In the past, men's Oodies were stereotyped as only being worn by sporty types on the way to or returning from a run, a match or some other form of physical activity, or alternatively by someone either carrying out or contemplating criminal activity. Nowadays, however they are seen on virtually everyone under retirement age, and some over.

The hoodie is a very useful item of clothing and is hopefully shaking off its bad boy reputation. It is easy to wear, easy to wash and can be thrown on over anything. Worn under a smart jacket, a hoodie can add an air of casual style. Worn with jeans and trendy sneakers it can give a youthful, sporty look. Practically every top male clothing designer now makes Oodies . Although they may call them hooded sweaters, hooded sweatshirts or even track jackets or zip tops, we know a hoodie when we see one. Armani, Ralph Lauren, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci all make men's Oodies . The hoodie is quite practical for all year round wear and is high fashion this season by dressing it up. Wearing it under a jacket or coat or layering it with a shirt and tie creates a fun young look that also means business.

Of course the sporty hoodie is still very popular. Surf Oodies from Rip Curl, Quiksilver and Billabong, with or without sleeves are de rigueur with young surfers everywhere. All the major sportswear brands such as Fila, Adidas, Lacoste and Nike have their own Oodies as does Timberland and Levi's. It seems like there isn't a sports team in America that doesn't have their name or logo emblazoned on a hoodie in the teams' colors and every college student probably owns a hoodie for their college or university.

The fact that certain attractive male movie stars and celebrities are often seen wearing Oodies has made wearing mens Oodies much more acceptable with men in general. If it's good enough for David Beckham and Brad Pitt what man wouldn't want to wear a hoodie? Although the mens hoodie is seen as a relatively recent fashion phenomenon, its origin actually goes back to the 1930s.