(Half) Hand in Glove

Gloves by Leibo Hate, top by Anthropologie, vintage hat

Last Sunday after I finished my marketing, I wandered down a sidestreet by the Queen Victoria market, peering into the windows of the new little designer shops that have sprung up there in the last year or so. There was a new one that sold vintage. I proposed to while away a little time before I wandered home.

There was a lovely navy maxi-dress in the best Margo Leadbetter style (played by Penelope Keith in The Good Life) all covered over with stars; regretfully it was on hold for someone else. I moved on. On a shelf I spied a little pair of – half-gloves? I made an beeline for them and tried them on in delight. I had never seen such a charming concoction and was instantly enchanted. I hardly need add that I elected to purchase them, do I?

Carrie Bradshaw wearing half gloves in ‘Sex & the City’Later on I discovered that they were made famous long ago by Carrie Bradshaw. They must have slipped my notice at the time; after all, they are such dainty little things it would be easy. I then searched online and apart from an expensive Italian website, found them available to purchase on eBay. Though I much prefer my buff-coloured pair (subtle to the point of invisibility) to the rather crudely bright hues in the latter marketplace.

What’s particularly appealing about them is the fact that while gloves today are no longer part of every woman’s daily wardrobe, and are worn chiefly in winter for the express purpose of keeping one’s hands warm, these half-gloves are deliciously impractical. That’s the beauty of fashion.