4. They are easy to find: as I previously mentioned, a whole slew of styles will be (if they are not already) available in retail establishments across the country. But as you know, I always favor vintage, so my suggestion would be to check out your local thrift shops, vintage haunts, and flea markets. I recently found a dealer, Sharon Baluta, at the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market, selling a dizzying assortment of gloves in almost every length, fabric, and color (all in pristine condition and still in their plastic covers) ranging in price from a mere $8 to $75. And of course, don’t forget the web: vintage websites like Mid Century Chic on FashionDig are always worth checking out as well as Ebay, where I recently found Angel’s Bridal Shop selling 23 delicious colors of his 23 inch long stretch satin opera glove, for only $7.95 plus shipping. At that price, you can’t go wrong.
5. Which leads me to another point: gloves can be found very inexpensively. Unless you are buying a pair of couture made to order Daniel Storto gloves or the Prada crocodile version, they are probably not going to cost as much as a pair of boots or shoes, or a bag. In fact, I’ve found them for just dollars. And talk about a lot of look for the buck!
6. They are a great solution for what to do with sleeves on coats and jackets that you have always felt were a tad too short. Haven’t you bought an item (especially vintage) and somehow wished that the sleeve were longer? I know I have. If you were never confident about wearing that 50’s bracelet or ¾ length sleeved coat or jacket, gloves provide the ultimate solution: they were made for short sleeves- all the better to show them off.
7. They are a wonderful camouflage: do you dislike your arms (too thin, too fat) or your hands? Don’t fret if you have to expose them: a pair of gloves will hide any flaw or imperfection. Reportedly, Marlene Dietrich (or was that Greta Garbo?) hated her hands so she always wore gloves.
8. They are a quick and relatively inexpensive way to instantly ‘dress up’ an outfit. You can wear a relatively simple black sleeveless top with a pant, a sheath dress, or anything else, and by simply using an interesting glove, instant presto- it looks dramatic and festive.
9. It will save you the cost of that weekly manicure: chipped nails or imperfect cuticles will no longer require a time consuming and expensive trip to the nail salon. And just think: the next time you have a last minute nail emergency (i.e., you are planning to attend a luncheon, dinner, or even a formal black tie event, and your nails are not up to snuff. What to do? Reach into your glove drawer and select a pair of short or long gloves to complement your suit, cocktail dress, or long strapless (or sleeveless) formal.
10. What can I say? What more could you possibly ask of a fashion item? Oh, one more thing, you may find that you like wearing gloves so much, you may be tempted to go out and buy all new ¾ sleeved coats and jackets, or you may want to shorten the sleeves on many of your own. Keep this in mind: you don’t have to spend more money, or resort to surgery- all you have to do is push up your sleeves!
