The humble hoodie
1. Read the three short texts and match them with the correct pieces of
clothing below.
• bomber jacket • leather jacket
• sneakers • little black dress
• flip-flops • miniskirt
• jeans • trench coat
This garment was originally worn by soldiers in the British Army. It’s a
waterproof piece of clothing usually made of cotton gabardine. Traditionally
its colour was khaki, although today it comes in various colours. An
interesting fact is that some US schools have banned it as it could be used
to conceal weapons.
They’ve been worn by people all around the world, but date back to the
ancient Egyptians. Their English names vary depending on the country
(e.g. thongs in Australia, jandals in New Zealand). They might be made of
materials such as rubber, foam, plastic or leather.
Its first designs appeared in the 1920s. It’s a widely accessible piece of
clothing essential to a complete wardrobe. According to many people, it is
the essence of elegance. However, depending on the occasion, it can be
part of daytime business wear or evening wear for social events.
2. Match the adjectives to their definitions.
basic casual classic comfortable functional
humble timeless understated urban utilitarian
a) ……………….. : informal and relaxed
b) ……………….. : permanent, unchanging
c) ……………….. : having a practical design
d) ……………….. : consisting of just the essential, no extras
Copyrights by ESL Brains
The humble hoodie
e) ……………….. : designed to be useful
f) ……………….. : subtle, presented as less grand than it is
g) ……………….. : simple and elegant
h) ……………….. : modest and plain
i) ……………….. : related to a populated area such as a city
j) ……………….. : agreeable to wear
3. Using the adjectives from ex. 2, describe the garments from ex. 1. Give
reasons for your choice of adjectives.
4. Look at the photos and discuss the questions.
• Have you got a hoodie? If so,
when and where do you wear it?
• What are the best adjectives to
describe a hoodie? Give reasons
for your choices.
• What kind of people wear
hoodies?
• What are the pros and cons of
the hoodie design?
• When do you think the hoodie
first appeared?
5. Watch a video about hoodies [https://youtu.be/xqzLm0Xua8g]. As you
watch, tick the adjectives from ex. 2 that you hear.
basic casual classic comfortable functional
humble timeless understated urban utilitarian
6. Watch the video again and complete the hoodie timeline with the missing
information.
Copyrights by ESL Brains
The humble hoodie
Copyrights by ESL Brains
The humble hoodie
7. Read these extracts from the video. Say what each one means and discuss
the questions below.
“It's one of those timeless objects that we hardly think of, because they work so well
that they're part of our lives. We call them ‘humble masterpieces.’"
• What other garments can be described as ‘humble masterpieces’?
• Which garments would you find it hard to live without?
• Which negative images do you associate with the hoodie?
“There's the image of the hoodie connected to the grim reaper. There's the image of
the hoodie connected to the executioner. So there's the dark side of the hoodie.”
• In some places, hoodies have been banned because the police have linked them
to criminals trying to hide their identity. What do you think about this?
“If you’re wearing a two-piece suit, you might be the bodyguard.
The real powerful person is wearing a hoodie with a T-shirt and jeans.”
• Can you think of any examples to support this comment?
• What can the clothes we wear say about us?
Copyrights by ESL Brains
