HUNKER DOWN IN NEXT- GENERATION HOODIES
With suits still off the menu, a quality hooded top makes a fine WFH stand-in, says Stephen Doig
It struck me as telling when a stylish City lawyer friend, who often gets in touch to ask advice on suiting, was ruminating over the summer about where to head for a quality hoodie. The smart attire of the Magic Circle had been swapped for something altogether more mundane, but ever more essential in our work-athome reality. I realised that I had managed, since the lockdown measures in spring, to work my way through two decently made hoodies. And a report recently conducted by fashion analysis firm Edited suggests that there could be a shortage on leisurewear by the end of the year, thanks to the seismic demand now that our work at home wardrobes no longer require formality.
“Athleisurewear” has already been a phenomenon in fashion – particularly the menswear world – for years now, but our new normal has seen the trend reach fever pitch as shirts and ties get relegated to the back of the wardrobe. But the fact that the hoodie has taken its place – with Forbes reporting record sales of hoodies in the US – is a curious one. In Britain, at least, it’s not had the best rep.
It’s almost 15 years since David Cameron’s hug-ahoodie phrase, in response to proposals for a ban on hooded tops – then the attire of Asbo thugs. But the mud stuck somewhat. Hoodie wearers had something to hide. The rise of streetwear went a long way to elevate the item, turning into something more desirable, before the luxury market began to create versions in fairy-fine cashmere for four figures. Nowadays, the tech titans of Silicon Valley are in Loro Piana cashmere hoodies rather than Savile Row suits.
In my own, thoroughly unscientific research into what makes a good hoodie, it’s clear that the same rules apply as with a good shirt or piece of knitwear – details matter. Cashmere or fine wool is of course a happy medium between sporty attire and knitwear, and Italian specialists such as Luca Faloni have made the cashmere hoodie their USP. Even in a cotton variety, cheaper versions tend to pucker on the hood as the drawstring is pulled over time. Orlebar Brown refers to its hoodies as “tailored”, thanks to the ribbing on the hem and cuffs that lends a “neater” silhouette, less slouchy than standard varieties.
If you’ve been hunkering down during the autumn drizzle to watch Netflix’s reinterpretation of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, a hoodie quoting the novel’s famous opening sentence lends a scholarly touch to the sportswear mainstay. It’s the work of writer and consultant Michael Hennegan and stylists Luke Day and Cher Coulter, who have created a capsule range themed around the costumes with 100 per cent of proceeds going to the Choose Love charity helping migrants.
We’ll wear suits again at some stage, but for now, the hoodie’s become something of a lockdown saviour.