The Guide to Christmas Sweaters

For many people around the world, Christmas sweaters have become as much part of the winter holidays as Christmas trees or Santa Claus.

Because we are fans of fun fashion and of finding diverse ways to express any given theme, we are going to look at the different ways in which you can sport a Christmas sweater this season.

Discover the three main types of Christmas sweaters in this Attire Club style guide:

Subtle and elegant

If you want to say “Christmas cheer” through your look, but not do it in a direct or childlike way, you can wear a subtle and elegant Christmas sweater. Basically, what you need to look for is obviously a sweater with a good cut, that is made from a good fabric such as wool and that features subtle holiday motifs and colors. A subtle motif can be described as a design element that takes a certain specific visual cue, such as a snow flake, a reindeer or a Christmas tree (in the case of Christmas) and, through design processing transforms it into an almost or completely abstract image.

The same goes for colors: bright and deep red and green might be the official Christmas colors, but you can look for something that plays with variations of these colors as well as of other festive colors, such as gold or silver. Also, classic winter colors, such as blue and antique white can also work well for Christmas.

Funny

Because Christmas is a holiday that is very cheerful, it is definitely appropriate to wear a funny Christmas sweater, but only in a casual setting, of course. Now, the problem with funny sweaters, t-shirts and casual clothes in general is to determine whether they are really funny or not. In other words, some people consider certain things to be funny, when in fact they might turn out to be offensive. Now, if you want to check the fun level of your sweater, you should probably not go ahead and ask the most offended person out there, but not appeal to the other extreme either. Keep it funny in a cheerful way, don’t wear a sweater that makes fun of anyone and you are good to go.

“Ugly” Christmas Sweaters

One of the very few things that generally get a style pass from us are the sweaters known in pop culture as “ugly” Christmas sweaters. Oversized, over-decorated, exaggerated sweaters might not be the most aesthetically pleasing thing in the world, but they are usually made and, more importantly, worn with such joy, that it doesn’t really matter how they look. Their meta-information is in this case way more important than their tautological aesthetic.

So, when it comes to Christmas sweaters, unless you’re being highly vulgar, hateful or in bad taste in any way, anything goes. In theory, there is no such thing as a bad Christmas sweater.

When it comes to festive wear, it’s not all about tuxedos and sharp suits. Of course, those should be worn on occasions that require them, but a festive mood can be conveyed in casual settings through casual clothing as well.

Christmas sweaters are one of those things that can be interpreted in many ways, as you could see above, and that are hard to do wrong. Our only advice is not to wear them too much; you don’t want to get stuck in them.

Fraquoh and Franchomme

P.S. We want to hear from you! Do you like Christmas sweaters? What has been your best Christmas sweater? What type do you prefer to wear or to see? Share your feedback, questions or thoughts in the comments below! For more articles on style, fashion tips and cultural insights, you can subscribe to Attire Club via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!