Sweatshirts
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Sweatshirts are tops made of a fabric and cut similar to sweatpants, typically pullovers or zipper-front garments in jersey knit, worn by men, women and children in solid colors, multiple colors, novelty prints and embroidery. A hooded sweatshirt is a hoody, and a sweatshirt paired with sweatpants forms a sweatsuit. This guide covers the sweatshirt's double identity as both a sweater and a shirt, its decoration with college, team and fraternity graphics, and its place as casual attire.
Sweatshirts
Sweatshirts are typically pullovers or zipper front garments worn as a top. They are worn by men, women, and children. This type of top is made of a fabric and cut similar to a certain type of sweatpants. They can be classic solid colors are trendy with multiple colors, fabrics construction, novelty prints, embroidery, etc.
Is a sweatshirt a sweater or a shirt?
Actually, according to Apparel Search law they qualify as “both”.
A sweatshirt is a type of sweater and a sweater is a type of shirt. Because a sweatshirt is a type of sweater that means it must also be a type of shirt. So yes, a sweatshirt is technically both.
A sweater is a knitted garment intended to cover the torso and arms. Sweatshirts are arguably a type of sweater because they are worn on the upper body (covering the torso and arms). They are also normally used to stay warm in cool to cold climates. A sweater can be either a pullover or a cardigan, distinguished in that cardigans open at the front while pullovers do not. Sweatshirts are typically pullovers or zipper front garments.
What happens when you pair a sweatshirt with sweatpants?
A sweatshirt worn with sweatpants forms a sweatsuit which is a kind of exercise clothing designed to raise the core body temperature and cause perspiration in order to lose body weight before a weigh in for a weight divided sport. It is fashioned out of a thick, usually cotton jersey material. Learn more about fitness fashion.
When a sweatshirt and sweatpants are married together they produce a sweatsuit.
Team spirit is not just for cheerleaders. Printing and embroidery is often used to decorate sweatshirts with the logos of colleges, favorite football teams, fraternity letters, etc. Wearing graphics illustrations on sweatshirts is very common. Learn about college sweatshirts.
Sweatshirts are also almost exclusively casual attire. They do not qualify for dressy or formal occasions as a sweater potentially would. They may or may not have a zipper or hood. A hooded version of a sweatshirt is called a hoody (plural hoodies).
In British English, a pullover may also be called a jumper or jersey. Sweatshirts are typically produced in jersey knit fabric.
Learn about sweatpants, sweatsuits, and fitness tops.
Don't forget to view our fitness fashion page.
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Sweatshirt Styles and Decoration
The sweatshirt family divides by closure and hood. The classic form is the pullover, put on over the head with no front opening. The zipper-front version opens fully, which makes it easier to layer over other tops and to regulate temperature during a workout. The hood is the third variable: a hooded sweatshirt is a hoody, and the hood adds warmth and a distinctly casual character. All three forms share the same jersey knit fabric family as sweatpants, in classic solid colors or in multiple colors and fabric constructions.
Decoration is where the sweatshirt becomes a team garment. Printing and embroidery are used to put the logos of colleges, favorite football teams and fraternity letters on the chest, and graphic illustrations are very common. Team spirit is not just for cheerleaders: the decorated sweatshirt is how schools and teams turn a plain warm top into identity clothing. That decoration habit is also why the college sweatshirt has its own guide in this section, linked from this page.
Common Questions
Is a sweatshirt a sweater or a shirt?
Both. A sweatshirt is a type of sweater, since it covers the torso and arms and is used to stay warm, and a sweater is a type of shirt, so a sweatshirt qualifies as both. The typical sweatshirt is a pullover, while cardigan-style sweaters open at the front.
What is a sweatsuit?
A sweatshirt worn with sweatpants forms a sweatsuit, a kind of exercise clothing designed to raise the core body temperature and cause perspiration, historically used to lose body weight before a weigh-in for a weight-divided sport. Sweatsuits are fashioned from thick, usually cotton jersey material.
What is a hooded sweatshirt called?
A hoody, plural hoodies. Sweatshirts may or may not have a zipper or a hood, and in British English a pullover may also be called a jumper or jersey.