On the Fifth Day of Christmas Sweaters...

On the Fifth Day of Christmas Sweaters,

The Eighties gave to me--

A classy Christmas tree!

A sequin Santa Claus...

...beaded holly leaves...

...knit poinsettias...

...and a white, beaded icicle frieze!

This sweater, apart from being the classiest Christmas sweater I own, is a great lesson in how the idea of fit has evolved.  As with most of my sweaters, it looks oversized, mostly because of the placement of the shoulder seam, which hits the upper arm rather than the shoulder itself.  But upon closer inspection:

The sleeves are the correct length,

And the shoulder pads hit the actual shoulder.

All signs point to this being the correct size, with an intentionally oversized "look."  It's the first time, in fact, that I've found a sweater like this, though it obviously can't be the only one of its kind.  I'm really happy to be able to keep the shoulder pads in--whereas normally, shoulder pads tend to lift the sweater in a manner that shortens my neck, I think here, they give good support to the garment, as well as a little structure, which I appreciate.

The details on this piece are wonderful, with an embroidered pair of bells (and acorns!) on one shoulder--

As well as really intricate embroidery of the tree itself--

And a row of tiny Christmas trees along the bottom, with little beads for ornaments.

Basically, it's fantastic.

Unfortunately, its previous owner didn't seem to think it was all that great-- you can see a few small stains on the right sleeve that I believe are from hair dye, which means it was relegated to the "I Don't Care If This Is Destroyed" bin.  There were actually a lot more marks, but thanks to the miracle of OxiClean (seriously, it's a miracle product), this is the only mark left, and I think with another bath, it'll come out.  And even if it doesn't, this poor, lovely sweater has a home with someone who appreciates it!

Have you ever found an amazing piece that had clearly been unappreciated by its previous owner?