Caped People
The zip hooded sweatshirt has acquired a special place in the realm of functional sparse-urban fashion. Unlike its Non-Zipped Counterpart, Zip-Hoodies have zippers in the front that allow the sweatship to be worn in an open fashion, that exposes the shirt underneath. When a Zip Hoodie is worn unzipped and with the hood down, wind can flow through the garment and it resembles a sleeved cape. People used to wear capes for many reasons. One may wear a cape because if he or she was traveling a long distance, a cape could be easily turned into a blanket. Also capes had some fashionable appeal and the different fabrics and the color of the cape could denote station or wealth. The sleeves on a zip-hoodie are interesting because they keep the textile secure on the body, while adding warmth.
In the Television Anime called, “The Record of Lodoss Wars”, many of the characters who had special purpose, wore capes. Also many superheroes in comic book culture wear capes. Zip-Hoodies are basically semi-socially acceptable capes with sleeves. It is about as close as one can get to wearing a snuggie in public without attracting unwanted attention.
Hoodies that don’t have zippers aren’t related to capes. This is because the wind can’t flow through them. They are more reminiscent of pull-over monk-like clothing.
What is interesting is that zip-hoodies have become more fashionably acceptable than wearing a sweater that’s tied around one’s neck. The sweater thing is something we used to see more in the 80’s and early 90’s but is has been dated as preppy and possibly even creepy. This is intriguing because hooded people have anonymity and could most likely use that stealth to perpetrate anti-social acts. While wearing a sweater with the sleeves loosely tied around one’s neck does not conceal identity at all, yet people are REALLY weirded out by this.
-Tyler