The High End Hoodie

In the age where high-end jeans are approaching $300 and a cotton graphic T-shirt is sold to you for $85, the day of the high-end hoodie has come. If we've learned anything in those business classes we skipped out on in college, it's that going high-end is never a bad business idea. High-end office chairs, high-end headphones, it doesn't really matter.

So our aim in this little mini guide is not to judge or to scoff at your 3 digit hoodie, it's to show you a few options and keep you from buying something incredibly lame.

So what makes a hoodie high-end? Better fit, cool finishes and superior construction.

Mike & Chris are the kings of the women's hoodie, creating new styles and shapes and using materials others didn't think to us. They have a full line of leather hoodies which are cool if kinda freaky, but we think you'll like their regular old fleece hoodies.

We've seen a style similar to this one (last season's) in person and it's just really nice. It fit really well (higher than most hoodies), was made out of a thick, soft material and was a great color.

Mike & Chris also makes a more conventional looking hoodie, but with some nice detailing.

The prize for construction goes to Spruce, a small Canadian brand that has dedicated itself to making the highest quality hoodie it can make. The hoodies come in two fits, classic (which is by no means loose) and slim (which is pretty tight), and a variety of colors and patterns. You'll notice that the link on the image goes to a Japanese site. That's because Spruce hoodies aren't widely carried in North America. Nom de Guerre has them, so does Uncle Otis. Bloomingdale's (in New York at least) has them too apparently.

We can't be bigger fans of Opening Ceremony, the store and the brand. Their line of basics includes a very nice selection of hoodies, that are well constructed and fit nicely. Unfortunately, there's not a line sheet available online, but we found one example at Oak. We prefer the solid colored, but more to the point: if you ever run into an Opening Ceremony hoodies anywhere, take a gander. They're high quality and hard to find around.

Finally, it's not really our thing, but if you like your high-end to look like a cougar's chew toys, you should try the Ever's line of waffle-lined hoodies.