Comfort is an Old Tattered Hoodie

 

Never Give Up: The Illini Hoodie That Keeps Going

I wear this hooded sweatshirt around the house that should have been tossed long ago. It’s the perfect weight for winter indoors. The fit is just right as well. I’ve owned more hooded sweatshirts than most people. Work at a sporting goods store and you’ll stock up on the fleece. Either by buying new pieces or taking them off the sample rack. This one however, has been in my possession since before I started working there. It’s a navy cotton fleece with a full zip in the front like a jacket. I’ve come to loathe the pullovers. They mess up my hair when I take them off.

Too vain? Maybe

Show & Tell

It's not really blue anymore. It’s been washed and dried so many times the color is closer to sun bleached navy, if that’s a thing. Threadbare and flecked with white paint, from the time I repainted the utility room, it’s still recognizable as some version of dark blue. Across the front is a screen printed, full chest “University of Illinois” Illini fan logo in orange.

When I moved here to Tulsa I brought clothes with me. Some of them were likely Illini fan gear and a lot of Chicago Bears stuff. But nearly all of it is gone now, too worn or out of style to keep around. But this hoodie has some power over me. It’s strictly house bound though. I won’t even work out in the yard with it, lest the neighbors assume a homeless man has wandered onto to my property.

‘Waisting’ Away

It's too thin to wear outside anyway. It didn’t used to be, but the threads are visible through the thin layer of cotton that hasn’t completely dissolved yet.  Amazingly the zipper still works. That’s an engineering marvel in itself. I’ve had coat zippers where the teeth stopped grabbing after just a season. No one fixes zippers. They toss it and look for a new one. It’s wasteful of course but who knows where to get a zipper? And how much does that cost? Doubtful it’s much less than a new coat at a discount store. You can get a winter coat at Costco for $20. Is it nice? No but you’ll break the zipper anyway. My sweatshirt zipper still has that smooth action too. Probably because I don’t wear it outside, the teeth don’t get gunked up with dirt and grass from the yard.

The elastic around the waist isn’t holding up as well. But I likely bought it when I was under 190 lbs, then over 220 and then back under 200 again. No matter my size it’s always been my favorite piece. When you get a sweatshirt, or tee or pair of pants, that fit right you’re loathe to give them up. Even after their shelf life (hanger life?) their comfort wins out over their appearance. At least for one or two items in life, because you don’t need to save everything.

Hoodie Phases

There are 3 distinct phases in the life of a hoodie. The first is when it’s new. Maybe you opened it on your birthday, maybe you found it on a discount rack at JC Penny. In either case, you wore it to the mall because it looked nice. You made sure take pictures in it and slap them on Facebook. People asked where you got it. Depending on how much you wore it, it faded after a while. Suddenly it’s a home piece, or a loaner for a brother for your turkey bowl game on Thanksgiving. This is phase 2, it’s become a second choice. Used for barbeques and chilly nights spent smoking cigars on the porch.

These are the twilight years in the life of a hoodie—not putting in a full day but enjoying a few hours of usefulness.

Not all make it phase 3. Phase 2 should be the end of the line. Some just refuse to quit. Threads come loose and spread apart, resembling tennis racket strings. Polyester fabrics peel into tiny balls and spandex loses elasticity. Fabric color washes out and gets replaced with oil, paint, burrito grease and whatever else makes a permanent stain. Wives usually throw out hoodies with time still on the clock, just because of a few superficial rips. Or because their husband refuses to retire his favorite piece.

 My Illini hood is firmly in phase 3. I don’t have a wife to toss it out but it’s clearly too ugly to leave the house. I can figure that much out on my own.

Comfort Wins

Comfort is a simple concept.

 It’s the feeling of a particular item and the lack of choice that accompanies it.

 Got that? Lack of choice can be a benefit. The comfort is in not having to stress over the choice. Does it match my pants? Is it the right piece for the event? Will I get too hot and have to remove it? all relate to choosing clothes and going out in public.  A comfortable sweatshirt is an old one. It’s old because you kept it around a long time, you liked the feel of fabric. But it’s also a first choice for hanging lazily around the house. It’s an easy comfortable decision, and one you make every time.

Everyone needs an old hoodie.