Hoodies: Comfrt Mega Fits, Zip-Ups, Pullovers and Cropped Cashmere

The hooded sweatshirt started life as sports gear. Champion says it designed and developed the first one in the 1930s in Rochester, New York, as a warm-up or sideline layer for athletes to pull on between plays, and the shape has barely changed since: a kangaroo pocket, a drawcord and a hood that does more work than it looks like it should. Ninety years later it is what I reach for on a cold morning, on a long flight and on the nights I want to feel held together without trying.

 

I rebuilt this edit around one rule: every pullover and zip-up on the first four shelves has a hood. That sounds obvious, but hoodie roundups quietly fill up with crewnecks and half-zips. Below you will find Comfrt, the comfort-first label that grew out of three hoodie colors, then zip-ups, classic pullovers, roomier statement pullovers and a last shelf of cropped, knit and dressier hoodies and sweatshirts.

 

My test for any hoodie is the hood itself. Pull it up in front of a mirror. If it collapses flat against your head, the fabric is too thin to hold its shape and it will look tired by the third wash. A good hood stands a little away from the face and frames it.

 

What I would skip: anything sold as a hoodie that turns out to be a sweatshirt with a zip collar. If the hood is the point, make sure it is there.

Comfrt is the rare internet brand whose founder story explains the product. Hudson Leogrande has written that he launched it with three hoodie colors, and that the team sent 30 of their favorite hoodies to the manufacturer, not to copy them but to reinvent them, with one simple goal: the most comfortable hoodie in the world. The brand partners with the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, and the idea is easy to feel the moment you put one on. The fleece has a slight weight that reads as calming rather than hot.

 

The Minimalist Hoodie is the one Comfrt says sells every 15 seconds, cut in its roomy Mega fit with a deep double-lined hood that stays up; I like it in cobalt blue. The Signature Hoodie in bone has a small embroidered logo, and the Cloud Zip Hoodie in snow is the same soft heavyweight fleece with a front zip. The Weighted Hoodie is the serious one, a zip style with five pounds of calming weight built in. For travel, the Airplane Mode Travel Zip Hoodie hides a built-in eye mask and eight pockets. The Halo Lightweight in iris and the Luxe Terry in berry are lighter for warmer days, and the Sunwashed Hoodie in dayglow is all cotton with a faded, garment-dyed wash.

 

Test the Mega fit by raising both arms. The hem should stay at your hips, not ride up to your waist.

 

What I would skip: sizing down to make a Mega look fitted. If you want a closer shape, the Signature cut is the better pick.

A zip-up is the hoodie that behaves like a jacket. Open, it frames whatever is underneath; closed, it reads as a full outfit. That control is why I own more zip styles than pullovers, and why one usually lives on the back of my desk chair.

 

SKIMS makes its Cotton Fleece Classic Zip-up Hoodie in a light heather grey that sits close through the body, the neatest of the group. The WellBeing + BeingWell Murphy is the opposite, an oversized full zip in heather grey that hangs well past the hip. lululemon's Steady State SuperLoft Full Zip in a deep mahogany is plush enough for the walk home from a class, and On's Focus Tech Zip Hoodie is the technical one, sleek and black. Fear of God ESSENTIALS cuts its 90's Full Zip Hoodie with a washed finish that already looks lived in. For something softer, the Haelo Zip Up Hoodie in taupe and Helsa's Full Zip Hoodie in Fleece in vintage distressed black both have the slouch of a well-worn favorite, and GRLFRND's Zip Hoodie in navy looks sharp over a pleated skirt. On the lighter side, PARKE's Zip-up Varsity Hoodie, Aviator Nation's Disco Zip Hoodie, James Perse's Vintage French Terry Zip Hoody and Vuori's All The Feels Mini Full Zip Hoodie add a varsity cut, a rainbow stripe, a terry basic and a black zip.

 

The test: zip it all the way up and sit down. If the zip buckles at your stomach, the body is cut too short for you.

 

What I would skip: a heavy metal zip pull if you plan to sleep in it on a plane. It digs in exactly where you rest your chin.

The pullover is the original shape, and the one where small details decide everything: rib cuffs that grip, a pocket that sits flat and a hood with enough body that it does not sag down your back.

 

Fear of God ESSENTIALS is the modern reference point. Its 90's Fleece Hoodie in washed seal has the dropped shoulder and boxy body the label is known for. The SKIMS Cotton Fleece Classic Hoodie in onyx is the quieter black version, closer to the body. On's Club Hoodie in bubblegum is the cheerful one, and the HOMMEgirls collaboration with Fruit of the Loom puts a printed logo on a black hoodie, a nice nod to the shape's athletic roots. Cotton Citizen's Roma Hoodie in jet black has a soft, broken-in finish. Darlin's Wild Hoodie in creme carries a printed scene across the chest, Geel's Shelly Hoodie in cream is the plainest of the lot, and Lspace's Jet Set Hoodie in cream is the one I would throw in a beach bag for the walk home.

 

The test: put your hands in the pocket and look in the mirror. If the pocket drags the whole front down, the fleece is too light to last.

 

What I would skip: a pure white pullover if you plan to live in it on weekends. Cream forgives coffee, white does not.

Some hoodies are made to be the whole look, roomy enough to wear with nothing more than leggings, bike shorts or a slip skirt. These are the ones with a bit more personality, in color, print or sheer weight.

 

Entire Studios calls its version the Heavy Hood, and in college green it is exactly that, a thick, structured pullover with real heft. Vuori's Restore Hoodie in electric blue is bright and sporty, and Splits59's Joey Hoodie in dark cherry has contrast drawcords that keep it from feeling plain. Free People's Countryside Hoodie in autumn sky is the softest blue here, AFRM's Blake Hoodie comes in a noir micro dot, and superdown's Briggs Hoodie in mocha is the easy everyday one. Lauren Moshi's Black Horse Classic Hoodie in light onyx carries the label's printed artwork, and the Fear of God ESSENTIALS Classic Hoodie in homestead heather has the small logo across the chest. Vuori's Sedona Classic Pullover Hoodie, Aviator Nation's Bolt Stitch Pullover Hoodie, Polo Ralph Lauren's Shrunken Hood Sweatshirt and Sunny Somewhere's NY 94 Classic Hoodie add a plainer one, a stitched one, a shrunken one and a vintage graphic one.

 

The test: stand side-on to a mirror. An oversized hoodie should drop straight from the shoulder, not balloon out at the stomach.

 

What I would skip: an oversized hoodie with oversized trousers if you are petite. Pick one volume and keep the other close to the body.

Cropped hoodies work when there is a clear waist underneath, which is why I wear them with high-rise trousers, a midi skirt or a matching sweatpant. Fear of God ESSENTIALS' Campus 90's Cropped Raglan Hoodie in faded mauve is the sporty one, and alo's Muse Hoodie in ivory is a cropped pullover designed to pair with the brand's sweatpants. Lauren Moshi does two cropped zip styles, the Butterfly Daisy and the Butterfly Heart, both covered in the label's printed artwork, and Bobi's Half Zip Crop Hoodie in faded rose is the softest of the group.

 

Then the knits. Helsa's Saylor Cashmere Knit Hoodie in taupe and Éterne's embellished cashmere hoodie turn the shape into something you could wear to dinner, and Aya Muse's Knit Zip Up Hoodie is the most sculptural piece in the whole edit. Knit hoodies stretch and drop more than fleece, so fold them into a drawer rather than hanging them. The dressier end of the shelf is Les Tien's cotton hoodies, LESET's Mae in midnight, ALIGNE's brushed wool Illaria in chocolate brown and Alexander Wang's shrunken zip-up with a rhinestone drawcord, plus a sweatshirt from Les Tien and a short wool one from Lemaire for the days you want the same comfort without a hood.

 

The test: raise your arms. A cropped hoodie should still meet your waistband when you reach for a high shelf, unless you want a flash of skin.

 

What I would skip: a cashmere hoodie as a gym layer. Save it for the days you want the comfort to look deliberate.

I would start with one heavyweight pullover in a dark color, a Comfrt Minimalist or the SKIMS Classic Hoodie in onyx, because it goes with everything and hides a season of wear. Then one zip-up in grey or cream for layering under a coat, then one piece that is purely for fun, a print or a bright like the On Club in bubblegum. A cropped or knit hoodie comes last, for the days a hoodie needs to look dressed.

 

Wash fleece cold and inside out, and skip the dryer when you can. The hood keeps its shape for years that way.

 

Champion's sideline layer has outlived almost every trend that tried to replace it. Pick the hood that stands up on its own and it will keep earning its place in your week. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together lululemon.