Womens Hoodie

Fleece Pullover or Knit Hooded Top

Women's hoodies split by cloth, and the cloth tells you the job. A fleece pullover is brushed on the inside and built for warmth; a knit hooded top is a lighter, drapier fabric built to look finished. Fleece styles are usually cotton and polyester blends with a kangaroo pouch and a printed front, cut roomy. Knit tops tend to mix polyester with viscose and a little elastane, and sit nearer the body without clinging. How the brushed side keeps you warm is explained on the fleece hoodie page.

• Fleece for cold mornings. It holds warm air well, though wind and rain still call for a shell over it.
• Knit for the in-between days. A knit hooded top slips under a jacket without adding bulk.
• Pouch or patch pocket. The fleece pouch holds keys and a phone; a chest pocket on a knit top is there for looks.

Details That Let a Hoodie Go Out

Most hoodies stay home because nothing about them says they were chosen. A collar, a buttoned placket or a contrast hood changes that, because each one gives the front a shape an ordinary sweatshirt never has. A hooded top with a real shirt collar reads as a button-up from the front and a hoodie from behind. A buttoned tab at a V-neck lets you decide how much neckline shows, and a white hood near the face bounces light upward the way a crisp white collar does.

• Open the placket for jewelry. A couple of open buttons make room for a fine chain below the hood.
• Tuck the front. A straight hem tucked into high-rise jeans turns a hooded top into a proper top.
• Keep the rest quiet. Stripes, plaid and color blocking already count as the pattern.

How a Women's Hoodie Should Fit

On a fleece pullover, take your usual size; the ease is already built in, and going up a size mostly adds length rather than width. Heavy fleece holds its own shape, so between sizes on the heaviest styles the smaller one usually wins. For a knit hooded top, read the measured chart: lay a top you already like flat and compare the chest figure. A straight cut with hem and chest at one width drops in a clean line, while a trimmer chest that opens toward the hem falls in a soft A-line over the hips.

Hoodies Worth Giving

Hoodies are among the easier clothes to give, because a roomy pullover forgives a guess on size. Match the line on the front to the person rather than to the occasion. A proud, kind line flatters instead of teasing, which makes it the safe pick for a mother, a printed scene suits someone who wants a picture rather than a sentence, and the cheekier lines belong with friends whose humor you already know. Those are gathered on the funny hoodie page.

Pick a Hoodie for Your Week

Count your days before you choose. If most of them are couch, car and errands, a printed fleece pullover will be your default; if they include an office, a dinner or a train, a knit hooded top earns its place first. Wash either one cool and dry it low, since the double layers at the hood and the pouch are what tempt a hot dryer, and heat is what shrinks the body.