The Obtainer - 9/18/23, Monday
↦ It's Sweatshirt Season
Monday, September 18th Edition
A sweatshirt is a sweatshirt, right? Wrong. You know a good one when you touch it, and you certainly can feel it when you put one on. So we had the team pull together our favorite classic crewnecks to kickstart fall dressing. Which one are you getting?
- Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief ⋯ @coryohlendorf
Buying Guide
The Best Crewneck Sweatshirts to Buy Right Now
Here’s what we love about menswear: Something can be at once utterly classic and yet thoroughly modern. Take the humble sweatshirt. It's one of those rare items that will eternally be in style. All American. Ruggedly masculine. But it can also change in ever so subtle ways, which end up making this timeless staple look altogether new and fresh. Right now, there's no wrong way to wear one.A bonafide wardrobe staple, it's the kind of piece you can sport several days a week—and several days in a row. Why? Because it's made to take the abuse and will still look great even when slightly rumpled. Cozy and eternally cool, the old-school crewneck's enduring appeal is that it can be thrown on with everything from mesh shorts and jeans to cargos and wool dress pants and somehow look intentional and stylish. Of course, like all menswear classics, the devil is in the details.Sweatshirts now come in a range of colors and silhouettes and the key to nailing the style in 2023 is to opt for a slightly neutral shade with a relaxed, boxy shape. The fuller the sleeves and more relaxed the collar (to show off the shirt underneath), the better. And the raglan sleeve is another “so old it's new again” style that we're feeling right now. Rather than having the standard seam at the end of your shoulder, these let the fabric flow straight from your sleeve into the collar. It's an old tailoring technique that makes for easier movements and it's been reimagined in the perfect proportions for today's taste in clothing. Now that you're itching for a new sweatshirt, we've taken the liberty of shopping for the best on the market right now.
Our Picks
J.Crew's 14-ounce cotton-poly fleece crewneck has a brushed interior for extra softness and warmth.
Fleece crewneck sweatshirt, $98 / $68.60 (w/code SHOPNOW) by J.Crew
Made in Japan, these are painstakingly constructed the old fashioned way, on antique loopwheel knitting machines.
Loopwheel crewneck sweatshirt, $185 by Real McCoy's
For under $30, you won’t find a better sweatshirt. It’s 100% cotton and comes in a range of colors.
Classic crewneck sweatshirt, $29.90 by UNIQLO
This American-made sweatshirt is garment-dyed for minimal shrinkage and for a lived-in feel.
Garment-dyed fleece crewneck sweatshirt, $72 by Los Angeles Apparel
This is the closest we'll probably come to cooking with the always-cool Stanley Tucci. The actor and known foodie—who hosted one of our favorite culinary travel shows—just collaborated with GreenPan on his own line of cookware (starting at $99.95). Each pan is meticulously handcrafted in (where else?) Italy and made with the brand's innovative ceramic coating that's non-stick yet omits all the questionable chemicals that are harmful to both the environment and our health. But it's the style that really sold us—that rich blue color of the pans and the grooved stainless steel handles.
Test Drive
A Sleek, Hands-Free Frother
Rolling out of bed is never easy, but the promise of brewing your favorite coffee is sometimes all you need to avoid hitting the snooze button multiple times. Coffee is the gift that keeps on giving—from that familiar smell when you grind your beans to the nuanced taste, along with that much-needed punch of energy that caffeine delivers. There's no better way to begin your day.
If you're the type that feels like the coffee you pick up in a shop is always better than what you’re brewing at home, you might want to consider frothing your milk. Because it makes a huge difference. And if you’re going to do it, do it right—Zwilling makes the best frother. I get that it's pricey; however, it'll eventually pay for itself with the money you save from making coffee at home. And you’ll constantly impress any guests.
I use this every morning for my wife’s coffee, and in the evening if I want to jazz up my espresso. What’s nice, too, is that it whips up milk and milk substitutes with the same creamy texture, both hot or cold. Simply pour your milk into the metal cup, place it inside the frother and you’re ready to go. The best part about this tool is that it’s hands-free. You just select your temperature option, press the button and let the frothing commence. It takes up to four minutes for either setting. If you’re using milk, then four minutes is the right amount of time for it to both froth and steam; however, any milk substitute should only be left on for about a minute and a half. If left on too long, I find it doesn’t froth as well, probably because the creamer isn’t dense enough.
The froth looks like your favorite coffee shop made your drink, and the taste is so smooth. My only complaint is that the max fill lines are a bit misleading. There’s a fill line for a 6.75-ounce capacity for heating and frothing milk and a 13.5-ounce capacity for frothing cold milk. If you meet or exceed the line, you notice a not-so-pleasant drill-like noise, and that’s how you know you should probably pour some out. Instead, under-pour always since the volume will increase when frothing. Overall, this was an excellent addition to our home coffee bar and has minimized the times we go out to get a good coffee.
- Leon Hedgepeth
Milk frother,$120 by Zwilling
The sales and discounts our team is currently watching.
This made-in-America camo tote bag is a perfect fall accessory. Carry it to the farmers market or to pick flowers for a seasonal bouquet.
$50 / $35by Stan Ray
These workwear-inspired pants from Toast are versatile enough to go with anything in your wardrobe, and they're under $100. Made from a durable cotton canvas, the mismatched patch pockets and reinforced back pockets make these a closet staple.
$315 / $95by Toast
The official first day of fall is this weekend, so now is the perfect time to refresh your T-shirts. Everlane's organic cotton crewneck tee is mid-weight, ethically made, and gets softer with each wear. For the price, these are worth keeping a hefty stock in.
$30 / $18by Everlane
The three best stories from around the web.
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Tull Price, a 20-year veteran of the shoe industry, worked closely with Stòffa to bring the line to life, updating the ancient reference for modern use.”
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Taste and POV are things money cannot buy, and it’s what people respond to.”
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Before the age of online shopping and social media, desire for clothing was fostered in a nuanced way.”
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At home.
August 18
