Navy is the colour that does the heavy lifting in a casual wardrobe and most men already know this without being able to explain why. It works with grey, olive, white, black, and virtually every shade of denim without ever feeling like it’s trying. A good navy sweatshirt sits in that particular gap between a t-shirt and a knit, giving you something to reach for when neither quite fits the occasion. The problem is most of them are either too thin to look considered or cut in a way that makes you look like you’ve borrowed something. We’ve been looking specifically at weight, collar finish, and how the hem sits, because those three things are what separate a sweatshirt you build an outfit around from one you wear to take the bins out. French terry and loopback cotton are where the quality tends to live. The ones here are worth the shelf space.