In a recent Daily Telegraph article, Madonna was featured in a story about how women aged 50 plus are faring best in this recession, having landed the most jobs, and having set up the most businesses, according to a report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development. Great news for our typical Dents customer then, who will have more spare change to invest in Dents pieces!
This economic group, dubbed the “Madonna Generation”, is not only upping its game in its determination to get a job, but also branching out into less stereotyped female jobs such as those in technical fields, or managerial roles…. One small step for mankind, one giant leap for feminism!
Or could it just be that this generation of strong women is the most demanding in what they expect from themselves? Nowadays, more and more women of a mature age seen in the press have the figure and youthful complexion of women 10 years their junior. Look at the likes of Susan Sarandon, Helen Mirren (both of whom are over 60), and Michelle Pfeiffer. However, it’s not all just down to the way you look – often how you dress has as much, if not more, of an impact.
Madonna herself was shown in the Telegraph feature in a picture from her W.E. Premiere at the Odeon Kensington in January, wearing a stunning Dsquared dress with an equally beautiful Dolce & Gabbana cape – paired with a pair of red fingerless leather gloves! Just goes to show that what you wear can reflect the forward thinking person you are… I doubt we will see her Madjesty in a Marks & Spencer cardigan anytime soon. In fact, she is a lover of fingerless leather gloves, having worn a Chanel pair in a surprise appearance on stage in Miami in March.
To get your hands in a pair of similar gloves, take a look at our newest collection…
7-3040 available in Black/White and White/Black
7-3051 available in Black and White
7-3043 available in Berry, Lavender, Parchment, Pistachio, Rose, Toffee
And for the man in your life we also have these men’s gloves, 5-1009, available in Berry, Black, Damson, Forest, and Purple.
Fingerless gloves, though quirky, have many practical uses… once seen as not cool, they’re now-cool. They are becoming a celeb craze all of sudden. Stars and fashion icons alike, such as Rihanna and Lady Gaga, are often seen wearing them.
The celeb following sees sales on the up for the Dents fingerless variety or ‘glovelettes’ as they are nicknamed, with the Dents Faux Suede Fingerless Glove (£16) as one of this year’s best sellers !
Now for the science bit! Fingerless gloves combine the full tactile sensitivity of bare fingers with warmth and protection for the rest of the hand. They are a very common accessory in driving (cut Off Driving Gloves , £45)
cycling, sailing, and many other activities that aren’t as healthy for your well-being, such as smoking. Some people find they allow computer typing or phone texting while reducing painful symptoms of arthritis, tendinitis and carpal-tunnel syndrome. They are also preferred by many for mixed martial arts, giving the knuckle the protection that boxing gloves do, while still allowing the finger freedom that grappling requires. They’ve picked up popularity on college campuses, where libraries need to keep their cool for the preservation of books (or maybe it’s just hard to heat a room that big, ha-ha), yet students still need finger dexterity in order to type on computers. They are now a popular glove for women and men (Cut Off Men’s Finger Driving Gloves , £40), and not just because it’s easier to use your iPhone. Leisure or practicality is usually a man’s reason for wearing them, but for women, what was once seen as a scruffy wool knit glove, is becoming a glamorous social accessory when made from soft leather with cut outs and bows, which allow you to show off your perfect pillar box red painted talons, while taking sips from your glass of mulled wine.
Deadline for entries to our facebook competition is midnight this Friday, so head over to our facebook page if you haven’t already. All you need to do is like the page. There’s lots to choose from in our online shop, including our fingerless glove, this season’s online hot seller so far.
As the nights start to draw in, and we get that damp September feeling in our bones once again, it’s a
good time to remind ourselves there’s light at the end of the tunnel! It’s hard to believe, but New York Fashion Week Spring 2011 has just come to an end, and 86 top designers have taken 
the wraps off next season’s offerings. You can take a peek at what we have lined up for the spring – leather handbags, fashion gloves and handbags, and all sorts of scarves and hats in a dazzling array of fabrics and colours. Many of the items shown will not be available online – you’ll have to visit your local House of Fraser or other fine retailer.
We are now getting ready for our media preview day to launch our new Spring Summer 2010 Collection – and what a collection it is; certainly our most exciting yet. It is full credit to our talented design team who have created some stunning new looks for next summer.
I love the colourful cut-out summer gloves, they are going to be huge; and the vibrant Caribbean and Talcum Powder shades bring a brand new freshness to next year’s summer accessories. Colours always fascinate me – how many shades of blue for instance can you get? Yet every year sees new shades that really are different – it seems the scope is endless.
One item I am going to see if I can obtain as soon as it becomes available next spring is the fuchsia coloured cheetah grab bag; animal prints are so strong and mixing them with such vivid colourways will make a real talking point. It is also the ideal day-to-evening bag for everyday use for work and trend setting fashion for trips out to dinner or the pub afterwards. Perfect.
There are so many exciting new designs in the 2010 Spring Summer Collection and I know we won’t have room to display them all for the media day in our London showroom. However, even if we keep the numbers down, it is still going to be one of our most dramatic launches for a new season. I know the journalists who are coming to see us will love it.
Sally
New York is one of my three favourite cities, and I’ve just come home after spending almost a whole week there. Corgi, Dents’s sister company, was showing off its range of cashmere knitwear and socks at the Coterie fashion show. This was a Spring merchandise show, so a little more subdued for us than the Fall show; still, we got some new accounts and some nice reorders despite the difficult economy.
New York last week was a madhouse. As well as the normal trade shows and market week, they had street markets, the United Nations, President Obama giving interviews on all the talk shows, and on a warm Monday evening the Opening Night Gala of the New York Metropolitan Opera broadcast live on huge video screens all over Times Square (Tosca). Whole blocks of the city were closed to traffic for extended periods, and when the President was near, the streets were packed with police and Secret Service. The city was a heaving mass of people, (according to New Yorkers, they’re not spending any money though!) and the weather was beautiful all week.
New Yorkers and Americans everywhere are currently obsessing over Obama and health care reform. In New York, the older people regret they voted for Obama, and the younger people are happy they did. The younger people are still waiting for “change”, while older people have decided they don’t want “change” after all. When they talk about health care they all have horror stories about the “socialized” medicine in other western countries, and they’re sure their system is best; meanwhile they forget that thousands of Americans die every year because they don’t have any health care at all, and only America, out of all western countries, is (still) working on a radical reform of its healthcare system.
Meanwhile life goes on, and here’s a bit of mystery for you: Saks Fifth Avenue, who feature our women’s fine leather gloves in their stores and catalogue, have already sold half the stock allocated to their website of our top selling style, and have reordered – who is buying all these gloves when we’re still in September? Maybe they know something we don’t?
Alan
