Agreed.  I think one should wear what one wants, but I have to say this item belongs in the realm of exercise wear, and is almost always a poorer choice than a sweater or jacket.  This is a battle I have with my almost teenager son.

Well, I wont pretend to be a dapper dandy when I'm out shopping as I, too, will invariably be attired in jeans, chucks and work jacket but a hoodie is a step too far for me.
If twinned with sweatpants you are, to my mind, a petty thief, alcoholic, or some other such anti-social shadow-dweller.
In fact, I regard the wearing of sweatpants (or jogging bottoms as we seem to call them) as a far worse crime than hoodies that should be punishable by penal servitude of the the most miserable order- especially when the miscreant has been seen to be tugging on his private parts as they so often do. As the old saying goes; if you can't do the penal don't touch the penile. Or something.

Well, I am an anti-social shadow-dweller :p but you won't see me in sweats in public. I have a few hoodies, yes, but they're for throwing on in the house when it's cold, usually paired with jeans or lounging  pants. Also they are specifically themed and I bought them because of the designs on them- Nightmare Before Christmas, or the like. Once they're faded, I prefer not to wear them anymore. Truthfully, I look a bit young for my age, and hoodies only lend to making me look like a juvenile delinquent. Maybe that's a look some are going for (and hey I've seen it work for some), but I'd rather put on a jacket with clean lines, even if it's just denim, to go to the store.

In the last year and a half I think I have worn a hoodie twice or three times(all were when I wan rebeling against my vintage clothes for one reason or another) the only nice part to them is the hood. I havent found the perfect hat yet so my ears are always cold. But I mostly wear a nice cardigan. And Now Im working on knitting a sweater from a 1950s pattern.
Don't get ym started on sweat pants. If I can wake up before school and pull on a pair of jeans or trousers so can you. My hatered of sweatpants is almost that of my hatred of Ugg boots. They make me want to massacre babies so they can be spaired a life in a world where bad style runs rampant.

There are plenty of driver's caps and the like with hidden ear flaps. For outside work in extreme cold, I like the simple military watch cap.

I'm not even sure why we're discussing hoodies on here. Surely they're anathema: no hoodies, no sweatpants, no Ugg boots, no fake tan, etc.

Lost Soul wrote:

a nice Elmer Fudd style hunting cap (Filson makes a nice one).

I bought that Filson cap for my son this Christmas.  The earflaps are mouton- really nice and warm and the quality can't be beat- it's a $50 cap for a reason. I saw a similar style at the Gap, but without the quality (duh) so it's even trendy at the moment. He's almost 5, so I expect it will last him a lifetime, so long as he doesn't lose it or fall victim to some teenage fashion fad later on...