An ugly trend: Stores get into craze of hideous holiday sweaters

Whether they're colorful, cute, gaudy or ironic, the festive Christmas sweater trend continues in Cape Girardeau.

And as "ugly sweater parties" are held by bars, businesses and at homes throughout the region and fill Facebook feeds all December, the demand for such items continues to rise.

Though some may label them as "ugly" the sweaters lining and leaving the shelves in area stores are not always so.

At Annie Laurie's antiques, it takes all kinds. Associate Gail Lowrance said most of the holiday garb in the store was made for the sincere seasonal celebrant. With holiday wishes, sleigh bells or reindeer festooning the sweaters, the sweaters clearly were created without irony. They were made for people who wear the love of the season on their sleeve, literally.

But on the second go-round of the Christmas garb, the intention of the buyer is often more silly.

A shopper walks down the hallway past a selection of holiday sweaters at Annie Laurie's in Cape Girardeau on Monday.Laura Simon

"We've had entire fraternities come through looking for ugly sweaters," Lowrance said.

Her shop has seen more than 200 sweaters go out the door this season.

"And now they're adding ugly socks, too," she said. "They wear the socks and go to the party [without shoes]."

The store has buyers charged with finding holiday-themed clothing, which they sell throughout November and December.

Though secondhand sweaters are popular, new styles of "ugly" sweaters are also popular in department stores.

Ashley Smith, a visual designer at Target, said the store is running low on stock, particularly in the women's section of the store.

"There may be some random sizes," Smith said, "but we're pretty much sold out."

Target carried sweaters designed with silliness in mind, from shirts with battery-powered lights to others with clever phrases.

But at Kohl's, sales associate Holly Mibkiff said much of what her store carries is for the sincere sweater shopper, though they also carry "ugly" sweaters.

"We definitely with our brands try to distinguish between what's ironic and what's the actual celebratory Christmas sweaters," Mibkiff said.

While Target's women's section is clearing out quickly, Mibkiff said in her shop, the men's clothes are selling quickly, particularly the "sarcastic" shirts based on popular movies such as "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation."

Smith surmised the popularity comes from a burgeoning trend from the 1990s. The sweaters her store carries are longer, and women can "wear with them with leggings."

Lowrance said the growing popularity of themed parties makes festive sweaters particularly popular these days.

Mibkiff said her store was in the middle of an "ugly sweater day" for its employees, and she was donning her own. Though hers was received as a gift, she appreciates the loud and bright holiday gear.

"We have men's ties that sing Christmas carols," she said. "I love them."

bbrown@semissourian.com

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