My Current Favorites – [January 2025]: Dressing in the World’s Best Natural Fibers
After 8 and a half years of traveling the world at a frantic pace, here we are, settled in Lille. It’s very cold, and I need to dress us from head to toe. We used to dress like onions with layers, but now that we’re settled, we’re trying for a more urban look, especially for JB who has to go to the office every day.
To do this, I read the excellent book Fabric for Fashion: The Complete Guide Second Edition (English Edition) (p. 179). Quercus. Kindle Edition by Hallett, Clive; Johnston, Amanda. I still want to stay minimalist and buy things of excellent quality, first because I love quality and craftsmanship, but also to have things that last and not have to shop every time the weather changes. I learned from this book that the origin of fibers is essential for making durable products with exceptional feel.
We’re very well equipped with summer clothes but are sorely lacking winter clothes. For JB, who needs to try clothes in store, I did my best. We couldn’t get him the world’s best fibers; we had to shop in affordable ready-to-wear, but I tried to stick to 100% natural fibers (cotton, wool). However, we managed to save a bit by spotting a few pieces from past collections in great condition on Vinted. The only product worth your attention is this merino wool beanie with a beautiful 19.5 micron fiber, woven in Italy.
As for me, I had to get much warmer clothes because I get cold easily. For years I’ve only worn cotton, wool, and linen, but I now realize (thanks to my book) that I can go further by accessing the best cotton in the world, the best cashmere in the world… Here are my favorite pieces
As soon as the temperature drops to 0 degrees, only fur can save me. I know what you think about fur, and I’m not comfortable with it either, which is why I only wear vintage fur which has the advantage of being SUPER warm, featherlight, and not expensive at all. I found a rabbit fur one on Vestiaire Collective for 80 euros. All it takes is a thermal merino wool layer, a cashmere sweater, a cashmere scarf, and the rabbit fur coat (I prefer rabbit because people also eat rabbit meat, unlike foxes or minks); and I can handle down to -5°C without a problem. The idea is to opt for rabbit furs, which are very discreet and closely resemble synthetic furs. From an environmental standpoint, VINTAGE fur is much more eco-friendly because it’s natural materials that can be passed down for generations, whereas synthetic fur not only doesn’t keep you warm but also doesn’t last and is 100% plastic! Another option is vintage shearling, but it’s very heavy.
I treated myself to two pashminas in pashmina, liquidated by a lady who is closing her shop. I talked about it here. Pashmina is an even more luxurious and eco-friendly version of cashmere, representing at most 0.5% of global production. The shawls are handwoven, hand-embroidered, and have a very pleasant featherlight feel (I’m slim and petite and don’t want to wear anything too bulky). It’s a work of art in itself.
This year, I’m discovering for the first time Sea Island cotton. Of the roughly 110 million bales of cotton produced worldwide each year, about 2 million bales (1.8%) are extra-long staple cotton varieties. Of that total, annual Sea Island Cotton production is only 130 bales. Use Sea Island cotton and you’ll never go back, it’s done! It has all the benefits of silk but with the feel of a silky cotton. The fibers are extra long and give you this out-of-this-world texture, I swear, I’ve never felt anything like it. You can keep it for a very long time, as long as you wash it gently and definitely don’t put it in a dryer.
JB asked me, following our stays at Marriott, to find bath and bed linens worthy of a 5-star hotel. It took a lot of research because these are products normally intended for professionals. The secret to finding them is to know the choices hotels make at the core of the fiber and look for the same things (weight, thread count, composition, etc.). Even if you have the name of the hotel supplier, you’re stuck because you quickly realize the minimum order is 6 or 20 sheets…
But I found an incredible 100% cotton honeycomb bathrobe , a pillow with goose down from Yves Delorme that feels like a cloud, and bath towels in Supima cotton from Atelier Particulier, made by the supplier for Parisian luxury hotels. I swear, I’m living my best life because I feel like I’m in a 5-star hotel all the time. It upgrades my quality of life to an unimaginable level!!!
Supima® cotton (superior Pima) is a registered trademark of the Supima Association of America. It is exclusively Pima cotton (extra-long staple) grown 100% in the United States. It is often considered better than Egyptian cotton because it has a guaranteed fiber length of over 3.5 centimeters (1½ inches). Only a very small percentage of the world’s cotton is Supima cotton. The longer the fibers, the softer the feel and the more durable the products. So I bought only 2 towels for JB and myself; they dry very quickly and you don’t need 4 towels “just in case.” No, 2 is enough.
Of course, each time I find more or less good deals. There are plenty of things from second-hand sources. I still have several purchases that will take me a lot of time: bed linen (fitted sheet, flat sheet, pillowcases), the mattress topper, the duvet and cashmere throw.
I spent a crazy amount of time watching videos and reading about cashmere and I’m now much better at recognizing quality. So I went around the shops and updated my comparison of ready-to-wear brands for cashmere. There are some unsettling truths about cashmere which has become a mass-market product so this will be the last year I buy new cashmere (I’ll do a review soon about the Mongolian brand GOBI).
Again, the articles [my favorites] remain on this blog, but I’ll be more active on my lifestyle & crafts blog Mehach.com, which I invite you to check out.
