The Perfect Hooded Sweatshirt

April 24, 2006 5:50 PM

Help me find the perfect hooded sweatshirt.

I currently have a favorite hooded sweatshirt (hoodie, hoody, whatever) that I wear practically every day. I've been wearing it so often, the cuff of the sleeves are starting to fray from wear. I need to find a new hooded sweatshirt so 1.) I don't have to wear this one all the time and 2.) I have a backup sweatshirt in case this one gets worn beyond wearability.

I don't think my requirements are too stringent, but I've been having a hard time finding a sweatshirt I'm happy with. My favorite sweatshirt is similar to this Paul Frank one but in an L size. I usually wear an M, but the PF sweatshirts seem to run a bit smaller, so I would need an L. It's my favorite sweatshirt because it's a dark color, made out of french terry instead of the usual sweatshirt material that's fuzzy on the inside and tends to pill after washing, and it's slim fitted for a woman.

I'm having a hard time finding another hoodie that matches these requirements:
- Under $50 (including shipping)
- French terry material
- Fitted for a woman
- Plain*

* So far, it's hard finding a plain sweatshirt with no store's logo on it, no garish design like a dragon or fake paint splatter, no stripes down the sleeves, no rhinestones, etc. The ideal sweatshirt would be a solid dark color like black, dark blue, or dark green.

I know a sweatshirt like this exists because I see people walking down the street wearing them, but everytime I ask them about it, they forget where they got it from or they got it as gifts.

Please help me find the hoody of my dreams.

posted by nakedsushi to clothing, beauty, & fashion (18 comments total)

Do you want one that's thick like most guys sweatshirts or thin like most girly sweatshirts?
posted by radioamy at 5:53 PM on April 24, 2006

American Apparel stuff is great. I love my "California Fleece Thermal-Lined London Hood", and while their stuff also runs a bit smaller, a M fits as usual just *better* as far as I'm concerned.
posted by kcm at 5:55 PM on April 24, 2006

radioamy:
I want something thick like most guy's sweatshirts, but the inside should not be that fuzzy/pilly material. I don't want something so thin it feels like t-shirt material.

kcm:
I've checked American Apparel, but almost all their sweatshirts have that fuzzy material inside. Their thermal-lined sweatshirts are a bit too warm for me. I'm also trying to avoid American Apparel for personal reasons.
posted by nakedsushi at 6:00 PM on April 24, 2006

L.L. Bean
Veltex (Ignore the obnoxious picture)
Danskin
Nordstrom
posted by Alison at 6:23 PM on April 24, 2006

This is not a hoodie, but is sweat-like, French Terry, the right color and meets your definition of plain, I think:

From Territory Ahead
posted by garbo at 6:44 PM on April 24, 2006

Useless knowledge: In parts of Saskatchewan a hoodie is called a "Bunny-Hug".
posted by blue_beetle at 6:45 PM on April 24, 2006

I got a great one at the Gap recently. It's green with pink flowers if you can deal with that much decoration. It's the terry material and is just generally lovely.
posted by youcancallmeal at 7:14 PM on April 24, 2006

Urban Outfitters: hoodless, definitely french terry; hooded and not clear (but looks like it might also be french terry).

Hanes "Silver for Her".
posted by redfoxtail at 7:14 PM on April 24, 2006

Duluth Trading's French Terry hoodie. It comes in a darkish gray. It is $50 +shipping so it is a little more than you want to spend but every item I've bought from Duluth has lasted a very long time without wearing out.
posted by smash at 7:18 PM on April 24, 2006

I got my 14 yo her french terry hoodies at Kohls. They were fall/winter styles, so I don't know if they're available in the darker colors you prefer anymore. (They had dk green, navy, and black in the fall.) They've got a slightly different shirt now in summer-ish colors (search for solid hoodie) .
posted by jlkr at 7:41 PM on April 24, 2006

I would hate for someone to overshoot my price limit by $200, but I hope you don't mind this (overkill) suggestion. The Arc'teryx Gothic Hoodie seems like a rip-off at $250, but if you've owned anything by Arc'teryx, you'd know it's worth it. I have one of their fleeces and I wear it all the time; it shows zero signs of wear. Their wool blend feels so nice against the skin and keeps you super-warm, even when wet. Overkill? Absolutely -- the Ferrari of sweatshirts.
posted by jsteffa at 11:03 PM on April 24, 2006

Out of curiosity what do you have against American Apparel?
posted by radioamy at 12:06 AM on April 25, 2006

radioamy,

I know American Apparel sweatshop free, which is good and I'm glad for that, but I think it's silly that everything they have is priced so high when most of what they're selling are slightly modified t-shirts. I can't really put my finger on it, but something about their marketing and the whole American Apparel image makes me not like them. I think it might be the whole "I paid $24 for this plain t-shirt so now it's super hip" thing.
posted by nakedsushi at 12:28 AM on April 25, 2006

Neighborhoodies is sort of a Pimp My Hoodie online shop. Get it the way you want it. I did.
posted by geekyguy at 4:01 AM on April 25, 2006

I have the perfect hoodie! At H&M they have french terry hoodies right now that are perfectly cut for women. They're either $24 or $19. Mine is light yellow but I know there were dark colors as well. They have several different versions, there are ones with metal zippers which have the fuzzy lining you don't want. The plastic zippered ones are the french terry. It is in the "red tag" section of the store (just look for other clothes that have the size on a red tag, they should be nearby). This hoodie is much higher quality than American Apparel (I find their zippers and seams always cut into me). Good luck!
posted by saffron at 5:18 AM on April 25, 2006

This Rocky Mountain one looks good - $50, plain, french terry hoodie, available in heather grey and black.
posted by barnone at 8:30 AM on April 25, 2006

Gap?
posted by barnone at 8:34 AM on April 25, 2006

barnone, the ones offered at the Gap are all in colors that are too "springy" for me.

saffron, unfortunately I don't have an H&M near me.
posted by nakedsushi at 4:50 PM on April 25, 2006