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The black Christmas jumper is for the person who maintains, loudly and every year, that they do not do Christmas jumpers. Then December arrives, and here they are, in a black knit with one tasteful snowflake on it, having a lovely time. We see you. We are delighted.
It is the most useful colour in the whole category, because it is the one that works outside December. A black knit with a small festive motif reads as Christmassy at the party and as an ordinary jumper on the walk home, which no amount of pillar-box red will ever manage. It also takes sequins and metallic thread better than any other base – silver or gold on black has proper contrast, where the same stitching on a pale knit just disappears.
Black is the natural home of the subtle Christmas jumper: single motifs, fine gauge knits, monochrome Fair Isle, slogans in plain type rather than cartoon lettering. Practically, it hides spilled red wine and gravy, which over the course of a long day is not a small thing. The one thing to watch is bobbling – black shows pill and lint more than any other colour, so give it a cool wash and keep it away from anything fluffy.
