Spring Wardrobe Staples April 2023: an ode to the hoodie
Seasonal transitions can be challenging. In a continental alpine climate you get out early in the morning with a slightly minus degree or if you’re lucky a few above, and by midday it’s a two figure temperature. Dress to impress can be definitely ruled out. So you need to show some expertise and deeper knowledge about your wardrobe and how the materials interplay with the climate. It should help you master a 15 degree temperature difference during the day. For me, a used, perused and abused garment, especially in the constantly changing April/May weather, is the trusty hoodie in pure wool from 1st-patrn. It’s got history, it’s got roots, it’s been around for some time. Just think about the monks cape and our beloved and still famous foul weather smock. It definitely rose from utilitarian workwear and evolved into a sports dedicated garment. Who doesn’t remember Rocky Balboa running up that steps in 1979 on a cold snowy morning? Was it an early Champion Hoodie he wore? I definitely have to check on this one.
That run though spread the spark that led to the contemporary prominence of this piece of wardrobe. It was a true companion throughout my teen and tween years. Skateboarding and it’s soundtrack shaped it’s street credibility, and GA in his 1986/87 campaign it’s rise and admiration in menswear. If your skills like mine never took you to pro status, the hoodie let you nevertheless be part of a youth subculture that formed a new generation of sports enthusiasts, music makers, music lovers and street aesthetes. And now it’s back again. I dismayed it for nearly a decade. Its youthfulness was more a hindrance than a challenge to rethink its role as a staple in an adults wardrobe. Though the main characteristics survived the years, the hoodie saw some essential improvement: from pure cotton to luxurious pure wool. It’s still oversized but not too big, it can hide a t-shirt underneath or a shirt and tie. It’s legit to wear a soft shouldered sports jacket over it and some wider legged trousers. Still you can accentuate your trained waistline by fastening the strap on the lower end. You can even show your belt line if you like. It’s the softness of wool that makes the difference. Some may call it a luxury to use pure wool for a garment that is thought as a shield from rough weather and raw environments. But if you look back at what our parents or grandparents used to wear to protect them from sometimes averse weather conditions on their walks in the woods or daylong outdoor camps and excursions, its those natural fibers and their properties that they appreciated the most. By that the hoodie gained its permission to be an essential part as a timeless piece in this adults wardrobe.