Christmas Jumpers

The kitsch style of Christmas jumpers is a must have these days for fashionistas and celebrities alike. They might be knitted with reindeer , snowflakes or even a cheerful Father Christmas.Knitted from a variety of festive coloured yarns , they look as though they are being worn to please a kindly but sartorially clueless grandmother.Once upon a time any young adult would have been horrified to open their wrapping paper and find they had been given such a garment. But somehow the Christmas jumper has become not just acceptable but cool. The gaudier the better.Celebrities as diverse as Kanye West, Cheryl Cole, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Matt Damon, Samantha Cameron,Stacey Solomon and Snoop Dogg have all been pictured in differing woolly versions on the Christmas jumpers theme.Back in the nineties when Bridget Jones met Mark Darcy in the hit film, Bridget Jones Diary, she was horrified to find he was wearing a Christmas jumper. But the character played by Colin Firth was actually ahead of his time when it comes to fashion - as he would now be regarded as a sex symbol thanks to his choice of a seasonal sweater.According to new research, the once embarrassing christmas jumper is now amazingly seen as sexy! More than a third of all men and women ,35 percent, agree that the once unwanted gift from grandparents is now a smart outfit choice. Christmas jumpers have surged in popularity during the last festive season with millions being purchased across the UK. So much that forty-one per cent of the nation now own one.For most people in the UK, the arresting visual impact of the Christmas jumper first registered when Renee Zellwegers protagonist of the 2001 film Bridget Jones Diary was introduced to her suitor, Colin Firth as Mark Darcy, when he wore a roll neck affair adorned with a giant reindeer head.At the same time in North America, the trend was already getting well under way. Ugly Christmas sweater parties are thought to have first been held by students in Vancouver around the turn of the millennium.The craze quickly spread across the continent. Undergraduates would scour their parents wardrobes and secondhand clothes shops looking for the most hideous festive tops they could find.But somewhere along the line the Christmas jumper phenomenon ceased to be about looking as dreadful as possible - a sort of yuletide version of Halloween, and became something that esteemed fashion designers and High Street shoppers alike could buy into.Tony Lappin from Foxs Christmas Puddings said the British love affair with christmas jumpers is a great way to raise much needed funds for charity, as well as raising the wearers sex appeal.He said, A great sense of humour is always attractive and it is fantastic to see that the nation has finally put aside its embarrassment of festive knitwear and embraced quirky Christmas jumper wearing.The Christmas jumper, like the Christmas Pudding, is a great British tradition that we are proud to be celebrating.