I tried $545 cashmere sweats from Gigi Hadid's luxury label. The fabric is top notch, but here's my one peeve.

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Supermodel Gigi Hadid has both an inherent sense of style and plenty of business connections in the fashion industry. The easy thing for her to do would have been skincare or candles. Instead she created Guest In Residence, which is now among the top cashmere brands. With the help of stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson and Sijeo Kim (formerly of Theory and The Row), its knitwear is branded as "future heirlooms."

The price of a Guest In Residence Cashmere Crewneck has risen from $385 to $426 (over 10%) since I first ordered one in 2024. I've also tested a ton of cashmere lounge sets since then, including a GIR ensemble that all together costs $1,040 — definitely an investment piece.

My main issue is with the Everywear Pants' waistband, which annoyingly keeps gets twisted inside the casing whenever I roll it up. At $545 a pair, even a min or flaw like this stands out.

Nevertheless, I can't deny how soft and smooth the cashmere itself feels. It's the perfect weight for travel or transitional weather — I didn't feel stuffy in it as I shuffled through a packed train to my seat, and it's such a cohesive matching set that I didn't look out of place when I wore it out to lunch later on.

On the Guest in Residence site, you'll find more genderless, boxy designs made from richly colored, fine-knit cashmere. The styling reminds me of what a Nickelodeon character might wear to a skatepark (in a good way! Very Y2K). I tested an oversized crewneck in a shade called "Matcha" (now retired), and it's lasted me two years with some only minor fraying at the interior seams.

Running my hand over it, there's zero coarseness or itchiness — it's just a fluffy, inviting fabric. The knit is 14 gauge, while most cashmere sweaters are 7 to 12 gauge. A lower gauge is easier to make, but a higher gauge is silkier, finer, closer-knit, and slower to pill.

The Oversized Crewneck costs $425, which is definitely steep for any single article of clothing. I'd expect the stitching on its interior seams to be immaculate for this price, but upon closer look, it isn't.

That said, it has withstood three wash-and-dry tests over two years. It hasn't turned lumpy, and the fabric has stayed smooth and relatively pill-free. The rolled hems on the sleeves and neckline are still intact because I made sure they weren't laying flat as the sweater air-dried.

I'm 5-foot-9 and wear a size Small top, but I went up to a Medium because I wanted a more oversized fit. The extremely dropped shoulders give it a more masculine edge, but I think a size Small would've been just as slouchy.

According to a company spokesperson, the brand sources its Grade-A cashmere from a farm in Inner Mongolia. Otherwise, the site doesn't provide information on its origin. I've found Good On You's rating system to be a consistent way to monitor brands with a lack of transparency on the subject, and Guest In Residence is not one of its high-ranking brands.

The bottom line

I have to dock points for construction because the Oversized Crewneck has less-than-perfect stitching on the inner seams, while the waistband of the Everywear Pants has a flimsy elastic band. And at this pricepoint, those details ought to be flawless.

Still, I love the super soft handfeel of this slouchy fabric, which has a relaxed drape and has aged gracefully. After all my experience testing luxury sweaters, I'm willing to bet that Guest In Residence bids high on premium-grade cashmere to craft these pieces. It barely pills (even after regular wear over a two-year period) and it's the right weight to wear 10 months out of the year.

Shop all Guest In Residence luxury cashmere.