Hello friends,
This week I want to talk about one of my favorite wardrobe staples: the hoodie. Yes, we live in Arizona and one wouldn't think I'd have much need for hoodies, but you would be mistaken. "Heather needs a hoodie!" is a commonly uttered statement in our house regardless of the outside temperature. Currently we've been having a colder-than-average winter with temps in the 40s, more rain than usual and we're up at the top of a canyon where we tend to get tremendous winds that cut right through you. Yes, I was born and raised outside of Buffalo, NY (which if you aren't familiar, is the city you'll hear about frequently associated with such terrifying descriptions as "record cold" and "blizzard-like conditions") I would like to go on record as saying I HATE snow, I'm always cold to begin with, and I realized very early on in my move to Arizona that I truly am a creature of the desert, was born in the wrong part of the country, and I have quickly become a self-proclaimed "hot-house desert flower". I spend so much time out in the barn that when it's cold, I need to wear approximately 15 layers and when it's hot, once I'm in the air conditioning I'm freezing so needless to say, hoodies are an essential part of my wardrobe.
So, I'd like to talk about two of our different hoodies: the unisex college hoodie which is a nice heavy fleece consisting of 80% cotton 20% poly. Marsha gifted me with my favorite design (Horse Hugger) for Christmas and it fast became my favorite hoodie, trumping even my favorite LEC hoodie that is old enough to drink, since I purchased it my senior year in 2002. This hoodie is everything that comes to mind when you think "hoodie". It's soft and snuggly and warm with a roomy fit. It's nice and long with a spacious front kangaroo pocket. All of Marsha's designs feature a bold statement on the front and a unique design on the back. These are your typical American sizes, and since they're unisex they might even be a little oversized for women. In contrast, I just "product tested" (which is a really tough job but someone has to do it) the organic unisex hoodie which is from one of our European vendors. It's also an 80/20 cotton poly blend, but the cotton is organic and the poly is recycled. Of course I needed to honor the equine love of my life and get the Adonis colt on maroon. This design will remind me of the baby that once was because at almost 10 months he now towers over me and I'm having one of those parental moments of "where did my little baby go?!". This hoodie differs substantially from the college unisex hoodie I just described. While it is still sumptuously soft, the fit is quite different. It's much shorter, on me it falls at about hip length while the college hoodie hits mid-thigh. It's also a lighter-weight material (so this will be more of a summer hoodie for me). Since it's from a European vendor (French if you would like to be specific) it will tell you both the European size and the American size. The American XXS (XS in European sizing) is still incredibly roomy on me, which makes it great for layering and personally I think hoodies are designed purely for comfort and should be nice and comfy and spacious. However, that's just my humble opinion, for whatever it's worth. Although they're a good bit different, they are both delightful and I would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite. Either way, if you love hoodies like I love hoodies, you can't go wrong with either one of these options. So, start shopping and take home the one that speaks to you today! Stay tuned my friends because the next item I will be testing is our full-length cardigan! Until then, happy trails, courses, or dressage tests!
P.S. We offer a wide variety of hoodies for that special little one in your life, so don't forget your miniature equine lover when you're shopping for yourself!