Ah, the holiday sweater. It's ubiquitous this time of year. Women who would normally dress rather conservatively have been known to don a wild sweater bearing beading, sequins and doo-dads in honor of the holidays. The New York Times
examines
the big business of holiday sweaters and makes the argument that holiday sweaters contribute to our well-being.
Sometimes, in our hoity-toity haste to malign a tradition that is seen as perfectly normal in just about every part of the country west of the Hudson River, we forget the true meaning of Christmas - and, while we're at it, the true meaning of Christmas sweaters. We may not remember that there are real, sophisticated people coming up with ideas for these things at companies like Coldwater Creek, Talbots, Marisa Christina, Quacker Factory and Berek every year, not some committee of demented elves pulling subjects at random from Santa's bag of tricks - i.e., ice-skating penguins, fiber-optic candy canes, halls-decking bunnies and so on.
And we may not consider that there is an art, if not a science, behind the intarsia.
"I truly believe that when you walk into a store and see a holiday sweater on display, it should make you smile," said Ms. McConnell, who oversees a team of about 30 designers and the development of about 3,000 styles sold through more than 300 Coldwater Creek stores across the country, in addition to its catalog and online divisions.
Holiday sweaters represent only a fraction of the company's $1.2 billion in annual sales, about 60 styles altogether, but the new designs are an important reason why customers keep coming back to its stores each year.
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The most important thing to remember is to be surprising and new, which is not so easy in a fashion niche with a limited field of stock characters.
Holly wreaths are over. Mistletoe is so last year.
Ms. McConnell's enthusiasm for holiday sweaters knows no bounds, declaring that that they can be worn year round, which is certainly true -- that is, if you'd like your entire family to disown you.
We think that to be really hip, you should let your dog wear the Christmas sweater. Doesn't he look cute? This particular doggie sweater, the Casual Canine Twinkling Star Holiday Sweater, is available at Amazon.com for around $13.00. After all, he has to wear something when he goes out in the cold to do his business. Why not look festive? We, on the other hand, will be in all black.
Ah, the holiday sweater. It's ubiquitous this time of year. Women who would normally dress rather conservatively have been known to don a wild sweater bearing beading, sequins and doo-dads in honor of the holidays. The New York Times
