A Few Words About Gloves...

I learned an important lesson about gloves in the wintertime not that long ago. The day after Christmas, I had to go to work. I left my fella’s house in a fuzzy sweatshirt and jeans, tennies and a light winter hat. Tres classy. That day, we had a blizzard and, that night, I had to close the shop at 10pm. By the time I made it to Penn Station, train service back to my honey’s house was suspended and, by the time I made it back to Brooklyn, all subway service was shut down. There were no buses, no cars, no trains and I was over a mile from home, at 1am, with no coat and no gloves. Obviously, I made it home and did not suffer any serious ramifications for my incomprehensible miscalculation. That is beside the point. The point is, I LEFT HOME WITHOUT MY GLOVES!

In the modern day, gloves are something we put on to keep our paws warm in the blustery and frigid winter weather. Back in the day, gloves were for everyday. Regardless of whether your final destination was the supermarket or the opera, you wore gloves. And a hat. And I think there is something to be said for making such a fuss over the smallest of errands. To be meticulous in one’s dress is to put thought into both one’s appearance and into the adventure on which one is about to embark. After all, if you are wearing gloves and a hat, you must be going somewhere important. Even the supermarket could be an adventure in gloves and a hat (and a dress, and stockings, and heels, of course)!

If there is anything I am not these days, it is meticulous in my appearance. I am clean and I try to keep warm. That is really all I accomplish. My Great Grandmother would be horrified if she saw some of the bulky jeans, t-shirt, sweatshirt, coat, LL Bean Boot concoctions I’ve whipped up this winter: so unflattering, so disheveled, no make-up, hair undone. Appalling, really. Not to say that I am alone or unusual in this. Nor do I think women should have to wear gloves and a hat when going out. But my theory is, if we make getting dressed in the morning more a ‘do, then perhaps errands and chores like going to the dry cleaners and the supermarket can be made to feel less like to-dos and more like adventures.

When feeling frumpy the other morning, trudging to work, I decided to write to my Grandma to see how she managed to look so very stylish and still stay warm when she was a single, working-gal in Chicago in the 1940s. Her response, when all was said and done, was that getting dressed was a pain, you had to wear a lot of layers and much wool and Stadium boots and, after all that, you were still cold. I don’t dig being cold, so I suppose I will never muster such killer style on a daily basis when combating winter weather, but perhaps a nice coiffure, a touch of mascara and some bright nail polish will do the trick. Because, in the end, every moment can be an adventure if we make it so. Happy New Year, everyone!