How to sweatshirt

I recently posted about vintage Champion sportswear and while my reverse weave Champion sweatshirt is not vintage I do wear it a lot. You may be surprised or disgusted to hear where I wear it the most. The answer is to the office on casual Fridays. Now I am not asking for anyone to fully embrace athleisure but I thought I’d share how I do it.

Spoiler alert: It’s not hard. Like all trads I tend to wear an OCBD under anything and everything. Here it works well helping to take the sweatshirt up a notch above the yard work look (even thought this is how trads look doing yard work). Layering with a polo shirt will have a similar effect. I do this in the warmer months when you might need another layer in the a.m. Add a pair of chinos to the mix and you are now probably better dressed than most people that you will encounter. I liked the way that my duffle coat contrast with the sweatshirt so that is another option. I think that any type of overcoat would work similarly. The cherry on the top might be a scarf.

There you have it. How to sweatshirt like an adult. Don’t forget that sweatshirts are also great for all of the classics like athletics and lazy afternoons. They’re also not hard to find. I simply made a trip down to my alma mater’s bookstore and the internet could have made that trip even shorter.

Casual Friday Sweatshirt
Sweatshirts for golf
Sweatshirt with vest
Sweatshirt with Khakis
Sweatshirt with Overcoat and scarf
oxford cloth button down
Jerrod Swanton is a simple man interested in simple, classic, and traditional style.

9 Comments on "How to sweatshirt"

  1. JDV says:

    Nice post. Glad to have OCBD back on Sunday. Wittenburg Univ, what a history there. I, too, attended a small liberal arts school founded by Methodist ministers, in Virginia. I hope your alma mater has stayed more true to the founding principles than mine. Sweatshirts are great. Harkening to a recent post on the Ivy Style facebook, I often save my favorites in the closet so as not to wear them out. My absolute lifetime-favorite sweatshirt, a UVa branded nice and roomy one, bought at the former supplier A&N in Hampton Roads, wore out, tore, and of necessity became my painting projects coverup. Always regret wearing it so much. Also have found that a washable part-cotton-part-merino sweater from Eddie Bauer is a wonderful very soft substitute on a Sunday afternoon. Finally, the golf photo is very good, nice backswing (5 iron?). Again, glad you are back.

    • oxford cloth button down says:

      JDV – A 5 iron indeed. Good eye. I still have a ways to go when it comes to golf so I appreciate the comment. College was good times. The school seems about the same. I do the same with all my favorite pieces of clothing, but I am getting better at wearing them out!

  2. Tom friedman says:

    Champion used to make some great ones. Maybe they still do, but they’re hard to find. i know this is not trad, but I’ve adopted the hoody look, usually a full-zip front with zip pockets usually some synthetic fabric that’s somewhat water resistant. Look around and you’ll find some good prices, nice colors. So far, nobody has mistaken me for Mark Zuckerberg.

  3. RP says:

    Glad you’re posting again. What chinos are you wearing in the second pic from the bottom?

    • oxford cloth button down says:

      RP – They are J.Crew 1040 fit in all cotton. They are currently only offered in stretch fabric. All of the chinos featured are the same cut.

  4. Fred says:

    Great looking sweatshirt. My college, Marietta, use to sell the Champion reverse weave but several years ago they switched all their apparel to Nike which I refuse to wear.

  5. EuegenToussaint says:

    Hi Jarod thanks for reopening the blog a few weeks ago.
    I too am a fan of the Sweatshirt and OCBD combo, I’d add that it seems to work a lot easier if the colours are traditional. White Heather as opposed to Grey Marle seems to me a slightly more formal and subtle approach, and I’m glad to see you’ve adopted this colourway yourself.
    Great post and keep up the good work!

  6. Andrew K. says:

    I always considered the sweatshirt & OCBD the quintessential college look.

    Side note – young people that I deal with tell me Champion is cool again.

  7. andrew friedman says:

    Champion reverse weave is still widely available; while some college bookstores no longer stock it, you can often find secondary suppliers of college gear who do. I have two kids in college currently and was able to get reverse weave hoodies for each place, with crew necks available. They are comfortable and last a long, long time; our 17 year old still wears some of mine that are over thirty years old. Still the best uniform for Thanksgiving touch football games. I wouldn’t wear them to my office, though denim is a relatively common sight where i work, all days of the week.

I would like to hear from you