Answer Angel: Manning fan?

Ellen Warren, Tribune News Service on Dec 22, 2025

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Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I walked into my living room and my teenage daughter started laughing at me. When I asked her what was so funny, she said, “You’re wearing a quarter-zip! I didn’t know you were such a big ManningCast fan.”

I didn’t ask her about this comment, fearing she would think I am so uncool. But can you please explain to me what she is talking about. And does the fact that I am clueless make me uncool?

--Caitlin’s Dad

Dear Dad: If you are uncool, so am I. To show my ignorance, I had to do a little research since I too was unfamiliar with both the quarter-zip and ManningCast.

Here goes: A quarter-zip is a type of pullover especially popular with young or youngish men, often worn over the traditional button-up men’s shirt. It’s a sweater/sweatshirt, with a standup collar and a zipper that extends only a quarter way down the front.

An online headline in Fortune magazine informed me: “Gen Z men are flocking to quarter-zip pullovers….” (Gen Z men are generally viewed as young men in their 20s.)

I gather that you, Dad, are not in that age group. Well, neither are former NFL quarterback brothers Eli and Peyton Manning. Their ESPN program, ManningCast, often shows them in quarter-zips, which they have turned into a running joke on the show. This garment has gained popularity because it gives a casual look that also is acceptable in a lot of business settings where young or youngish men gather.

And a related menswear question…

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I was wearing my sleeveless Patagonia fleece vest that my wife gave me a couple years ago when I met a friend for coffee and he said, “Wait, you’re not a tech bro.” I’m a 51-year-old high school history teacher with a paunch belly. Please translate.

--Philip H.

Dear Philip: Frequently you’ll see (mostly) men but sometimes women wearing a zippered fleece vest — a sleeveless full-zip garment over a button-up shirt and even over a quarter-zip (see above). It is a garment now often associated with “tech bros” -- a slang term for individuals working in technology or finance who perceive themselves as stereotypically masculine. Often, the vest is worn for extra warmth or … to hide a big belly. Sometimes they are a freebie embroidered with a tech company logo.

Angelic Readers

Mary from Montana writes: “I read with interest a recent rant about the writer’s choice of hats and your litany of the numerous kinds of hats available to men. The one hat not mentioned in your answer was the Irish/Scottish ‘gentleman‘s cap.’ It is jaunty in all the best ways. On a recent tour in Ireland, we had about 25 men from all different parts of the United States, backgrounds, jobs, lifestyles, etc., where the norm seemed to be the good old ball cap but that quickly changed as we toured beautiful Ireland.

“One by one the men on tour tried those hats on, purchased and looked great in them! By the end of the tour most males were sporting a gentleman’s cap. Upon our return home, I thought my husband would set his ‘touring top’ on a closet shelf, but he’s been wearing it and it looks great on him! In a state where cowboy hats abound, he is classy but casual in rural Montana, USA!”

Kathy S. asks: “Could you please recommend where I could buy good quality flannel sheets. I have purchased flannel sheets from The Vermont Country Store and L.L.Bean and both sets of sheets shrank to the point that they barely fit my bed. And yes, I did follow the washing instructions.” (From Ellen: I gave up on flannel sheets many years ago because they made me so hot. But some readers in colder climates swear by them. Let’s hear reader recommendations for Kathy.)

From Becky R.: “For your reader with hair product complaints, my hair is short and straight and my hairdresser recommended Redken Volume Injection shampoo and conditioner (ulta.com, $27 and up). It costs a bit more than regular shampoo and conditioner, but since using it I get many comments on how pretty and shiny my hair is.”