NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF/CONSUMER REPORTS) — Nothing says cozy quite like a favorite hooded sweatshirt. If you’re looking to buy a new one for yourself or give as a gift this holiday season, there are lots of options — so how do you choose?
That’s where Consumer Reports' Perry Santanachote comes in. She left the labs and took to the streets to try out eight pullover hoodies from labels like American Giant, Nike, H&M, Adidas, and Champion.
"I want it to be warm and functional but I also want to look cool in it," said Santanachote. "In addition to assessing how warm they kept me on crisp fall days, I also noted how well they were made by looking at all the seams and also what they were made of."
Santanachote also assessed comfort, fit and how easy each hoodie was to care for.
For example, one H&M hoodie requires line drying or dry cleaning but it claims to be sustainably manufactured from 100% organic cotton and it sells for just $40.
While it’s not 100% cotton, Santanachote says a $60 Champion is still one of the best options!
After a long day outside testing hoodies, it’s nice to return home and slip into something more comfortable like slippers. So Consumer Reports’ Angela Lashbrook took over where Santanachote left off and headed up another series of tests outside Consumer Reports' labs. This time with slippers.
"We clunked around our steadily cooling east coast homes in a wide variety of slippers including the L. L. Bean Wicked Good Moccasins, Glerups and the lined Crocs," Lashbrook said.
She and her fellow testers looked first for warmth. Then comfort, stability and of course, how the slippers look.
A pair of Glerups earned high scores from all the slipper pickers. At $100 they are warm, breathable and easy to move around in, too.
While not quite as warm, consider a pair of $40 Bombas for cozying up on a budget. They’re light and they travel well.
If you tend to do chores in your slippers look no further than these Crocs Classic Lined Clogs.
"Despite how they looked we were surprised by how comfortable they were and how much we liked them," Lashbrook said.
Consumer Reports says slippers made with natural materials like the recommended Glerups are the way to go when it comes to picking slippers. For a special gift, its editors also liked the $100 Ugg Fluff Yeahs slides for their soft and fluffy sheepskin material.
So instead of style, consider giving yourself or loved ones the gift of comfort this season.
