Richer Poorer's Short-Sleeve Sweatshirt Is the Weird-Weather Secret Weapon You've Been Waiting For
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SHOP $60, richerpoorer.com
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I can still remember my short-sleeved sweatshirt awakening. I was, I think, 17 years old, at the South Hills Village mall in the, well, south hills of Pittsburgh, and I'd just walked into the Gap. Up on the wall above the racks were the images from the brand's latest campaign, and one in particular stopped me in my tracks, because the model was wearing something I had never seen before, something that I'd never truly considered as something that could exist. I could tell it was a T-shirt, of course, but it looked...sturdier. A sweatshirt T-shirt. Eureka.
I was in love right away. When I finally found it in the store, I bought it and never looked back. I still own it today, and even though the short-sleeved sweatshirt is no longer a mind-blower, it remains a style staple I feel every person should have in their wardrobe. So imagine my delight as I came across Richer Poorer's fleece raglan sweatshirt, the perfect modern iteration of my first love. If you'd like to join me on this journey, Richer Poorer's offering is where I'd suggest you start. Here's why.
It's the low-key MVP of hybrid garms.
It's a simple conundrum, but one I've found myself in regularly throughout my clothes-loving days. It's a bit too brisk for just a tee, and a bit too warm for sleeves. Now, some folks may be thinking duh, throw on the puffy vest, bro! No. I would not, and I will not. Because the short-sleeved sweatshirt has been saving me from the vest life for 15 years and I'm not going to change now. There are a few other great hybrid garms for these scenarios—the shirt jacket (shacket) comes to mind—but if you're like me, and love to default to a tee-and-jeans look any time you can, this piece of apparel is your solution. You will feel breezy, but comforted. You will feel more dressed than if your T-shirt was not made of a hearty mix of cotton and polyester. You might even feel—unless your friends wandered into a Gap in 2006—like you've unlocked something sacred. "Is that a sweatshirt or a T-shirt?" they'll ask while rolling the fabric between their fingers. "Both," you'll say with a smirk.
SHOP $60, richerpoorer.com
It's too easy to style.
I'm certain I don't need to carry on about the styling versatility that a robust collection of T-shirts can add to your everyday; if you're a regular around here, you're well aware of that. Think of this piece as a subtle upgrade to the looks you've always rooted in a great tee. But where it really shines are the scenarios where a tee didn't quite feel like enough. I've most often found myself wearing mine under a blazer with jeans and sneakers, but I've also subbed it in for a dress shirt under a fully suited look for more-casual functions like rehearsal dinners and work events. The short-sleeved sweatshirt will find its way into more of your looks across the entire style spectrum than you realize, because, again, you won't feel like it's a T-shirt your slipping on. This one from Richer Poorer is especially admirable in its weight, the details in its stitching that show exactly what it is (short-sleeved sweatshirt) and what it's not (a T-shirt), its sleeve length, and its silhouette. It walks the line between slim and classic fit, and hits the sweet spot between where a typical tee would fall and where your more oversized crewneck sweatshirts would. (Far enough below the belt to signal some substance, but not so high that your undershirt—I'd still add an undershirt—flaps uncontrollably beneath.)
SHOP $60, richerpoorer.com
It's made for these times, and those times, too.
Is this a great shirt to wear while you sit in your kitchen all day banging on the keyboard til quittin' time? Absolutely. Is it ready to shine in the After Times at that get-together you've been yearning for? One hundred percent. But besides the fact that it's a cozy shirt to comfort you in these times and flex in the next era, I can promise you that this is a garment you'll be thankful for decades from now. While Richer Poorer's offering already comes mineral-washed for a soft, vintage feel, someday it will be actually vintage. And it will feel even softer. And you will feel even more attached to it. The one I bought in '06 really is still kickin'—I think it's the oldest piece of clothing that I bought with my own money that I still own all these years later. This is all to say that even if 15 years from now we are living in space, you'll be glad you made this purchase now. I hear space stations are a little too cold for tees, but not quite cold enough for long sleeves*.
*I made this up.
Photography by Timothy Mulcare; prop styling by Miako Katoh.
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