Accessories shopping is really one of my retail joys. I can appreciate the perfect black dress or pair of jeans and am glad to find them but it's the little touches that I adore: shoes, jewellery, hosiery- the whole lot.
Autumn brings the opportunity to shop for gloves and to call this shopping necessity.
The apple hasn't fallen far from the tree with me and my Mother has a similar fondness for all things accessories (all things lovely really). I vividly remember the wonder with which I would open her glove drawer as a child. The draw was part of a white wooden bedroom suite with gold coloured edging and handles- that sort of barbie/ versailles look that seems to have been so popular circa 1970 something.
Inside were gloves in virtually every colour, kept in perfectly sized clear plastic bags. There were many black leather gloves and some other sensible darker colours, browns, navys and greens. It was the sherbet coloured gloves that I always gazed at and tried on as a child. My favourite were the bubblegum pink, the primrose and of course her wedding gloves (I know I know who knew such a thing existed- they were white matte silk in case you are wondering).
Sometimes I really do long to jump in a tardis and go back sixty years or so to a time when everyone wore good gloves if they could- and you could buy these little hand warming works of art in any colour you could name.
When I want to step back in time I go to the Burlington Arcade and wander up, sometimes with a macaroon or two from Laduree, taking in all the beautiful shops.
It's fitting then that it was on the Burlington Arcade I found out about
Sermoneta gloves. These gloves are modern and have a sense of fun but they are the real thing and the craftsmanship looks to be of the standard of days gone by.
I have not treated myself to a pair of their gloves yet but I have decided as soon as it gets cold enough I will treat myself to some to add to my collection (which by the way is mostly made up of beautiful gloves from Dents who I wouldn't want not to mention in a post about gloves- before I saw Sermoneta their gloves were the only ones I ever looked at with lust).
Burlington Arcade, Laduree, Sermoneta... I wouldn't be surprised if we had crossed paths already, unknowingly. Next time I go there I will look out for a dark haired beauty dressed in something 'chartreuse'.
ReplyDeleteGloves. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteI do love gloves!
I just found some wonderful Fair Isle gloved at Thistle and Broom. Hand-knit by Scots, as they should be. I must have a pair!
I love these gloves... I only wear gloves when I visit London (never need them in California) but whenever I go I do try to have stylish ones. This year I am bringing leather quilted gloves with me... so chic and warm. xo
ReplyDeleteI;ve found some wonderful unworn mint 50s gloves on ebay before. If you know your glove size - I am an 8, for example, then it's def worth the trawl. LLGxx
ReplyDeleteLovely gloves you've chosen. I've never thought about it but now I do I can see the attraction in having multiple lovely gloves. And I shall keep an eye out for Sermoneta too...
ReplyDeleteI've got a really bad habit of impulse hat/glove shopping, but I'm still amazed that my mum's carefully-preserved collection are in such good condition. Can totally relate to poking around in wonderment in the glove/scarf/hat drawer. xx
ReplyDeleteHi MM- it's true we probably have walked past each other! Isn't Burlington Arcade like a 100 step holiday to a bygone era- in a good way.
ReplyDeleteHi Pamela- those do sound very good!
Hi LLG- that's a great idea- why don't I think of e-bay for everything! I do know my size, as every lady should! I am a 7.5 or 8- Rose wanders off to e-bay...
Hi Marie- aha I have opened your eyes to a whole new world of shopping- they are a fairly reasonable way of having different looks in the winter and I always think a colourful pair look very chic and interesting.
Hi Top Bird- our Mother's sound like they were similarly well organised. I'm not sure why but the glove drawer was almost as exciting to me as the jewellery box as a child x
I know someone who is involved with Burlington Arcade. I might be able to get you a discount, so email me before you buy anything in Sermoneta.
ReplyDeleteI promise this isn't spam!
Ah, gloves. I have been fascinated by them nearly forever; throughout my childhood, I loved to look at a picture that reminded me I did have a pair and wear them, once, to a special occasion.
ReplyDeleteIn my adulthood I purchased some vintage pairs, ostensibly for my wedding, but ultimately for fun. Long black opera gloves, too. While none of my relatives kept dress gloves for current use as I grew up, I loved to hear the story about the one great-grandmother who never went out without gloves, hat, and cane. (This in a modest town in the midle of the woods, mind you.)
On the utilitarian side, my hands would never survive our winters without gloves...once the air drops to a certain temperature, my hands run the risk of splitting in painful ways.
Thanks be to gloves, for their beauty, their function...and, of course, their role in the history of perfume. ;) Enjoy yours, with or without the use of a Tardis.
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ReplyDeleteMr London Street- are you my Fairy Godfather?! How lovely! I will e-mail you.
ReplyDeleteHi Scentscelf- what a lovely comment. I'm really pleased and interested to see how dear gloves are to everyone- it's always so nice when it isn't just you isn't it! You are right not only are they beautiful but they defend our hands from the ravages of winter- and are therefore absolutely essential- in all kinds of colours and fabrics!