Cult of the Well-Worn Hoodie

Bubble Jackets are so 90’s. If you want to really close out this decade in style, you should be dressed like you’re waiting to hop aboard one of Richard Branson’s space cruisers. Luckily Jonah Smith and Palmer West have got you covered (so long as you can pony up the $300 for their wares).

The Aether Apparel Space Hoodie is a high-tech looking  jacket/hoodie with an ultralight Primaloft fill and a Riri waterproof zipper which makes it great for wet or dry weather. Suitable for layering, it also has a neat cut, so it won’t hang baggy as a solo piece over your favorite t-shirt.

Rumor has it that the pair of Hollywood producers who own the company dreamed up their designs as a more stylish alternative to the bulky outerwear of their contemporaries while out on the slopes one day. And though a bit on the pricey side, the multiple colors (black, blue and grey) and high-quality construction, paired with the design that is stylish in it’s own right rather than bouncing on a current trend, means that the Space Hoodie could easily become your go-to hoodie for years to come. Whether you’re chatting up your ski instructor or just making an early-morning winter run to the coffee shop.

Looking for a holiday present for your favorite type geek or font freak? Everyone knows that dressing down is the new dressing up at any agency outside of Sterling Cooper, and the typography hoodies being sold in the merch section of Veer are sure to bring a smile to the face of any Quark jockey worth their salt.

Veer is a creative agency with a knack for designing good-looking merchandise that is also exceedingly clever, like the $59 Typography hoodie that is sure to garner a second (and third) look.

Maybe more clever (and appropriate for Halloween) is the Extra Black hoodie, which also sells for $59 and glorifies some of the darker terminology used in typesetting. The dagger at the end provides a nice punctuation, as does the black-on-black design set in Univers Extra Black.

And if your not really feeling in need of a hood, the Kern zip-up is sure to get a chuckle from anyone in on the joke.

Ever come home to find a furball curled up inside of your favorite hoodie? Well now your cat can have a hoodie of its own; assuming you can pry the ball of yarn away from her for long enough to knit this cat hoodie pattern from Craft Leftovers. The pattern was originally inspired by Rap Cat, the hip hop feline mascot featured in Checkers commercials.

I’m most impressed that the Maine Coon took so well to being dressed. If I attempted the same I’d be typing through some stitches – and not the laughing kind.

There’s few things better than a custom screen-printed piece of clothing.  But for those times when you’re not feeling so DIY, there’s no shame in rocking some threads that were done for you. Especially when done by a pair of great artists like Jessica Lynch and Arlo Rumpff.

Going by the pseudonym Slow Loris and operating out of an island studio, the duo’s Etsy shop, Slowshirts, is full of some stylish hoodies screen-printed from hand drawings done in ink or cut directly from film using an X-acto knife. I’m particularly fond of the limited edition bike hoodie featured above, with a print on the front and running down both sleeves listed at $38 USD.

And for those of you who haven’t seen the video referenced in the post’s title, possibly one of the greatest (non-hoodie-related) videos on the internet, enjoy.

I personally love the idea of upcycling – converting an item that would normally have been destined for the trash into something of even more value in its second life. So when somebody takes that concept and applies it to hoodies, well sir, that’s right up my alley.

Etsy seller Calico Chameleon has a shop full of stitched-together felted fabrics for men, women and children that look amazing. With colors and a kangaroo pouch that look like they were inspired by a Crockett Johnson painting, the hoodies are as stylish as they are playful.

Prices run a reasonable $50-65 USD, and the straight-from-a-fairytale pieces can also be made-to-order.

Ever since Zoey rocked a pink hoodie in Left 4 Dead, zombie-themed hoodies have exploded all over October.

First up is the Thinkgeek Zombie Brains Hoodie. Now some might sneer at an all-over print hoodie, but then the backside of this bad boy is going to sneer right back at you. And inside the hood is some silk-screened grey matter in a bright fleshy pink.

Skate-brand Etnies has a pair of full-zip zombie hoodies that are more campy than creepy, especially the white version with a bowtie-wearing shambler.

If you haven’t had your fill of spooky streetwear, you can get the more direct “I *heart* Brains” hoodie from the awesome Washington shop Merch-Bot (heart and brains? I guess a zombie’s gotta have options).

And, lest we forget, as we pump them full of buckshot and pummel them with pitchforks, Zombies were people too.

Sure most modern hoodies rock the hidden iPod picket, but doesn’t your personal media player deserve to be decked out too? Maybe if it were wearing one of these awesome iPod hoodies, you wouldn’t be so quick to tuck it away.

Designed by entrepreneur Ashley Davidson, the iPod hoodies are available for 3rd and 4th generation iPod photo/video (the big one), iPod Nano and iPod mini, and come in two colors – heather grey and bubblegum pink. The hoodies can also be customized with one of four screen-printed designs: the Doodled (featured above), the tattoo-style limited edition “All loved up”, and the Merch, with patterns paying homage to four different music styles.

No word yet on whether the lineup will be refreshed for the new models, but if you’ve got an iPod today that could stand to be a little more cozy, prices range from £9.99 (approx. $20) to £12.99 (approx. $26), and orders are processed through Paypal. Shipping takes 3-5 days inside the UK, though the company will ship worldwide for around £3.00 ($6).

This Halloween, why not dress down your dress-up?

Like those novelty glasses with the eyes painted on, Headhoods are screen-printed with one of several whimsical or custom designs on the sides, allowing you to adopt a new persona with a flip of the hood.

Headhoods are hand-made in a Brooklyn studio, screen printed and sewn onto American Apparel hoodies, and are shipped out via USPS priority mail. The standard designs are $60, and most come in either black or white fabrics with complimentary patterns, and men’s or women’s sizes depending on the design. The Elvis is available in Heather Grey men’s and Red for women. Sizes are small through XL and payment is processed via Paypal.

The current lineup includes a gorilla, Elvis, a skull, Michelangelo’s David, a playing card king and queen, among others. Custom designs are available upon request.

The designer can be contacted via the site, or on his Myspace page.

This weekend’s LA Times has a great pair of articles from staff writer Melissa Magsaysay about the hoodie’s transition from Rocky-style gymwear through urban statement to designer runways, a perfect companion to the close of the most recent fashion week.

In the companion article, Slouchy Hoodie Gets a Makeover, Magsaysay interviews Mike Gonzales of Mike & Chris, who have made a name for themselves in fashion circles for their leather hoodie and other hooded outerwear designs. The video demonstrates Gonzales’ impromptu design skills as he stitches together a stylish hooded tunic using only some elastic, thread and pins, and an off-the-rack $12.99 XXL workout hoodie.

The Mike & Chris Fall ‘07 collection is up on their site now, and has some cool stylish hooded designs that would be fit for both formal and casual occasions.

Have fond memories of MacPaint and wish you could be wearing some of your old-school creations on a hoodie?

Pixel art is supremely hot, with retro nostalgia being stoked by classic gaming revivals on Wii and Xbox 360, and popular web comics like Diesel Sweeties and 8-bit Theater. But if their chunky low-res designs aren’t doing it for you, Primitive State is ready to let you flex your raster graphics muscle.

Measuring 40×64 pixels (totaling 2560 potential pixels to be filled), the Primitive State Pixel Designer 3.0 allows you to design 2-bit pixel masterpieces for your own custom t-shirt and hoodie designs, and when you’re done you can share the artwork with others for fame and fortune (in the form of Primitive Points). If you’re not feeling artistic or need some inspiration, one click will queue up one of the dozens of patterns that have already been posted up by the Primitive State community.

After submitting your artwork, the designer allows you to choose from any one of 9 hoodie colors and 10 pattern colors for your completed fashion. The hoodies are an 80-20 cotton poly blend, and available in sizes Small to XXL. Primitive ships worldwide, with hoodies costing £34.50 (about $70) and £2.95 for Standard delivery shipping (5-10 working days inside the UK, around 14-21 working days elsewhere).