Your Christmas Jumper Questions Answered!

No-Sweat Solutions: Your Christmas Sweater FAQ Answered!

Q When can I wear a Christmas jumper?

A Like putting up the Christmas tree, when is early too early? It would be a waste of a garment if we only ever wore them on Christmas Jumper Day, so any time from 1st December or even Advent Sunday seems legitimate to me. If you're taking part in an event (perhaps a Christmas fair) before December it could easily be deemed seasonal (and draughty-church-hall-appropriate!). And if you love them, why not wear them until Twelfth Night?

Q When can I wear a Christmas jumper?

A Like putting up the Christmas tree, when is early too early? It would be a waste of a garment if we only ever wore them on Christmas Jumper Day, so any time from 1st December or even Advent Sunday seems legitimate to me. If you're taking part in an event (perhaps a Christmas fair) before December it could easily be deemed seasonal (and draughty-church-hall-appropriate!). And if you love them, why not wear them until Twelfth Night?

Q What do I wear with a Christmas jumper?

A If you're only wearing your Christmas jumper on Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day itself, this is likely to be part of a general dress-down code even if you're wearing it to the office. Don't over think it and pair yours with jeans. If you're wanting to get the most out of yours though (those 30 wears), anything goes really! Still wearing with jeans, you can opt for your best pair, some heeled boots and a smarter jacket or coat. 

Q How do I avoid wearing one but still look festive?

A As a stylist, I'm an advocate for dressing with joy and authenticity.  If the Christmas Jumper just isn't your thing, you can still get the festive vibe. 

Opt for colours associated with Christmas, like red or green or add some sophisticated metallics to your outfit. A red coat, a green jumper, a gold belt or some silver footwear is all you need.

The Christmas jumpers sold by some environmentally-conscious brands aren't Christmas specific, meaning you're much more likely to rewear for longer. Joanie, for instance, sells a LENZING™ ECOVERO™ Fair Isle cardigan and Nobody's Child a selection of Fair Isle knits. 

Q I still need to look professional. Can I wear a Christmas jumper?

A You could of course (as above) dress for the season without a Christmas jumper with festive colours or a Fair Isle knit. Alternatively, avoid slogan and cartoon features and wear yours with smarter separates. Minimise the casual by popping your work blazer over a thinner jumper or Christmas t-shirt, or go for a layerered look so you can join in with colleagues for the Christmas buffet but cover up when you pop out to meet a client. 

'Scope' Out a Preloved Jumper

You may well ask whether we really need a day devoted to an item of clothing especially one with the kitsch 'marmite' appeal of the Christmas jumper. Christmas Jumper Day, however, is for the season of giving. Initiated by charity Save the Children, its primary aim is for workplaces, social groups and educational institutions to raise money for charity.

National but local 

A stone's throw from transformEd styling by Charlotte is the west Hull village of Anlaby which boasts three charity shops in the village centre in addition to two more at the nearby Anlaby Retail Park. Last week, I popped into the Scope charity shop for a chat, to take some photos ... and I may just have made a couple of festive purchases!

Scope campaigns to change attitudes towards disability and to create an equal future for disabled people. Buying in person from a charity shop helps you shop as part of a more sustainable, circular model and enables you to support a national (or international) charity whilst supporting a local shop.

Countdown to Christmas

Like other charity shops, the Scope shop in Anlaby has a display of festive outfits including the ubiquitous Christmas jumper, along with rails in the shop devoted to Christmas jumpers, festive t-shirts and even seasonal baby wear and aprons. Christmas jumpers are donated and accepted all year round so if you want to pass yours on, don't store it away thinking you'll remember ahead of Advent 2026 as you can bring them in at any point in the year.

No sooner are staff and volunteers in Anlaby's Scope packing away the pumpkins from Halloween than they're decking the displays with donations of party wear. A couple of weeks into November and you'll start to see dedicated rails of Christmas jumpers and other festive clothing items. 

Everybody's having fun?

So who's buying the Christmas jumpers? Scope, Anlaby, is a one-stop shop for all the family. You'll be buying sustainably and affordably, supporting a good cause and saving potential embarrassment at work or school as the only one in pinstripes or school uniform on Christmas Jumper Day. Whether it's t-shirts, ties, shirts or jumpers, shops like Scope in Anlaby tend to receive fewer donations of men's clothing for Christmas as well as for general wear throughout the year.  If you have any menswear or gender-neutral clothing going unworn, do consider donating.

What's in store for you?

Below, I've picked out a few pieces when I was in Anlaby's Scope.

If you're wearing a Christmas jumper, you may as well go with the flow and lean into its goofy appeal with cartoon images and cheesy slogans. 

Alternatively, bring a little more class with more classic colours and a style that's in keeping with this year's heritage trend (thank you, Traitors!). 

Or you can choose a jumper in red - the ultimate Christmas colour - to keep you as toasty-warm as a mug of mulled wine. You can no longer buy this particular jumper though as - along with a Christmas apron - I bought it on my visit to Scope!

Worn for far fewer days of the year than most of our clothing, it's a planet-friendly no-brainer to buy these garments preloved. The same applies to the sparkle of sequin party dresses. As Ellen from Scope pointed out, sequins pose problems for the planet, with plastic sequins cast off post-party-season ending up in landfill where they won't biodegrade. But thanks to the stock of the Scope shop, you can still sparkle in style with a range of donated party-ready dresses to see you through until New Year and beyond.

In addition to donations, the Scope charity shop in Anlaby is always looking for volunteers. Pop in for a chat if you could give your time.

This blog post is taken from my free weekly transformEd style magazine. You can subscribe via the link below.

Sign up here

Click here to take a look at my other blog posts.