How to Find the Perfect Ugly Christmas Sweater

It’s that time of year again. One of the few occasions you can binge eat without guilt (see our guides on Christmas dining in Beijing here and here), get merrily drunk with loved ones and, of course, wear an ugly sweater and be celebrated for it.

But you can’t just throw on any ugly sweater. As always you must keep in mind a few choice rules.

First and foremost, make sure it’s comfy. Why wear something ugly that's not also gratifying to the touch?

Second, don't go too snug as to prevent you from getting your fill of hams, egg nog and whatever other Christmas delights are lying around.

Third, you get extra points for incorporating red and/or green, but remember, it's not crucial. White and blue can be just as festive, as can gray and yellow. It's the print that is most important (snowflakes, reindeer, etc).

We suggest you trawl the streets of Gulou Dongdajie (we'd recommend Mega Mega Vintage, Tiger Vintage and Vintage Style) to get the pick of the litter – sweaters from decades past tend to have more character. But if you're not willing to go that ugly, you can pick up some "safer" and more modern versions from your local fast-fashion joints (or e-commerce sites). We've piled together a few of our favorites below.

Pull and Bear, with its more youthful and playful collections, is a good place to start.

Zara, while more toned down than its sister store (above), is another obvious choice.

Shopbop.com offers more stylish (albeit expensive) alternatives.

Taobao has slim pickings, but we were able to find this awesome turtleneck – Christmas tree, reindeer and all.

Topman (now available at FEI Space) has even created a "Christmas Shop" category, full of perfectly tacky Christmas knits.

The always dependable Uniqlo turned out a similar version for women.

And finally, if all those aren't inspiration enough, take a cue from these handsome fellas below.

Photos: Shopbop.com, Starpulse.com, TheDailyBeast.com, Pull and Bear, Topman, Zara