19 September 2008

When was the Last time You Saw Someone Wearing White Gloves?

There was a time when women always wore white gloves. The other day, I found it fit to try out the retro-white glove look for class. Of course, my fashion teacher loved it, but later in the day, as I sauntered across campus, people gave me funny looks and some even snickered. I lamented over the fact that I looked more elegant than all of them.

Things that people at my school wear that I frown upon, or CONCERNING THE HOMOGENEOUS PREP:

1. "Mom Purses" aka, Vera Bradley bags. When are people going to realize how hideous these are?


2. Excessive amounts of J.Crew, Hollister, and Abercrombie and Fitch. Some J.Crew can be cute, especially their delicious cashmere sweaters...but there is such a thing as too much...
3. Girls who ruin potentially cute outfits by wearing cheap plastic flip-flops. I know that lurking in their closet somewhere are some chic ballet-flats, or even dare I suggest it, a lovely pair of heels...
4.Uggs, or "Ugglies" as my boyfriend and I affectionately call them. Get some dignity girls.5. These bags...they are just dumb. I don't know, everyone has them, they even came out with a style with our school's logo patterned across the top. I think they suck.
6. Polo overload!! I do love some Lacoste once in a while, especially my vintage old-man sweaters from Savers. But girls at my school are guilty of abusing the alligator and the horseman a bit too much. I know the candy colors can be alluring...but filling your wardrobe with every color and later pairing it with your boyfriend's sweats is a horrible plan.


7. Juicy Couture and Victoria Secret Pink! I have Juicy underwear, and freshman year, I was guilty of wearing lime green Pink sweatpants, with the words "pink" written across my ass. Never again will I stoop to the level of wearing pants or shorts with any writing on the ass. It's like a tramp stamp. Also, I think Juicy Couture has grown so tacky and cliche, that I could never regard it as a real designer. I mean, VELOUR tracksuits?! Live and learn.
The same girls who wear Juicy are also guilty of falling into the Pink trap, Victoria's Secret "co-ed" line of sweats, underwear, and pjs.

8. Having the North Face Denail surgically attached to the torso during winter months. Often in black, and yes I have one, (although I'm not sure if its really mine, I believe I may have extracted the wrong one from a pile at the bar...) but I am careful to wear it only when necessary. Like a snowstorm. Or when I am really sick. Or to the gym/while running outdoors. These girls (and boys) wear them EVERYDAY. I recommend investing in a nice, long wool coat to break out of the cycle. Like my vintage Dior I picked up this weekend from work.
9. Too much True Religion or 7 For All Mankind Denim. Okay, this isn't really fair, I've owned both brands. But everyone seems to gravitate to such similar styles (eg. the "Bobby" jean, by True Religion), and there are also other denim brands out there...it's sometimes good to explore. I rarely ever wear jeans, and I do wear a lot of Levi's...
10. I couldn't think of a ten. I just think looking the same, perhaps, or looking trashy at the bar in a slinky Wet Seal garment?!

Dainty White Gloves:
According to my Mom, women in casually upscale settings never EVER were without gloves, back in the day. I wonder how they kept them so clean, I instantly got lipstick on mine! Here are some white-glove wearing ladies:
Jackie O




Grace Kelley

Modern-Day Glove Girls:



Evan-Rachel Wood ( and Dita Von Tesse, though I failed to find the picture, I think maybe Marilyn makes them wear them?!)

ME!

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Dress: Vintage
Pin: Mom's
Shoes: F21
Bow: Claires
Earrings: Vintage
Gloves: Moma's



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Ladies! Begin a Glove revolution!

3 comments:

Laalie Pink said...

meggg! ok, a) i own so many juicy & pink sweats but i have since hs so it's not like i followed crowd...but i think you're right when you say they are getting trashy/tacky, and who wants to look like everyone else? but i have to say, to roll out of bed to class in the morning, they are the best...b) i just bought new UGGS lol but they have pockets on them and they're not the same generic kind everyone else has so maybe that is ok?! i have to say that's all i wear during the winter b/c it is so cold and they are warm and comfortable!!! c) i have also been wearing sevens since HS, and i still love them! but again, i had them wayyy back when! d) vera bradley bags look like the bags my grandma uses when she goes to the grocery store (literally, she does!) lastly, e) i'm glad you brought up PC homogenity...why can't anybody dress ghetto at our school?

glmoore08 said...

I believe that different styles work for different areas of the U.S. Perhaps some of these things are not acceptable or are not trendy where you are located, but in several other places, some of these designs may be considered very classy, trendy, and what people prefer. I definitely agree with you on the pink and juicy sweats...a lady should never wear anything that has writing on the seat. Uggs, I also agree with you on those. They are unattractive. They in no way can look cute, I understand them being warm and comfortable; but hello…have you ever heard of socks and nice boots with a heel? The designer jean issue…I don’t buy jeans just because of the name. I buy jeans that are comfortable, look good on me, have good quality, have nice colors, and can be worn dressed up or down. I would never pay $100+ dollars for jeans with holes, jeans that don’t fit well, are uncomfortable, stretch easily, or have horrible colors or markings on them. For instance, I have a pair of Seven jeans (given to me as a gift), they are very nice on the hanger, but I would wear my GAP Outlet jeans before I wore the Sevens, by the end of the day, a person 2 sizes bigger than me could fit into my Sevens. They stretch horribly. Lastly, the Vera bags…I agree that some of them are very tacky, but there are also some that are very classic and cute. I live in South Georgia, so I know styles may be a little different here; but Vera bags are very classy in my opinion. The women that would be wearing the white gloves you are referring to are the same women that would be carrying a Vera bag down here in Georgia. I have an entire luggage set and several Vera bags. Vera bags are adorable with a nice button up polo blouse, chinos, and a strand of pearls around your neck. That is a perfect summer outfit here. It is extremely classy. Down here, we don’t really need fashion school to tell us what is or isn’t appropriate. Women of the south have been known for their southern class and elegance for many, many years. Yes, we do have some that are a bit confused when they walk into their closets in the morning, but for the most part, we have very classy style, and can pull off several things that you may think are tacky, or out of style. I guess our mothers just raised us well.

Anonymous said...

I am doing a project in which we can change anything in the school that we want, and i decided to change the style of the students, as they are stuck in the northface/uggs trap. but i honestly have to say that this whole "white gloves are making a comeback" approach shouldnt have included the top 10 things that you dont like that girls wear at your school because it was highly irrelevant to your cause. or perhaps if you wanted to write about the 10 things that you hate that people wear at your school then you shouldnt have included the bit about the white gloves... anyway, as a fellow personal style pariah who regularly gets stared down by freshman in jeans and t-shirts, i have to say that i am disappointed in your article for the following reasons.
1. when you said in number 3 that girls might have a chic pair of flats... i dont know what you've been reading but the only flats that have been in in the past 3 years are wellies and gladiator sandals, clearly totally passe now.
2. Vera Bradley bags are not grandma purses. the national number for the most popular grandma bag: (as taken from a survey gathered by newsweek) is LeSportSac. if you are going to condemn something, do it right.
3. you failed to denote the extreme health hazard that comes with wearing uggs: they offer no arch-support. you also failed to recognize the fact that they look like the shoes cave people would wear while victoriously defeating the water buffalo.

i enjoyed your post minus these factors.