The perfect grey crewneck sweatshirt has the idealized classic style of a faded pocket t-shirt. It harkens back to gritty boxers and ball players from decades ago while also feeling modern. Effortlessly minimalist but filled with intention.
The trouble is, you can’t just pick up any grey sweatshirt and call it a day. I’ve been on the hunt for years and have been through two others that just didn't give me everything I wanted.
@primermagazine Fall Style: The vintage-inspired grey crewmeck sweatshirt #fashion #ootd #mensfashion #mensfashiontips #mensstyle
There are 4 things that, in my opinion, make up the unicorn vintage-inspired crewneck sweatshirt:
- It’s soft, drapes, and has a well-worn marled texture
- Raglan sleeves that connect at the neck instead of the shoulder for that chest-framing throwback feel
- It has that decorative V just below the neck that screams “This ain’t a sweater!” to those in the back
- The bottom hem isn’t elastic to avoid the unavoidable muffin top common to most fleece crewnecks
Much like “cheap, fast, or done right” I’ve rarely, if ever, found one that hit all of them that wasn’t also $200 from Todd Snyder. I was pleasantly surprised to find one at J.Crew prices recently and nabbed it in a heartbeat. This made me especially happy because I previously had a grey J.Crew sweatshirt (sans raglan) made of a traditional loopback French Terry cloth but the damn thing didn’t drape AND the bottom hem was such a thick elastic, it ballooned immediately after tugging it down.
The grey crewneck sweatshirt is a smart and easy layer to wear. Thanks to the V, vintage texture, and raglan sleeves, it adds a dash of casual to whatever you pair it with. So if you want to dress down a button up shirt, throw one of these on instead of a V-neck sweater. Of course, it also looks right at home with a pair of jeans and sneakers. Or a trucker and chunky chelseas. Or these 5 outfits. Hell, if you’re so inclined you could, you know, actually do some boxing in it.