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A few weeks back I watched a really great movie called Southpaw, which you totally need to see if you haven't.

In it, Jake Gyllenhall's character, a boxer, wears this simple grey sleeveless hoodie that I could not get outta my head. It was perfect - slouchy and broken in, cut off sleeves with huge arm holes and a hood that stayed up. It hit right at the hip and had a big kangaroo pouch for the hands. I desperately wanted one.

A few weeks later, I found something similar at Forever 21. It wasn't perfect - the material was very soft and the hood wouldn't stay up - but the design was close to perfect and for under $20 bucks, I was down to give it a try. The day after I ordered it, I found something similar at Nordstrom by Apres Ramy Brook for $98 (on sale!). I was curious which would be better, and ordered that one up as well, deciding that I'd return whatever one didn't work out for me.

As you can see from the side, the Forever 21 hoodie had bigger arm openings, which I really like. This size is huge, and doesn't make the sweatshirt an ideal choice for workouts, but for throwing on before or after the gym or yoga class, I like it. The higher end vest by Apres Ramy Brook had much smaller arm openings and I didn't really care for it. It felt a little too stuffy for me. In terms of the length, I loved the Forever 21 hoodie. It hit right at the hip, just like in the movie, and fell nicely. The Apres Ramy Brook vest was a bit longer, and the fall wasn't as flattering due to the stiffer material (it was sort of like a neoprene blend).

From the front, the F21 hoodie was comfortable and I liked the way it looked. I do wish the fabric was just a tiny bit thicker and slightly stiffer so that the hood would've stayed up if I'd put it up. Unfortunately, with the material being just slightly too thin, it wouldn't stay up. Other than that, I liked everything else - the pocket, the way it fell and hit at the hip, and the overall look and feel. With the Apres RB vest, I really liked the idea of the big ties in the front but they weren't useful and felt sort of gimmicky. I didn't like that there wasn't a hood, and while I was indifferent about the look of the zipper, ultimately I don't think I wouldn't liked the feel of it against my skin while warming up pre-workout. The pocket was great, but it fell at an awkward height on me, and wasn't that flattering. I sort of felt like it was wearing me, not the other way around.

So, in this case - no, you don't get what you pay for. Sometimes you are pleasantly surprised.

PS: Do you get what you pay for: shorts.

For my peeps on a budget:

For my big spenders