:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52367053/ShaggyDog.0.jpeg)
Racked is no longer publishing. Thank you to everyone who read our work over the years. The archives will remain available here; for new stories, head over to Vox.com, where our staff is covering consumer culture for The Goods by Vox. You can also see what we’re up to by signing up here.
J.Press’s Shaggy Dog Sweaters are iconic, beloved by the likes of John F. Kennedy, Cary Grant, and, well, me. I’ve been pining for one of these sweaters for years, but the retail price ($245) isn’t exactly affordable.
That doesn’t mean they’re not well worth it, though. The sweaters get their “shaggy dog” appearance from brushed Shetland wool that comes from sheep in the Shetland Isles in Scotland. (The wool is so good — incredibly warm and not weighty — that Canada and the US now breed Shetlands, too.)
The raw material still has that itchy how-soon-can-I-get-this-off wool texture, though, but the brushing is what gives it a softer feel. Best of all, the sweater is now on sale for $196. I won’t be caught in another polar vortex without one.