Difference between "толстовка", "свитшот", "худи", "кофта" and "пуловер"?

Question

Could someone give me some insight on these Russian words from the perspective of a native Russian?

From what I've seen, many websites use these words interchangeably, and some of those websites even have phrases like "толстовка на молнии" and "худи на молнии".

So, I can find the actual meanings of these words, but when I check their daily usage online, I have to wonder if there's also confusion among native Russians. Have these words lost their original meanings? I mean, for example, a толстовка is a full zip hoodie. But when I google толстовка, there are lots of pictures, but none with zip hoodies.

Answer 1

I'm a Russian native, and for me these words are confusing. I use "толстовка" for everything with a hood and "свитер" for warm tops with long sleeves. A "кофта" can be a thinner longsleeve top or a cardigan.

On the other hand, some of my friends use the word "худи" where I’d say толстовка, for example. They like that word better for some reason.

When the word "свитшот" first appeared in Russian, it had a meaning of a fancy "кофта" (long sleeves), with some prints and a thicker fabric. For me, it still means that. I haven’t heard it in a while, actually.

"Пуловер" feels like every possible piece of clothing, provided it has long sleeves🥲 I have no exact idea of what it should look like.