Shopping

Henri Bendel
712 Fifth Avenue
212-247-1100

With the fashion crowd clamoring for exotic materials like python, wild alligator, and ostrich, it's no wonder that cashmere sweaters suddenly seem commonplace. These days, you'd be tempted to think the premium wool was as easy to come by as cotton — it's the fabric of choice for stylish socks, blankets, throw pillows, handbags (what we'd do to have that Fendi one!). Our favorite of these down-home incarnations are knit pull-on pants. Stop rolling your eyes — a pair of cashmere sweats is one of the most practical and soothing garments you'll ever own. TSE's luxurious $550 ones have long been a uniform for downtime in Aspen and a trade secret of the Concorde-to-London-for-the-weekend crowd. As for us, we'll scoop up Henri Bendel's cozy $198 silk-and-cashmere-blend version and use the leftover funds for a plane ticket to test them out.