by Rachel PughRemember those woven mittens your mom made you wear when playing outside? It was difficult to pack a snowball, and forget about trying to throw it. The snow would ball up and stick to the gloves, making it more like an adhesive. For school, the same knit mittens would get pulled out for wearing. But even worse? The ski gloves which made you look masculine and ready for snowmobiling. Gloves were rarely attractive and were made entirely for necessity.
Thank God those glove days are over. Now you can actually accessorize with gloves, rather than wear them only for practical reasons. Sure, you want your gloves to keep you warm, but you also want to be able to move your fingers and maintain your keen sense for fashion in the process.
If ice fishing in the Arctic, a different, highly insulated glove is the way to go, but for those of us not crazy, choosing a glove that looks good and won’t slow you down for everyday use is the perfect fit, so to speak.
Take, for example, driving. If you cannot grip your steering wheel properly, it doesn’t matter how warm your fingertips are when you swerve into a mailbox. Your insurance won’t cut you a break for well-insulated mittens. You need something that will keep your hands warm enough so they don’t stiffen while driving but also allow you to remain in complete control of the wheel. Secondly, if you have to drive the turnpike often, or any toll road for that matter, unless you have E-ZPass, taking your gloves on and off to get your money out for the tollbooth is a royal pain and holds up traffic.
If only you had some fashionable fingerless gloves. Fancy that — now you can.
Yes, you can always cut the tips off of your knit gloves. This is perfect if you plan on panhandling on a busy street corner. But if you’re not into warming a can of beans over a barrel, you can purchase functional, fashionable fingerless gloves or arm warmers. The varieties include: short fingerless gloves, long fingerless gloves, long gloves that cover up only the palm, and wrist warmers that can be worn around just the wrists or ankles.
Seen here is the Fingerless short and long gloves from www.tulle4us.com, the Bop Basics long fingerless gloves from www.shopbop.com, the Falke Leg/Arm warmers, the Juicy Couture cashmere arm warmers with bows, the hot pink Marc by Marc Jacobs Quincy Gloves and the Pencey Arm warmers.
Some of these gloves are a bit pricey due to either the type of fabric or simply because of the name, but all of them are made of either cashmere, wool or both, which means they’ll keep you warm. Cashmere gloves also mean they’ll be ultra comfortable. And no matter which ones you purchase, you can be sure that you’ll be very in style while keeping yourself toasty.
Take note of one thing: Do not try packing snowballs with these gloves. You won’t want to clump snow on these expensive accessories, and last I checked, fingerless gloves won’t actually keep your fingers warm if placed directly in the snow. These gloves are for everyday use in situations where you actually need to utilize finger mobility. Save the snowmobile look for frolicking outside.
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