La Ligne Marin Sweater
$300 sweaters > $1,500 sweaters
Trigger Warning: This post will be discussing fall clothing items, if this is triggering to you, take care of yourself and skip this for now. But definitely come back when considering what sweater to purchase this fall!
I know that talking about Fall things is a touchy subject at the end of summer. Where I live it is still VERY much summer, and yet, I can’t help but think about sweaters! That being said, I thought I’d deliver a review for the very best sweater in my wardrobe; the La Ligne Marin.
You know when you start looking for something and then, suddenly, you see it everywhere? That was how it felt when I first heard about the Marin. More accurately, there was so much love for The Row Ophelia sweater and the Marin was offered as an alternative each time.
I was in the market for a cashmere or cashmere blend crew neck sweater. I wanted a classic silhouette that I could wear to death. I am a little bit of a priss when it comes to fabric because I get itchy fast so I knew a 100% wool might not work. BUT since I needed the sweater to work overtime, I didn’t want it to pile instantly. The Marin is 30% cashmere, 70% wool and it seems to be a magic formula as you will see later in regards to wear.
After seeing the Marin suggested for the 9,861 time in Substack chats I finally purchased in December 2024 using
discount code for 20% off.
I opted for the black color in my normal size. I have a short torso and arms so, while I love the over-sized look, I didn’t want the sweater to swallow me (I’m 5’3”). I still prefer to wear the sleeves cuffed but that is also because I have little kids aka a (sometimes) messy lifestyle. The website says to size down if between sizes.
The little details of this sweater are my favorite parts; the drop shoulder seam, the thick cuff at the neck, sleeves, hem and the seam down the back of the sweater. The back seam mimics The Row Ophelia BUT I actually like the way La Ligne does it better. And the sweater is super soft, no itchies at all!
Beyond looking great, this sweater wears really well. As I said, I have young kids so nothing in my closet can be too precious. I am willing to have dry-clean only items in my closet but mostly because I want to wear something 6-8 times before taking it to the dry cleaner (is that gross?).
A month (to the day) after I bought the Marin, I also bought the Glenn Geelong Crew by &Daughter (no longer being sold) and the piling difference on the two says it all.
The Marin is a blend of Cashmere/Wool whereas the &Daughter sweater is 100% lambswool which, obviously, just needs a bit more care. In every other way, these sweaters wear very similarly but I wouldn’t repurchase the &Daughter and I would repurchase the Marin. In fact, La Ligne makes a cropped version of the Marin, called the Mini Marin, which is on my wishlist for this winter to accommodate my short torso.
The sweater is also made in 10 solid colors and a variety of stripe color combinations.
And their sizing chart is very helpful to compare against the sizing of any other sweaters you own and love.
I’m a sweater collector so here are some other crew neck sweaters that caught my eye and/or are highly recommended in Substack chats. After putting together this collage of other options and including The Row Ophelia sweater, I am struck by how similar the current COS option AND the Marin are to it. At least in flat lay version! It makes me think that $300 sweaters are just as good (dare I say, better than) as $1,500 sweaters. And, for the record, I still realize that is a pretty penny to drop on a single item!
Speaking of the COS crew neck that is featured in the middle of the collage. I did buy this in the cream color when it was released earlier this season and it was VERY big on me. Here I am in the S and the XS was already sold out when I went to look at an exchange. In retrospect, I don’t need ANOTHER crew neck sweater for fall anyways!
All links for the pieces mentioned above are here with many options for where to purchase the Marin and more transparency on the affiliate commission. As an aside; there are some striped Marin sweaters on TRR but I didn’t include any because their stock changes so quickly, but definitely check that out.
La Ligne is fun to find on eBay! In case anyone would like to search for secondhand versions. They also have a ReLigne section on the site with good finds.
Haven’t tried La Linge yet, but was looking at sweater yesterday, love hearing the positive feedback. Love that you included Lou Lou Studio in your sweater recommendations, I have a few and love!