Jeans have to be the most enduring look in the history of fashion and I am beginning to think that hoodies and sweatshirts might create some longevity records of their own. Jeans teamed up with hoodies create what has become the uniform of the 21st century but it is for the most part an unimaginative look that lacks any sort of individuality. It isn’t even flattering!
Actually it is hard to credit why everyone seems to default to this look. It is making us all indistinguishable from each other! Young people in particular seem loathe to stand out from the crowd and I shudder to think how many hoodies are manufactured every year, mostly in rather dull colours. We all need a warm top or six in our wardrobes but do they really all have to be hoodies?
Versatile Knits
What was wrong with jumpers? Jumpers offer far more possibilities in terms of different styles, colours and textures. You can really get creative with jumpers but I can’t remember the last time I got seriously excited about a hoodie! The leading brands have capitalised on our collective apathy by taking any creativity out of hoodie design and replacing any semblance of pattern or unique features with their corporate logos. When exactly did it become cool to walk around with “Hollister” emblazoned across your chest? Personally I think it should be the word “mug” which is embroidered on these characterless garments. Not that you would know what was written on a Hollister or Abercrombie and Fitch hoodie when you went to buy one because you wouldn’t be able to see it! Shopping in the dark is now the thing to do.
Renaissance
I say bring back jumpers in all their forms. They may be a little more difficult to care for and to keep in tip top condition but the effort is worth making. With the sheer variety of wools available and the different shapes and cuts that you can wear, jumpers are much more exciting and you don’t have to walk around like a human billboard. It would be fabulous to wear clothing with the labels on the inside so that the style and not the brand name could speak for itself and indeed you.
Looking for the New Black
In these days of increasing environmental concerns and appreciation for the traditional ways of doing things, clothing like hand knitted Aran jumpers should be top of our wish lists. Wool is a natural and sustainable material with fine insulating properties but it seems to have been forgotten amidst a mountain of mass produced cotton and synthetics. You will be warmer, dryer and infinitely more stylish in a wool jumper so let’s have ceremonial casting aside of the drab hoodies. I don’t want to believe that in a hundred years people will be marvelling at the incredible longevity of hoodies and still trying to argue that grey is the new black. We can surely do better than that!
Article by Sally Stacey