Copyright New York Magazine
On a teen’s first day back to school from winter break, there are some inevitable appearances: shiny new headphones unwrapped during the holidays, post-vacation tans, and an array of status-y sweatshirts. Over the years, the sweatshirt that signifies you “won” the holiday lottery has taken many forms. There were the Abercrombie sweatshirts of the early aughts and the Victoria’s Secret Pink zip-ups of the 2010s. But today’s “It” sweatshirts are a little harder to parse. Most are from small, sweatshirt-focused brands with drops that sell out in minutes. Some are from buzzy collabs. Perhaps most coveted are the sweatshirts from pop-ups that teens camp out overnight to attend. Suddenly, buying the “All my friends have it” sweatshirt for your teen takes a bit more research, persistence, and insider knowledge than it used to. So what’s a person shopping for a teen sweatshirt to do? To help you with your hunt, I chatted with teens across the country — from New York to Illinois to Arkansas — to understand what sweatshirt they actually want to wear on their first day back from winter break, why they want to wear it, and how, exactly, you can even get your hands on it. This list is in no way exhaustive, but, rather, a collection of the sweatshirts that have a good chance of appearing on your teen’s wish list this year. (When in doubt, it’s hard to go wrong with a college sweatshirt or the hoodie for a music artist they like.) And if you’d like to earn some bonus points, surprise them with matching sweatpants. Just be sure to skip the joggers — it’s wide-leg sweatpants only nowadays. Just note: The holidays are still weeks away, but many of these brands run out of stock quickly, so it’s best to subscribe to newsletters, follow brands’ social-media accounts, and, most important, listen to your teen. Good luck! Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Founded by 17-year-old entrepreneur Lily Balaisis, who got her start with a slime business when she was 11 years old, Pink Palm Puff has made a name for itself in middle-school hallways with its lineup of baby-pink, aquamarine, and lilac sweatshirts embroidered with tropical motifs, including palm trees and sea horses. As with most of these sweats-focused brands, it’s all about buying one of the popular patterns — a palm tree riding the waves on a surfboard and a hibiscus flower dotted with doodles of palm trees, shells, and flowers — before they sell out. These are popular with older tweens and younger teens, so if you’re looking for a gift for an older teen (say, sophomore and above), I’d recommend going for one of the hoodies further down this list. That said, there are always exceptions to the rule: 17-year-old Allegra Pinkowitz (a.k.a. the most popular girl in Soho), who learned about them from her younger sister, told me they are so soft and comfortable that they’re one of her favorites. As of right now, most of the hoodies are in stock in most sizes, but I would guess that will change as we get closer to the holidays. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Another Gen-Z-founded brand — this time by young entrepreneurs and siblings Kian and Mia Schank — Dandy is most popular with high-schoolers and can be identified by its patch-heavy, embroidered, oversize hoodies. The brand’s September pop-up in New York City drew 2,000 teens a day to a waterside lot in Greenpoint where they could shop a limited-edition New York hoodie along with the rest of the sweatshirts. And while 16-year-old Annabelle Hedges picked up two hoodies for herself after waiting in line three hours to get into the pop-up, she has another one on her holiday wish list: one of the brand’s most popular sweatshirts, which has a bouquet of flowers embroidered on the back. (There’s a matching tote bag, too.) Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. $130 Known for “making college girls crash out,” Parke mocknecks — terry and fleece sweatshirts emblazoned with the middle name of the brand’s founder, influencer Chelsea Parke Goles — are now a status symbol in high schools, too, according to 16-year-old Charlotte Free, who’s thinking about asking for one for Christmas. Eighteen-year-old Caroline Wright, a high-school senior in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has spotted them around school, too, and according to University of South Carolina student Dray Dalia, the sweatshirts are still the most sought-after thing on campus. “I don’t have one yet, but all of my friends have them,” she says. The high-school–college crossover appeal makes this one a good gift for seniors heading off to college in the fall (and at $130, this sweatshirt isn’t something they’ll want to give away after one season.) Of course there’s the issue of actually finding one in stock: Many of the sweatshirts, which the brand periodically drops in limited-edition runs, sell out quickly, so I recommend following the brand’s Instagram to stay on top of the drops that will happen before December 25. (The next one, a city-specific drop with hoodies themed with symbols from Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, New York, and Boston, will be available on November 4 at 10 a.m. ET.) In the meantime, I found some heritage and fleece hoodies that are still available in colors like apricot yellow and classic maroon along with a style from the highly anticipated SET Active and Parke collab. The brand also just launched at Anthropologie last week, but sizing is already limited. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. At this point, White Fox hoodies, which are known for their oversize look and wide range of colors, have the same relevance as a Stanley — they’re not passé exactly, but you’d already find them in many teens’ closets. Still, teens like 17-year-old Romy Bergetz have one or two on their holiday wish list to build out their collections. (At five-foot-five, she gets it in a size XS/S and says it still looks oversize on her — exactly as she likes it.) If your teen similarly wants to build out their White Fox collection, I recommend going for either the With Love or Lucky Thirteen Cheyenne styles, which are second to the brand’s most popular design, the Offstage Hoodie. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. The most expensive on this list, Mad Happy’s sweatshirts are known for being some of the most heavyweight of the bunch, and the high price tag only adds to the intrigue (and makes them especially popular in private schools). “I kind of treat it like a coat, because it’s pretty heavyweight and it keeps me warm, whereas some of the other sweatshirts I have are more flimsy,” Free says. Simple but still recognizable by its signature contrast stitching on the hood, this sweatshirt is best for the teen who has graduated from their Dandys and Pink Palm Puffs or simply never found them appealing to begin with. And while most teens I spoke to had one of the solid versions, the brand’s buzzy collaborations with Free City, Marni, and sports teams like the Chicago Cubs have only made the sweatshirts more popular as the school year continues. Saved View Want to be emailed when products you’ve saved are over 20% off? Success! You'll get an email when something you've saved goes on sale. Yes New! You can now save this product for later. $45 Brandy Melville’s slew of sweatshirts marked with city names like Boston and New York fall second only to the brand’s Christy hoodie, a nondescript, IYKYK oversize zip-up that’s most popular in black, gray, and white. “I wear it all the time because it’s big, and it’s good for sporting events because I can put it over my jersey and spandex after my cross country meets,” Bergetz told me. The brand, with all its mystery and notoriety, is showing no signs of decline. As Pine says, “I walk into the store, and I play the game: What don’t I have?” Most of the sweatshirts above have matching sweatpants (just make sure to get wide legs, not joggers) but not all will appeal to a minimalist-minded teen like an Alo or Aritzia set would. The difference between an Alo and an Aritzia sweatshirt — both solid-colored hoodies available in a range of shades — is a matter of personal preference and budget. So if your teen doesn’t like logos, there’s a high chance that one of these nondescript hoodies will end up on their wish list. As Free says, “People will just buy the more basic ones, and then you can wear them on repeat, whereas the branded ones are harder to keep in a rotation because they’re more recognizable.” More From The Strategist An Advent Calendar for Every Kind of Person I’ve Been Sleeping So Well Since I Started Spraying Magnesium on My Feet The Best Clean Anti-Aging Skin-care Routine, According to Experts The Best in Class Hall of Fame See All
