Step aside, infinity scarf: Gloves have thrown down the gauntlet, so to speak, for the best accessory of winter 2013. And we’re not talking just any old hand-warming mitts. Though everyone’s got at least one simple, classic version in cashmere, wool or leather, the most striking of the season reach for the elbows in fabrications too precious to be considered ordinary: bright calfskin (Jean Paul Gaultier), sequins on mesh (Marc Jacobs), red leather and satin (Nina Ricci) and graphic black-and-white leather (Proenza Schouler). Rochas combines supple suede with playful wool for a set that’ll keep you toasty through the winter months, while Lanvin’s pony-hair pair, with matching dress, makes piling on additional accessories totally unnecessary.
For men, the offerings are a bit tamer, if no less luxurious: leather and more leather at Brioni, Zegna and Louis Vuitton. Belstaff introduces a welcome bit of fur lining to a standard pebbled-leather driving glove, while only Hermès could, and does, make mittens look manly. And should you by chance consider $985—the cost of Gucci’s elbow-length black python gloves for women—too much to spend on such a season-specific accessory, relax. Just think of all the cash you’ll be saving on manicures.
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