In the 1920s, Edward, Prince of Wales, played golf in a Fair Isle jumper, and a knitting tradition from a tiny Shetland island turned into a craze. The jumper was actually made in Shetland, and a portrait by John St Helier Lander fixed the look in memory. Every autumn I think about that when I shop Christmas sweaters for women, because the best ones still borrow that colorwork. I went deeper on a related idea in What Do Women Wear to Golf Tournaments?.

 

The joke version has its own short history. Mark Darcy wore a reindeer jumper in Bridget Jones's Diary in 2001, and the first ugly sweater party was held in Vancouver the following year. National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day falls on the third Friday of December, which is December 18 this year. I would rather wear the original idea: bands of small geometric motifs, traditionally no more than two colors in any one row, knit in the round with the armholes cut open afterward.

 

Start with the eight Fair Isle sweaters here. The Elva mock neck from Joe's is olive with a tan and brown yoke, and it is the one I would put under a camel coat. The Boden Mae is cobalt blue with white and yellow bands, the brightest option in the set. For softer days there is the Seasalt Cornwall Gurnard's Head in a lambswool blend, oatmeal with green, cream and navy, and the Faherty Apres in brown and cream with an alpaca blend. The brushed black cashmere crewneck with a cream yoke and the AQUA crewneck in oatmeal and gray both go with jeans and boots, and the cream and black Lilysilk crewneck reads crisp over a collared shirt.

 

One test before you buy: turn the sweater inside out. The strands carried behind the pattern should lie flat and not pull the fabric into puckers.

Sequins on knitwear have a different job from sequins on a dress. The sweater keeps the sparkle casual, which is how Christmas sweaters for women used to work in the 1940s, when they were sold as jingle bell sweaters and designed to look joyful, not loud. This group is the modern, dressed-up cousin.

 

The CeCe red mock neck is the clearest party piece, with sheer sequin-covered balloon sleeves that do the talking so you can wear it with plain black trousers. The Yumi relaxed knit in forest green has a gold sequin fade across the chest, which I would reach for with a denim skirt and boots. The Cinq à Sept Briana is a black pullover covered in paillette sequins, and it wants a simple satin skirt and nothing else. For quieter shine, the Beach Riot Callie is black knit with glittering metallic thread, and the Elie Tahari Isabel is a black scoop neck with a crystal beaded neckline. The Alice + Olivia Carolee scatters jeweled bits over black wool blend, the Endless Rose crewneck is pale pink sequins all over, and the Phase Eight Cristine is burgundy with sequin detail.

 

At the fitting room, lift your arm and sit down. Sequins should not catch on the underarm seam, and the neckline should not scratch. Check the inside, too: a soft lining or smooth backing makes a long evening easier.

 

What I would skip: a heavily sequined sweater under a structured blazer with metal buttons, which can snag the surface.

Mark Darcy's reindeer jumper had to look home-knit, as if his mother had made it, according to the film's director. A bow does the same job in a nicer way: it looks personal, like a gift that came with the sweater. This is the group for that idea.

 

Red is the obvious color for a bow sweater and still the right one. The Yumi sequinned bow neckline is a red crewneck with a black sequin bow across the front and down the sleeves. The CeCe Eyelash Bow is red with a large black intarsia bow, and the CeCe Bow Crewneck is gray with scattered black velvet bows. If red is too much, the English Factory is butter yellow with a rhinestone bow outline, and the Petal & Pup Isiora is cream with black 3D embroidered ribbon bows. The Beach Riot Jolene is black with gold sequin bows, the Chinti & Parker is a black wool-cashmere crewneck with an embellished bow, and the Yumi in burgundy has a sequin ribbon bow.

 

Wear one with straight dark jeans and flat boots so the bow stays the only decoration. Before you buy, press the embellishment with your fingers: it should lie flat and feel stitched down, not glued on, and a rhinestone bow should not rub against your collarbone.

 

What I would skip: layering a bow sweater under a scarf with fringe, which hides the very thing you chose it for.

The ugly sweater party started small, with two friends in Vancouver in 2002, and it grew into a December tradition. This group takes the motifs from that world, the reindeer, trees, candy canes and stars, and trims the volume down to something a grown woman wears to lunch.

 

The Beach Riot Callie reindeer sweater is oatmeal cotton with reindeer and Christmas trees, the most playful of the eight. The pink Callie holiday sweater has embellished candy cane motifs. The two Chinti & Parker wool-cashmere sweaters are the polished ones: red and cream with a Merry Fair Isle yoke, and green with a star-topped tree. The English Factory Townhouse is blue with a winter townhouse and snowflake motif. For stars, the Yumi has gold sequin stars on cream sleeves, and another Yumi in navy is a fluffy knit with a silver star on the front. The Ralph Lauren turtleneck is black wool blend with cream snowflake intarsia, and I would wear that one to a dinner.

 

Pair a motif sweater with solid, quiet pieces: black trousers, a plain skirt, simple boots. One loud thing per outfit is plenty. Check the intarsia from the inside as well, because the motif should not feel stiff or heavy around the hem.

 

What I would skip: a motif sweater with tinsel, lights or pom-poms on the same day. Pick one idea and let it carry the look.

The Scottish National Antarctic Expedition of 1902 to 1904 ordered around 100 sweaters from the island's knitters, roughly 40 of them at the time, so the pattern has worked hard for a long time. The cardigan is its friendliest form, and you can wear it open over a dress for dinner or buttoned up with trousers.

 

For the Fair Isle versions, the Favorite Daughter Snowed In is cream with a Fair Isle yoke in a merino and cashmere blend. The Splendid Fina is gray with a button front, the Joe's Inga is brown and the Ralph Lauren is black and cream in wool blend. For sparkle, the AQUA cardigan has a rhinestone pearl collar in black, and the Maje Mowill is navy jacquard with sequins and gold buttons. Two have bows: the Boden Ria is light blue with a sequin bow, and the AK Anne Klein is red with jeweled bow buttons.

 

Test the buttons: they should close easily without gaping at the bust and the band should lie flat. Wear a pearl or jeweled cardigan over a white tee and a long skirt, and let the Fair Isle ones go over a slip dress with boots. Today the term Fair Isle is applied loosely to any stranded colorwork, so look for the small repeating bands, the real signature.

 

What I would skip: a Fair Isle cardigan layered over another busy pattern, because the yoke already does the work.

I would begin with the occasion. A long evening gets a sparkle knit, a family table gets a Fair Isle, and a gift swap gets a bow. Then I would check the knitwear from the inside, the underarm and the neckline, because comfort lasts longer than a good photo.

 

If I could only own one, it would be a Fair Isle crewneck in a color I already wear, since it works from now through February. The jewel and bow ones are for the weekends in between.

 

Edward just wanted something warm on a cold golf course. A hundred years later, I still think that is the right place to start.