Women's Sweatshirt & Hoodie (Sweaters)

The fabric is the giveaway. A sweatshirt is cut and sewn from fleece-backed jersey rather than knitted into shaped panels, which places it outside true knitwear despite living on the same shelf. Add a hood and a front pouch pocket and the same garment is called a hoodie; leave them off and it is a crewneck sweatshirt.

Turn it inside out and read the inner face. French terry leaves the yarn in soft loops, which is lighter, dries quickly and holds its surface for years. Brushed fleece takes those loops and shears them into a soft pile, warmer and better on day one, but it sheds, pills and thins with washing. Weight is quoted in grams per square meter. Near 280 it is a light layer, 320 to 380 is the everyday standard, and above 400 the garment behaves like outerwear. That V-shaped rib insert at the front of a traditional crewneck is not decoration, since it was added to absorb sweat and to let the neck stretch over the head without deforming.

Where a pullover sweater is built from yarn knitted into panels, this is built from cloth on a cutting table. It holds a fixed shape, survives a hot wash and drapes far less. A cardigan opens at the front for temperature control, and a zip hoodie does that same job inside the sweatshirt family. A cable knit costs more and looks it, while a heavyweight sweatshirt buys durability rather than appearance.

Cold houses, travel, and anything active in cool weather are the uses. Weight is the difference between one that lasts a decade and one that goes shapeless in a season. Steer away whenever you need to look dressed, because no amount of quality changes what the garment signals. Hood drawcords also press into the back of your neck when you lean back, which matters on a long flight.

Squeeze the cuff and hem ribbing and let go; ribbing that stays compressed will not hold a sleeve up after a month. Confirm there are side seams rather than a tube body, and prefer a two-panel hood, which stands up instead of lying flat. Wash cool and inside out, and skip fabric softener, which coats the loops and flattens the pile.