Now Thats What I Call Thrift #20

Real or fake? Who can tell after thrift #20

If you picked three people at random off the high street, three of them would be wearing American Apparel hoodies. That may not be true but it feels like it. Yep, these hoodies have become de riguer for gradults everywhere. I've got a couple of my own and I know Michael Gray won't leave the house without one so here at Gradulthood we're big fans. I do have three concerns though.

1. Youngsters wearing them. A 13 year old with a better haircut than me, skinny jeans and a pristine AA hoodie? When I was your age I was wearing trackies and a Reebok sweatshirt son. When did kids get so cool?

2. The string in a bow. What does that even mean?

And you already know what number 3 is. The cost. £38 for a plain hoodie? Which leads me to...

Thrift 20: Make your own American Apparel hoodie.

The AA hoodie is all in the white string. The string is crucial. Mine fell off in the wash not so long ago and I thought that was it. I looked at the stringless hoodie in disgust, in my mind it was already condemned to the part of the wardrobe you'll only reach for on a Sunday. My mum fixed it in two minutes, but still.

Without the string the AA hoodie is a Primark hoodie, a Matalan hoodie, any other generic hoodie. But they sell white strings at all good markets...[insert oxymoron gag here] Simply combine a humble Primark hoodie with you market string and bobs your scenester! Homemade American Apparel hoodie. If anyone pulls you up on it just put your hood up and walk away. Never apologise. Never explain.