The trend of the ugly Christmas sweater, started in the early eighties. The eighties: a time of many other fashion disasters. It’s the one decade we need to erase from history. However, in the 80s, people loved these things. It’s all about perspective, right? As people have developed a slight sense of style, and have embraced how ridiculous they all looked back then, we all can laugh at the ugly sweaters, can’t we?
What defines a sweater as an “ugly Christmas sweater?” Let’s see…..
- Perhaps the fuzzy Santas with pom pom noses?
- How about the woven elves with jingle bells?
Truth be told, both designs are the definition of an ugly sweater! The unfortunate part of the ugly sweater: it took a couple of decades before the ugly Christmas sweater concept faded into nostalgia, primed for reincarnation as a tongue in cheek trend.
Have you ever wondered why people in today’s world – people who are hyper conscious about appearance, and looks, continue to wear ugly, tacky sweaters? People who would never wear something from last month’s winter collection, showing up at parties sporting an ugly AF sweater? Well, the reason being, it’s a way to let loose! These slaves to fashion can spend one night not worrying about society’s deleterious comments, and live freely in their ugly sweater, surrounded by others in their ugly Christmas sweaters.
Isn’t it freeing to wear the ugliest sweater in the closet, and not care about appearances, if only for one night? When everyone wears those ugly Christmas sweaters, there’s nobody to judge you, and there are competitions to see who can wear the ugliest sweater! It’s all about the fun of it, rather than the fashion of it.
So how does one work an ugly sweater in the best way possible? So glad you asked!
Styling your ugly Christmas sweater
Guest writer, Christine Rudolph, shares some helpful tips to help you achieve absolute radiance while wearing your ugly fashion sweater.
Jeans
Jeans blend in with anything, and work well with everything. With the right color combination, jeans complement the ugly Christmas sweater.
Track Pants and Sneakers
Track pants, and sneakers, help to give you an athletic look. They’re both comfortable. Even better? Both help an ugly Christmas sweater even worse, which will solidify winning any ugly Christmas sweater contest you enter. Sneakers complete the look; consider it as a cherry on top of a cake. Or a pom pom on the top of the sweater.
Customizing your sweater
Customize your sweater to add more flare, and color, to it to make it look more appealing. You could add custom patches on it! Perhaps you want to add bells on it, or extra lacing, to make it stand out. Alter it in any way you want, even if it’s the most ridiculous thing, remember the point of this is to let loose, and live freely. So the more hideous it is, the better.
Skirt and Criss-cross flats
Skirts, and flats, sort of steal all the attention, and lime light, from that ugly sweater. So if you’re new to letting loose, and still can’t give up all fashion, rest assured, the ugliness of the sweater will be sort of camouflaged by the skirt, so the overall look, will ease your mind.
Other accessories
Wearing a pair of sunglasses with a funky cap, or cool scarf, may divert attention away from the ugly sweater. Plus, sweaters go really well with scarves, as they complement each other, bringing together your whole winter look.
For the ladies, a pair of groovy chains, and bracelets, will work really well, too. It should give a cute overall look for parties, and hangouts.
Having a good sense of creativity is really what you need in order to be able to work with the most horrendous of styles, because we all know the ugly sweater is just one of many horrible 80s fashion missteps, and turn it into something tasteful. Ugly sweater parties started out a while back, and no one could have predicted them to be as funky a trend as they are today. People actually go out and buy ugly sweaters because it’s part of the holiday spirit. Crazy enough, there’s plenty of people pulling out their old stuff from the 80s, and never have to enter a store to buy an ugly Christmas sweater. What a world, what a world!
About the Writer: Christine Rudolph is a passionate fashion blogger who loves to write about prevailing trends. She is featured author at various blogs. Follow @RudolphBlogger for more updates.
