Colourful knit sweaters embossed with stitched snowmen, pom-pom-adorned Santas and jingly bells have become a seasonal wardrobe staple, and ugly-Christmas-sweater parties are all the rage. So, if you want to celebrate Christmas with the most festive sweater you can find, here are some places you can find truly ugly Christmas sweaters. Photo courtesy Holiday Rejects.
During the holiday season, this 17th Avenue Southwest vintage boutique converts half of its space into an ugly Christmas paradise. Featuring hundreds of knit sweaters, cardigans and vests, Used House of Vintage features one of the largest selections of vintage Christmas sweaters in the city. You can also take a do-it-yourself approach and customize your own ugly sweater: check out the store’s selection of non-Christmas sweaters and get crafty. The shop also carries elf shoes, reindeer-antler headbands and Santa hat-and-beard sets for cats.
This vintage and custom clothing store with locations in Kensington and on 17th Avenue Southwest carries hundreds of vintage sweaters and vests for the holiday season. Whether you’re looking for the tackiest pom-pom and jingle-bell-adorned sweater or a slightly less garish poinsettia-printed vest, you’ll probably find it at The Rocket. If you’re not a fan of sweaters, the store also carries holiday-themed crewneck pullovers featuring pop culture characters like Bart Simpson, Michael Jordan, E.T. and more.
A cult favorite among thrifters and vintage connoisseurs, Value Village is a budget-friendly place to score a well-loved ugly vintage Christmas sweater. Value Village is known to sell out of its Christmas sweaters well before Christmas Day. So, if you intend to score a sweet Value Village find, head on over sooner than later.
This international secondhand chain store is a go-to spot for anyone looking to find a unique vintage sweater. While locating a real zinger may require digging and searching, you may just find the ugly Christmas sweater of your dreams. If you’ve decided to part ways with some of your own ugly Christmas sweaters, you can drop them off at Goodwill, so they can find a new home for the holidays.
Calgary’s pin-up-girl fashion spot, Blame Betty on Second Street and 17th Avenue Southwest, specializes in vintage, retro, rockabilly and alternative fashions. You probably won’t find a run-of-the-mill ugly sweater here, but you will find a selection of vintage-style Hell Bunny Fair Isle reindeer sweaters. These fitted, vintage-inspired sweaters are a classier take on the Christmas sweater trend. But if you’re feeling particularly Scrooge-like, you can always pick up a “Nobody Cares” Killstar sweater to keep you cozy.
The Calgary Flames’ fan and memorabilia shops at the Saddledome, Calgary International Airport and North Hill Centre recently started carrying ugly Calgary Flames Christmas sweaters during the holiday season. If you’re a diehard Flames fan, you can show your team pride by donning a tacky, vintage-style Flames sweater. This year you can choose between a flaming C-embossed, red-knit sweater vest ($64), a black-and-red seasonal cardigan ($129.99) and two styles of knit pullovers ($79.99).
Every year, Northland Village mall hosts a seasonal, pop-up Holiday Rejects store. Founded by University of Calgary alumni Chris Cheng, Adil Hooda and Kyle Fitzgerald, Holiday Rejects is a shop solely dedicated to new and vintage ugly Christmas sweaters. The three Calgarians launched the company after appearing on the popular Dragon’s Den entrepreneurial television series. Featuring the largest selection of Christmas sweaters in Calgary, the boutique carries hundreds of new and vintage sweaters. If you want to take your ugly sweater up a notch, the store sells LED-battery-powered lights starting at $8.99.
Located within the Hudson’s Bay Company department store, UK multinational fashion brand Topshop carries several Christmas sweater styles throughout the holiday season. The company has picked up on the ugly Christmas sweater trend and began manufacturing them. Men can also score a sweater at the label’s men’s counterpart, Topman, which is also located within The Bay.
If you don’t want to commit to buying an ugly sweater, The Costume Shoppe offers sweater rentals. If you’re begrudgingly attending a sweater party, or you need a holiday sweater for a Christmas-themed family portrait, The Costume Shoppe allows you to rent a sweater for a day or two. The store also carries ugly Christmas sweaters for purchase (starting at $46.99), as well as a do-it-yourself sweater kit that includes six pin-on Christmas patches. Santa suits are also available for rental starting at a daily rate of $89.
If you’ve already scooped up an ugly Christmas sweater for yourself, why not let your furry friends in on the holiday fashion fun, too. This year, PetSmart is selling ugly Christmas sweaters for cats and dogs by brands such as Top Paw, Martha Stewart Pets and Bret Michaels Pets Rock. Sweaters for cats are $10.49 and sweaters for dogs start at $15.39. Whether you’re looking for a candy-cane-covered cozy or a deer-printed Fair Isle sweater, PetSmart has holiday duds for dogs and cats of all sizes.