Now that the temps are consistently hitting below 50°, the sun is setting at 5 p.m., and dressy holiday parties abound, the only thing I dream about is waking up, going on a long walk, taking a shower, and then…putting on more athleisure. (That is, until I have to buff and bronze to prep for a few parties per night.) However, not just any athleisure is making the cut these days. I’m zeroing in on the fashion sweatshirt.
For me, the fashion sweatshirt is less (stained) college hoodie from 2016 and more capital-I Intentional and capital-E Elevated. It’s something you can wear to grab a stack of packages from your doorman at 10 a.m.; for a date with your couch to inhale a kale salad for lunch at noon; and then throw on a collar necklace and wear during a 1 p.m. meeting right after.
Yes, I did just describe my day today. And I was wearing a RÙADH zip-up hoodie to move through it.
All that's to say, the fashion sweatshirt is special and magical. Two components set these layers apart: the fabric (thick two-or-more-ply cashmere, heavy organic/regenerative cotton, fuzzy, fluffy fleece, etc.), and the proportion (cut just right—cashmere that perfectly skims the body or cotton that drapes boldly).
Wearing my Guest in Residence cashmere sweatshirt.
I can’t take all of the credit for giving fashion sweatshirts the spotlight. This foray only began when I noticed Victoria Beckham wearing one thing throughout the duration of her Netflix docuseries: hoodies. She paired black and gray zip-ups, cashmere, and cottons with leggings in the kitchen pre- or post-workout. Or, she layered them with a baggy jean and sunnies as she glided into her office.
Now, VB isn’t the first creative to don sweatshirts as a stylistic ritual, but she just has that way about her, you know? Suddenly, I was animatedly thinking—we’ve gotta reclaim the hoodie from the AI bros. It’s actually very chic (in an eclectic way, not a quiet luxury way).
I then scanned Pinterest and found images of Lori Harvey wearing a very cool-girl-coded fashion sweatshirt post-Pilates, which led me to a reverse image search, which led to HOURS of scrolling the internet, before I stumbled into the motherland: Dries van Noten, Guest in Residence, and RÙADH. Read me this list, and it's basically my lullaby.
Fashion sweatshirt inspiration from Hailey Bieber, Laura Harrier, and Lori Harvey.
Dries is dramatic and FASHION. Guest in Residence allows me to channel the aura of a Pilates princess (although I’m loyal to The Class). RÙADH , the one I wore today, feels like a strong in-between. It's cozy but intentional, the kind of hoodie you could wear to a dinner party and feel more Carole Radziwill than Zuck (who would be the anti-North Star).
Anyway, enough from me. Here are the best three fashion sweatshirts worth cuddling up in all winter.
This is the hoodie that first made me fall in love with fashion hoodies. I feel like Dries’ stamp on athleisure is gatekept, but they really do make the best sweatshirts. The label's red version is intentionally elevated, likely intended to be worn for dinners and playdates. However, between the two, you can’t go wrong.
I can’t stop wearing this zip-up. It consumed me from the moment I saw it. However, I’d paused for a moment because I wondered whether I really needed a $400 organic cotton sweatshirt. Then I realized, it could be the most economical thing I buy all year.
I love being right, because it’s perfect. I feel the coolest I’ve ever felt, and I can’t wait for the weather to heat up (slightly) so I can wear on a walk and feel like I’m in on something huge as the wind blows through my braids.
I gasped when I put this cashmere hoodie on for the first time. The cashmere is supple and thick and it’s cut just so—cropped to the hip but not egregiously boxy. The stitching is also superb. I especially reach for it on the days when the wind is howling, the leaves on my trees are dropping precipitously, and I just want to feel extra cozy.
