Vintage

• ✓Read the tag first: maker, country of origin and fiber content. A Made in USA tag fits the 80s and early 90s better than the 2000s.
• ✓Match the graphics to the team's timeline. The logo, colors and city name should all fit the era the seller claims.
• ✓Look at the print. Light cracking is normal on an old screen print, but peeling, missing sections or a print that looks brand new on a worn shirt deserve a question.
• ✓Ask for pit-to-pit and length measurements. Tag sizes vary by maker and era, and cotton-heavy fleece can shrink.
• ✓Check the cuffs, waistband and collar ribbing for stretch-out, and the underarms and hem for holes, stains and pilling.
• ✓For Reverse Weave, look for the side panels and Champion labeling. The fabric runs crosswise, which is how it resists shrinking in length.
• ✓Rule out reissues. Mitchell & Ness and other retro lines, plus the league's own throwback collections since 1991, put old designs on newer garments. A web address on the tag means it is from the internet era.

• Crewneck — the standard pullover with a ribbed collar, cuffs and waistband
• Hoodie — a hooded pullover, usually with a front pouch pocket; Champion first made the hood as an athletes' sideline parka
• Raglan crewneck — the sleeve runs in one piece up to the collar, so the seams cross the shoulder diagonally
• Reverse Weave — Champion's heavyweight fleece cut crosswise with side panels to limit shrinking
• Starter pullover jacket — a pullover team jacket modeled on the coaches' sideline parka; it often shows up in sweatshirt searches, but it is a jacket, not fleece

How vintage sweatshirts fit →