I went deep into sweats in 2020. Duh. And its hard to undo the habit of changing into them the second I walk through my apartment door. Actually, I don’t even want to undo it! It’s heaven! But my Entireworld sweatsuits, that have become a second skin, are sad now. The cotton-poly blend has not held up to three years of slathering my kid with Vaseline, meals on the sofa and general loung-i-ness. So what do we do now that the company is defunct and our spending priorities are elsewhere????
I posted a question on Instagram back in July (before 5 things was even born!) about my hunt for the new Entireworld sweatsuit and so many of you replied as desperate for the answer as I am (was). So I spent the last three months doing research: I’ve dissected the entire internet, ordered dozens and wash tested seven styles. Below, five styles that fill the plushy void.
With the exception of one, all are under $100 per piece because I’m ready to spend my budget on hard clothes again. I also vetoed anything with a weird seam or annoying design detail and anything with noticeable insignia or hardware (though I’m loving the recent trend in quarter zip sweatshirts everywhere…for another day!)
Each photo is shot after being wash-and-dry-on-hot tested. And for reference, I wore a size small sweatshirt and extra-small sweatpant at Entireworld, because I hate when sweatpants get super stretched out. So let’s go.
Buck Mason
Let me start by saying I don’t love fleece lining (though two of the five here have that, so if you DO love it…read on anyway). I prefer French terry which is less likely to pull at your t-shirt and cooler next to your skin. It was much much harder than I thought it would be to find French terry lining at the price point I was looking for. Buck Mason, our first winner, was a pleasant surprise because the lining is a sort of hybrid of the two. There is a very slim fluffy layer on what appears to be a French terry backing. Soft but still cool on my arms and the $88 sweatshirt (same as Entireworld) is just what I was looking for. The pants are $98. The fit is also great. Roomy and slouchy but not gigantic.

The Gap
The price is right!! And the navy a great shade of blue. Since the Gap has (unfortunately for them) trained me to never buy not on sale, I ordered these on a 40% off plus extra whatever % off day and paid $26.97 for each piece and I believe right now they are $24. The price alone makes it the first thing I reach for to take my kid to swim lessons and then spend the rest of the morning covered in chlorine. The shape is flattering and the fuzzy fleece lining is actually pretty cozy over my swimsuit, making the case to drop the t-shirt all together.

Aritzia
This is one of the few stores that carries French terry under $100. You need to filter for it, and the options aren’t many, but it’s there. This one has the most design detail of the bunch and I was hesitant to even try it but the side ribbing on the pants ($60) is actually kind of nice. It creates length and while you can’t see it here (but you can here) the waistband feels quality for the price. Its thick and has a hold you in quality. The oversized sweatshirt ($80), is baggier than I’d like, but I’m willing to make sacrifices for French terry. Plus, this is the look now. And what a better place to experiment with trends than your living room!?

Richer Poorer
Friend of 5 Things Emily Eisen turned me onto this brand a while back. This shade of blue is the closest I’ve come to replacing my “fun color”. They also have a color called Green Lawn which I love! Most brands stick with chalky pastels and faded shades these days and I am just not that California cool! The richness of this light blue is so nice. Fleece lined, which is not my favorite as you know, but the shape and color work well. These are both XS and if I was ordering again, I would definitely get the small. They shrink.

The Great
Ok, this one is double the cost of the others. So I don’t blame you if you stop reading right now. But I REALLLLYYYY loved this set. It has the French terry lining that I love next to my skin (a better version than Entireworld, I must say), the slim cut is flattering but not tight and the shade of heather grey is dark enough that I can wear it with fashion items. I would definitely wear this sweatshirt ($175) under a blazer, and the sweatpants ($165) with loafers (pictured!) and a big coat. They both win “most likely to wear out of the house” and I have been wearing them the most during this two-month-long wear test. The sweatpants have a drawstring waist which, at first, was a notch against them, but after wearing them A LOT, I have grown to love. Its nice to tuck a t-shirt into this waistband and not having ruched elastic makes me feel more put together. Lol’ing that I just wrote about a sweatpant making me feel put together. What a world!

From this list, I wear the Great and the Buck Mason the most. And Gap is a runner up because of price alone, for when you really need a throw on.
And if you’re still reading, some runners up. I have heard that if you liked Entireworld, you will LOVE the Roots sweats, if you’re picking up what I’m laying down! The Roots sweats have a logo though, and only come in fleece-lined, so I vetoed. But the logo is cool, so if you don’t mind that, try them! Especially love the deep varsity “maroon". And lastly, I enjoyed this story by Noah Johnson at GQ about Camber sweats, but they only do men’s sizing, so if you’re petite its a nonstarter. Great dirty white set though!
Next week we will get back to getting dressed to actually leave the house…most likely. Until then.
Yours TRULY,
Becky
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Perfect timing, I was spiraling last night about a long-haul flight I'll be on over the winter and not having a good pair of sweatpants/joggers for that (among other things).
I have been on the same journey the past few weeks! My entire world pants stretched out a lot back in the early pandemic days. I’m nearly 6ft so 30” inseam minimum is preferred. Gap surprisingly became my winner since it comes in Tall! I also splurged and got velvet Tory Burch joggers which I already wore to a work event. Love your newsletters thanks!