The half zip has had a strange journey through menswear. For a long time it was either too athletic or too fussy, stuck somewhere between a gym layer and a dad gift. The good ones that have emerged recently are neither of those things. They sit in the exact gap between a crewneck and a shirt collar, work over a tee or under a jacket, and have the kind of considered simplicity that makes them easy to reach for without much thought. Fabric is everything here. A half zip in cheap fleece or thin cotton jersey will look like an afterthought no matter what you pay for it. We’ve been looking specifically at options in heavyweight cotton, brushed fleece, and midweight knit constructions that hold their shape and actually improve with washing. Collar structure matters too. A floppy zip collar kills an otherwise good piece. The ones we’ve chosen here stand up properly and wear like something you bought because you knew exactly what you were doing.