The Christmas jumper is a red herring. The most important jumper in your wardrobe is the January jumper, not the festive one. In January, knitwear is the fourth emergency service. This sounds melodramatic, but just imagine trying to get through January without jumpers. The thought of it makes me shiver.
The January jumper is a lifeline – your friend on a dark morning, your ally on a cold commute. The most important characteristic of it is, naturally, that it keeps you warm. This is the season for proper jumpers, so there is no place for a cropped hem or an openwork cobweb knit. A January jumper needs to be made of sturdy stuff, to keep body warmth in and draughts out, and leave minimal skin exposed. Those are the basics.
