A Compleat Wardrobe of Gloves

While the days when a lady was considered insufficiently dressed if she went out without gloves on are, happily, no more, we have perhaps gone a little too far the other way.  Gloves are given no consideration at all, and this is, I feel, a loss and a mistake. One does not always wish to have naked hands.
Here, then, is a guide to forming a complete (or compleat, if you prefer) wardrobe of gloves.

The most basic glove, the glove par excellence (unless you live in a tropical clime), is the winter glove. The primary purpose of this generally knitted glove is to provide warmth to the hands, so for pity’s sake don’t lose your head and buy a pair of polyester or acrylic ones, just because they’re entertaining. Lack of breathability does not constitute warmth. My basic pair are brown, and of slightly different sizes, but they are Just Right nonetheless.

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Dressed for the Shops

Illustrated front cover from The Queenslander, November 21, 1935 (4388312153)
When I see old movies with women in floor-length dressing gowns, or when they’re going to the store and they’ve got a pillbox hat with a net over the eyes and white gloves, I’m offended that I can’t go to the store like that.
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Wardrobe Architect 8: Hair, Makeup, & Beauty

Hair, makeup, and beauty are a bit of an odd topic for me, I must admit. For one thing, I don’t wear makeup. And while I do have hair, it’s pretty well always under a kerchief (unless I haven’t got dressed yet). Mind you, the hair has still been changing, it’s just that no one saw it but me and the Caped Gooseberry.

Model in head wrap
Some years ago I had a sudden change in the length of my hair, from long enough to sit on, to short. But while it was fun for a while (I even stopped wearing kerchiefs all the time for a bit), it was quite high-maintenance compared to long hair, to my surprise. The reason being that I hate having hair in my face or on my neck, and short hair needs frequent trims to ensure this remains the case.

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