded my wardrobe she actually compliments me on them. Kids don’t care, but hey. One less wrinkled dishcloth shirt I have to wear in public sounds lovely.
Also, not having to pretend like I care about what jumpers I own anymore has made getting dressed in the morning WAY easier. When everything matches and is high quality you don’t fret about “what will I wear today?” Just grab something off the shelf that’s clean and you know you’ll look good. Bonus points when you have less clothing to sift through as well.
Moral of the story: Dad was RIGHT. Buy once cry once. Should’ve listened to him when he explained it to me twenty years ago, but I’m happy I know know.
Also know that when my boys want the cheap version of something I can hear Dads wise words of advice telling me to just buy the good shit. They might roll their eyes at me now… But they’ll have some seriously nice shirts to roll their eyes in.
