Fashion Dare: The Christmas Sweater

By Chris Frey
December 22, 2009

I proposed a “Fashion Dare” story to Inside Source Editorial Director, Meredith Barnett, and she faithfully entrusted me to the task. I promised to search the almost 2,200 auctions listed under the often-ridiculed moniker of “Christmas Sweater” and find wearable, even fashionable options. (I cockily assured her this was possible.) Upon further investigation, I discovered that nearly half of those auctions display the word "tacky" or "ugly" in the title listing—and rightfully so, I might add. I clicked through page after page, hoping for just one almost tasteful sweater, but I could not, with good fashion conscious, recommend any, not a one. Unless you are an ironically dressed hipster, a toddler, my Aunt Bette (who wouldn’t be the same without her jingle bell cardigan), it’s a tall order to pull off this particular look. Throughout the holiday seasons of my childhood, I recall wearing red and green velvet, a little fur trim here or there, black patent footwear and tons of seasonal plaids. It wasn’t until the '80s, the decade that celebrated air brushing, fabric puff paint and glitter glue that I remember the appearance of every imaginable holiday icon appliquéd to every imaginable surface, from sweat pants to cashmere. Like the '80s, the mantra certainly seems to be "the more the merrier" when it comes to the Christmas sweater. As Aunt Bette and her pack can attest, who needs a plain red sweater when you can embellish yours with a Mickey Mouse Santa front and center, a glittery doe-eyed reindeer peeking over your shoulder or an entire strand of Christmas lights wrapping around your sleeves like grapevines, or even better, all three together?

Ok, so while I won't be embracing this particular look, for me, the holidays are an excuse to break away from my usual uniform of black and denim and incorporate in a little color, a little sparkle, a little shine. For my eBay search, I took the liberty of moving away "Christmas Sweater" and simply used terms that were geographically close to the North Pole: Eskimo, Norwegian, Nordic, Mongolian, Inuit. And while not officially “Christmas Sweaters,” the stylish holiday offerings that I found are actually closer to Santa and his Elves than you would think.

1. Sigerson Morrison Silver Ankle Boots (buy it now price, $99.99) Subtly elf-ish boots, without a curly toe in sight.

2. Lamb Fur Vest (buy it now price, $275) The Mongolian fur and wide black belt lend you some rock-star cred, while secretly channeling Santa.

3. Vintage Gold Bell Charm (buy it now price, $129.99) I love the idea of collecting lots of these tiny antique bells to add to a long chain.

4. Velvet Tuxedo Pants (buy it now price $89.99) Velvet pants don't have to have Santas embroidered all over them to be festive.

1. Sheepskin Mittens (buy it now price, $34.99) Gorgeous fur mittens look luxurious and keep you toasty.

2. Frye Engineer Boots (buy it now price, $159.99) Turns out Santa’s boots are strikingly similar to Frye’s classic Engineer style. You can always insist you’re merely paying homage to this Fall’s biker trend

3. Wool Cape (buy it now price, $99.99) A distant cousin to the Christmas sweater, this wool cape feels elegant and a bit less obvious.

4. Ferragamo Gold Sequin Skirt (starting bid, $49) Put the green and red tights away; there’s plenty of holiday cheer without them in this shimmery sequin skirt.

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