Hoodie without the hood please?

June 9, 2010 6:37 PM

Can you find me a hoodie without a hood? Need a full-zip sweatshirt, preferably black and available in women's 2X or men's XL. All I see in my searches are hoods (HATE THE HOOD) or zippers that go down like four inches from the neck. Please help!

Basically I have this awesome, buttery-soft, fancy black zippered sweatshirt that I got from Lands' End several years ago. It has a collar, but no hood. It has served me well, but has recently developed a hole in the right elbow, so I need a replacement. Lands' End does not currently sell a sweatshirt like this.

Note: I am also somewhat willing to consider non-sweatshirt-based options that would be in a similar style. The fabric has to be soft, though - I once had a scrub top thing in this format but the fabric was scratchy and the cuffs were way too tight. I have thought of using a jean jacket but that seems to be too much like a real jacket and not particularly soft.

It needs to be able to withstand my abusive laundry practices - nothing that requires cold water, low dryer heat, hand wash, or dry clean.

I do NOT want a real jacket. This is mostly for wearing indoors as I sit at my desk at work. A primary function is to offer me pockets, since several skirts and dresses I have do not offer a place to keep my cell phone with me at all times, which is a bit of an OCD thing with me.

So essentially I need a hoodie without the hood, and my google-fu is failing me. Can you please help point me in the right direction?

posted by marble to clothing, beauty, & fashion (18 answers total)

Like this?
posted by amyms at 6:40 PM on June 9, 2010

Somthing like this?
posted by kenko at 6:40 PM on June 9, 2010

I googled for hoodless full-zipper sweatshirt to get to the above result.
posted by amyms at 6:41 PM on June 9, 2010

Check with a seamstress or drycleaner that does alterations and explain what you need. Removing a hood from a hoodie and adding some kind of simple collar if you wanted it would probably be easy and not terribly expensive.
posted by corey flood at 6:41 PM on June 9, 2010

Oooh, kenko, I think that's it! I checked and they say it's carried at the outlet mall 20 miles north of me, so maybe I'll run out there tomorrow and see what they have, and try out their sizes (I've never bought anything be American Apparel before so I am not sure if I would need the XL or the 2XL... their stuff looks like it runs really slim, and I am a big lady who is looking for something a little baggy).

As a bonus, the IKEA is pretty nearby and I've been meaning to replenish my store of meatballs, so this is a good excuse to head up that way.

Thank you!
posted by marble at 6:50 PM on June 9, 2010

Not black, but close
posted by brainmouse at 6:51 PM on June 9, 2010

I sell embroidered apparel in real life. What comes to mind, if you're willing to get it, is an acrylic microfleece (fuzzy) garment. I haven't seen a garment like you describe in the older type jersey knit with the fuzzy inside, lately. I know some of my catalogs have collared, no hood, full zips in the microfleece. Haven't clicked on any of the links mentioned above, so it may exist, but I haven't seen them lately in jersey knits.
posted by randomkeystrike at 6:53 PM on June 9, 2010

From what I gather from the reviews on the American Apparel jacket, it's on the thin side, tends to shrink, and runs 1-2 sizes small. If you are in doubt, I would definitely go up to the 2XL. I am typically a size medium-smallish large and I generally need an XL in American Apparel.
posted by rachaelfaith at 6:55 PM on June 9, 2010

brainmouse, that looks good too! I might go for the L.L. Bean if I can't find the American Apparel one tomorrow or it doesn't suit me. Navy would be a fine color, I think.
posted by marble at 6:59 PM on June 9, 2010

American Apparel runs ridiculously small, just a warning. I would try Old Navy.
posted by katypickle at 6:59 PM on June 9, 2010

If you are tempted to pimp your hoodless hoodie with witty bon mots, Neighborhoodies has both the Skii and Sugarhill in black, for $35 blank.
posted by mumkin at 7:25 PM on June 9, 2010

If you are looking online, you might want to try the terms "zip-up cardigan" and "track jacket." I have also heard it called a "zippy" (as opposed to a hoodie), though I have never seen it sold as such.
posted by AtomicBee at 7:36 PM on June 9, 2010

Dang it, I can't find it, but Old Navy has had several of these styles in the mens' section. There was one that was more of a sweatshirt style and another that was more of a fine sweater knit. They were PERFECT. Hopefully they'll have more next year; I can't find them on the website. You might find some in the clearance section.
posted by Madamina at 8:07 PM on June 9, 2010

I have a few cheap, full-zip, non-hood sweaters that I bought from *cough* Wal-Mart. I think the brand was OP... and I think they carry up to ladies 3xl. I have no idea if they still carry them, of course, because I bought them a few seasons ago... but they've held up pretty well.
posted by kaudio at 8:39 PM on June 9, 2010

Seconding AtomicBee's recommendation that "track jacket" is what you want to search for. I've never known a hoodless zip-up hoodie to be called anything else. I have a dozen of them, I bet.
posted by thedaniel at 11:59 PM on June 9, 2010

I have a yoga jacket (basically a track jacket) from Old Navy that is SUPER comfy and soft, and sounds exactly like what you want. I got it last summer, but would be shocked if they did not have something similar now.
posted by bibliogrrl at 9:21 AM on June 10, 2010

Ok - a link!

This is gray, but like what you want.
posted by bibliogrrl at 9:24 AM on June 10, 2010

Just an update: I went to the outlet mall and tried on the American Apparel 2XL one, and though it was nice, it was too tight on my upper arms. After washing it would have been abysmal.

I ordered the Old Navy one which had some gathered part on the upper front which I didn't like, and it was also too small.

But! I got the L.L. Bean one in XL (navy), and it just arrived, and it looks like it will fit the bill perfectly. Thanks for all the ideas, folks.
posted by marble at 10:41 PM on July 10, 2010