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23 October 2008

Hoodies: zip-up or pullover? - - discuss →[More:]

Dear MeChazens, please to help provide datapoints for / resolve this apparently minor trivia question, which somehow managed to inspire a rather spirited argument in the pub last night.

me: I far prefer full-zip hoodies; much more convenient and they don't do dastardly things to my hair (which is dastardly enough most days). I personally think they tend to be a little dressier but maybe that's just because I tend to opt for slim-cut ones with nice detailing.

the mister: prefers pullover hoodies (which totally doesn't explain why he yoinks mine half the time but that's a different argument...) because they're warmer and (he claims) have a smoother line; also he doesn't like that the zipper interferes with any graphical elements that may be included. Most of mine are solids, but I guess I see his point.

An informal poll of our compatriots on the pubcrawl elicited an astonishingly divided and, dare I say it, contentious set of opinion on this seemingly innocuous choice.

So I ask you, fellow mechazens: ZIPPERS - FOR OR AGAINST?

also: HOODIEZ YAY!!

post by: lonefrontranger at: 09:58 | 35 comments

Against. Zippers get stuck, get wrinkled, and generally mess things up. They're also work.

I've cut my hair in such a way that it looks messy and neat at the same time, so the clothes have no effect. YMMV.

posted by lysdexic 23 October | 10:01

Oh my, that's a hard one. I have both. Here's my inventory, for what it's worth.

Work-wearable hoodies: non-zippered sweater style, non-zippered knit fabric, zippered knit fabric, zippered cashmere sweater hoodie,

Non-work wearable hoodie: Carolina Blue heavy duty champion sweatshirt.

I think I'd have to report that I prefer a zipper, if only because the non-zippered ones can be a bit strangling.

posted by Stewriffic 23 October | 10:04

zipper, zipper, zipper.

posted by taz 23 October | 10:08

Has to be zip-ups. My head is roughly the size and shape of a concrete block and I seriously can't fit it through the neck of pullovers.

posted by octothorpe 23 October | 10:12

Always pullover hoodies. . that's the way they were invented. . .and I have this anachronistic view of clothing that it should not evolve.

I have two Becker Surf Shop hoodies, and just got rid of a grey Packer hoodie that I'd found, but I figured that I did not need 2 grey ones.

posted by danf 23 October | 10:15

zipper. not because of my hair, (which does only one thing ever, namely: hang, straight down from the root) but because it's awkward in most spaces (on the bus, in a movie theatre, at the bar) to do the cross-your-heart over-the-head pull-over-removal move. I'm all about the layers.

posted by crush-onastick 23 October | 10:16

Zipper. Because I overheat easily and hoodie-on-with-zipper-open is a nice in-between option not afforded by pullovers.

posted by misskaz 23 October | 10:17

ZIPUPS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

Seriously, I really hate pullovers. I was going to spend hard earned money at the Lyco bookstore to buy a shiny new hoodie, BUT THEY WERE ALL PULLOVERS.

I just did an informal poll at work. All the dudes said pullovers are better. Fail.

posted by sperose 23 October | 10:18

I prefer zips, but if they fit correctly, I can go either way. I'm an odd cat in that I'm tall and skinny with a long torso, so I'm happy to find most anything that fits well.

Frankly, I'm just glad that a cold front moved in yesterday and I can wear hoodies again.

posted by ufez 23 October | 10:19

For solid-colored hoodies, I like zip-up ones. However, zip-up hoodies are not nearly warm enough for the cold iowa winters, so I like "real" hoodies as well.

why not both?

posted by dismas 23 October | 10:19

Zip-up. I don't like the Unabomber look.

posted by LoriFLA 23 October | 10:25

I get zippers because I have a massive head, and the neck area in a non-zip pullover seems to be the first part to shrink. Sprain your neck pulling on one of those things.

posted by Hugh Janus 23 October | 10:28

Both, here. I must agree that the pullovers are warmer. Yet I also agree that zip ups are more tailored/fitting/dressy/better looking. All hoodies for All.

posted by rainbaby 23 October | 10:29

Hoods are never dressy unless you're in the KKK. That said, I, too, prefer the zip-up kind, because I get hot indoors during the winter months, and often need to quickly escape my outer layers.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 23 October | 10:36

Zips for me too, though I'll take a pullover if it contains a nifty graphic that wouldn't work with a zipper breaking it up.

I also really like it when the zipper is used as a design element. I remember Knighthood Tees making one that just said ME|zip|LT, so the thing could "Split Open and Melt." Very clever.

posted by SpiffyRob 23 October | 10:40

I like them both, but the one drawback to zippers is my long hair. It is not infrequently that I snag my hair in the zipper. Not only do I lose hair, but I usually end up swearing loudly in public, which is something I usually strive not to do.
I have always been a hoodie fan, since I was a wee lass, but doing a mental count of all the hoddies I currently own, the pullovers win by a large margin.
Stewriffic: I have that same Carolina sweatshirt!

posted by msali 23 October | 10:45

Both for me. Sometimes one is just better than the other for whatever reason. That it has a hood is the important part to me. (I live in hoodies from Mid Oct to Mid April.)

But we all have our favorite ways to feel. That's why things come in varieties.

I also don't give a hoot which way you install the toilet paper.
And: Pepsi and Coke mixed together.
And: Boxers? Briefs? Long underwear, or none at all!!
Any other questions?

posted by not_on_display 23 October | 10:47

Zip, always.

posted by Specklet 23 October | 11:02

not_on_display:

PC or Mac?
Ford or Chevy?
Honda or Kawasaki?
Nikon or Canon?

...

disclaimer: I absolutely concur there are merits to both, and I agree that having both in your wardrobe doesn't brand you some kind of bizarre outlier or anything.

It merely astonished me last night how polarised this choice was for some of the folks we polled, and the lengths they'd go to to defend their view. I wonder if there's any correlation to the current media / socioeconomic / political climate... I mean seriously, it's hoodies we're talking about, not war or politics or even haute couture for that matter.

people are weird. [NOT HUMAN-IST]

posted by lonefrontranger 23 October | 11:22

People are less weird depending on how you disrobe in public.
If i pull on a hoodie, it's not coming off. If it closes, i won't close it.

posted by ethylene 23 October | 11:27

Zipper, but ONLY if the zipper is unusually good. Most of them get caught, and also eventually warp the front of the hoodie.

Because I'm too cheap to buy the ones with good zippers, I now only own a non-zippered hoodie.

posted by small_ruminant 23 October | 11:38

Dudes. OMG. It has never crossed my mind to buy a hoodie without a zipper. No appeal whatsoever.

As far as I'm concerned hoodies are a relative of the (beloved) cardigan, and as such practically the whole appeal of them is that they open (and have pockets and stuff).

If I wore one without a zipper I would feel like a mom going to see her high-school football-player son quarterback in the homecoming game. Or something.

posted by loiseau 23 October | 11:40

Zipper, because pullover neck openings are never big enough. But at the same time, I like kangaroo pockets. It is a terrible dilemma.

posted by casarkos 23 October | 11:50

Can I piggyback on here and ask for recommendations for the best-fitting, most comfortable women's hoodies out there? I am having trouble finding one that I love.

(I would actually like to buy one from my grad school, but as it is 400 miles away and their online store only stocks a small selection, that's out.)

posted by amro 23 October | 11:53

And: Pepsi and Coke mixed together.

Ok, you're off the island! I can tolerate zipperd hoodies, but this is going too far!1

I keed!

posted by lysdexic 23 October | 11:55

Button-up.

posted by Atom Eyes 23 October | 12:03

PC or Mac? BOTH (I'm a little bit John Hodgman, a little bit Justin Long)
Ford or Chevy? NEITHER (Black Toyota Corolla, as is mandated by Massachusetts state law.)
Honda or Kawasaki? NEITHER (Rusty-chain bicycle under porch)
Nikon or Canon? NEITHER (Olympus that eats AA batteries like they was Fritos)

For further queries, please contact my press secretary. Good night, and Spaghettimonster Bless America.

posted by not_on_display 23 October | 12:21

Both, leaning towards zip (I have more zip-up than non).

I'm not quite getting the hair issue - are your zippers in the back or something? I've never noticed it as a problem is all, and I've had really, really long, thick hair. You pull your hair out of the neck before you zip, right?

posted by goo 23 October | 12:50

Zip. Always zip. I'm always, always hot and would not be able to keep a pullover on for long. There's just no way of removing a shirt over your head gracefully.People would see my bell-ay which, after birthing two big-headed babies, is sooo not my best feature. So zip for the public good.

posted by jrossi4r 23 October | 12:57

lol, jrossi4r, you just reminded me of that scene in "Mean Girls" when the teacher gets her tshirt stuck to her pullover... *snerk*

posted by lonefrontranger 23 October | 13:05

I have a black American Apparel one that is zip-up that I use for wearing out, but my true love is reserved for my comfy and sloppy looking pullovers.

posted by YouCanCallMeAl 23 October | 18:19

I like zip. I bought a pullover one last year, on the theory that the zipper is usually the point of failure in a hooded sweatshirt, but it doesn't work very well. I've got a big head, I wear glasses, you know how it is.

posted by box 23 October | 19:31

Can I piggyback on here and ask for recommendations for the best-fitting, most comfortable women's hoodies out there? I am having trouble finding one that I love.

My favourite is one I got at Target! True story! It's a Merona brand? It's so fluffy. But to be honest the way to keep any hoodie fluffy is to wash it as little as possible. Sorry germophobes, but it's true of all sweaters. I have sweaters I've never washed.

Anyway, I honestly don't think there's any correlation between cost and comfort, so if I don't get an awesome vibe from the feel of it I won't consider it. (ie. American Apparel. Not soft.) So my advice is: feel them all.

posted by loiseau 23 October | 21:45

Late to the party, but I'm going to put my vote firmly in the NO ZIPPER category. Zippers make the hoodie scratchy and not as comfortable. And it wrinkles funny down the front. And looks more like a jogging outfit. Also ew yuck.

My most favorite hoodie ever was a black Carhartt pullover that I stole from my high school boyfriend. That thing was super thick and ultra warm and the most comfortable thing ever. I think he wore it on the fishing boat, and wasn't all gross and nasty by the end of the summer like all of his other clothes.

posted by rhapsodie 23 October | 23:49

Even later to the party:

I prefer zip ups because of ease of taking them on and off. BUT my Mefi hoodie (pull over) is sooo cuddly-warm.

posted by deborah 27 October | 16:11

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