Golden Gloves
When the fall merchandise first went on the racks at Hooti, I had about 20 pairs of gloves—white, black and brown, from cotton to ostrich—in a basket. Four days later, only three pair remained. I've been restocking as quickly as I can, but lots of times the cotton and nylon gloves I see at auctions need laundering—and it's amazing the results you can get with just a little bit of effort.
Fill your sink or a bucket with cold water, add a little Woolite or other laundry detergent, swish your cotton or nylon gloves around for a few minutes (never mix colors!), let them soak for a couple of hours if they are seriously soiled, then rinse thoroughly, wrap in a towel to dry (no wringing!), then lay flat on a fresh, dry towel, preferably on a rack, to allow ventilation and quicker drying.
If they are white and yellowed, add a little Biz or OxiClean to the wash water and detergent, then soak for at least a couple of hours. If there are oily stains, rub some baby powder into the spots while the gloves are dry, then let them sit for a few minutes before washing. For white gloves, you can give them an extra whitening shot by drying them in the sun. If your soiled gloves are leather or suede, dry cleaning is your best option.
Alligators, Old Mink & New Money, One Woman's Adventures in Vintage Clothing was written by sisters Alison and Melissa Houtte and is available in the U.S. and Canada in both hardback (top; William Morrow/Harper Collins) and paperback (Avon Trade).
You can also buy the UK edition (Orion Publishing) in hardback in England, Australia, New Zealand, Scotland and Wales. Orion's paperback edition (below) is also now on sale.
I recently read your book and enjoyed it very much.
Thanks also for the ebay listings --- they're great fun to follow.
Posted by: Catherine | November 28, 2006 at 08:55 AM