Hand in glove: luxe garden wear for the confident woman

Anyone who has seen me at work in the garden will know that fashion and my workwear are not happy bedfellows. I tend to go for the "dragged through a hedge backwards" look, and seem to get far messier and muddier than anyone else I know when digging.

So  Ethel's 'Expression' gardening gloves made me laugh. Apparently they are for "the woman who wears red stilettos to a black tie event and a polka-dot dress to a business luncheon. You believe in your own abilities. You make a statement when you walk into a room. You are confident, and you know without a doubt that Ethel Expression gloves will never let you down."

But even if you are that stiletto'ed woman, would you be seen dead in claret and raspberry dogtooth checks? And why did they call them Ethel, which conjures up images of old ladies in frilly dresses to me?

If you're looking to buy gloves up in the "luxe" end of the gardening attire market, these Gold Leaf gloves (pictured above) are all the rage. Does anyone have a pair? Are they any good?

Comments

[sarah]

The only gloves I will use are Bionic gloves - they are designed by a hand surgeon, and the most comfortable and practical things ever, and I don't see any point using anything else. I am a professional gardener and often dig or prune 7 days a week - my plot won't wait. I was given a pair by my favourite punter and now never have blisters, rose thorn wounds, bruised palms or raw thumbs. They are american but stocked over here by PA Sport, who seem personal and efficient. Look them up!

[Jane Perrone]

Oh, I like the look of those ... something else to add to the wish list! Link here for anyone interested in buying in the UK: http://www.ablegardener.co.uk/tmenu/shop_item.asp?Command=All&StockID=-B62

[The Garden Monkey]

"The woman who wears red stilettos to a black tie event and a polka-dot dress to a business luncheon?" - she sounds like a working girl.

Bionic gloves are also sold in the UK by those lovely people at Garden Tribe, who are presnet at most big shows are are found here.

http://www.gardentribe.co.uk/Home.aspx

Tell them a monkey sent you!

[Natalie El-Barrawi]

I tried on some Goldleaf gloves at Tatton a few years ago they were very comfortable, and fitted my smallish hands really well without any baggyness and rough seams that you can get with unisex gloves.
Unfortunately I didn't buy them as I needed a think about it and I got lost. I've regretted not buying them ever since. I remember being impressed with how soft and cool they were with protection on the wrist and the nettle stinging zone seemed covered with a closing fastner.

Definately going to get them this year maybe even go for the gauntlets as well.
Is that a sign of gardening middle-aged spread? the need for gauntlets and nicely fitting gloves that don't chafe.

[themanicgardener]

Too funny. I buy whatever's on sale at the hardware store. This used to be one area where I thought myself safe from the fashion police; now I realize that they might arrive at any moment and Oh deary me, whatever shall I do? Let's hear it for the dragged backwards through the hedge look.
--Kate

[ricki]

I have had gloves given to me as gifts that were great looking and protective against those nettles, rose thorns, blackberries and such. For everyday mucking about and weeding it's hard to beat the $3 numbers I can pick up at the same time as groceries. They come in a rainbow of colors, so making a fashion statement is not out of the question on the cheap.

[Matron]

Very difficult to find the perfect gardening glove! most gloves are two thick at the fingertips for hand weeding. I find chamois leather is hard to beat - what are these bionic gloves made from?

[Vanillalotus]

I got a pair of Ethel gloves, the jubilee. I won them in a giveaway online! There are 3 garden blogs that I found that have giveaways of the Ethel gloves.

http://katydidandkid.blogspot.com/2008/07/ethel-gloves.html
http://maydreamsgardens.blogspot.com/2008/06/gardening-gloves-boot-camp.html
http://ourlittleacre.blogspot.com/2008/07/cure-for-man-hands.html

They are wonderful but I haven't tested them out yet on everything I possibly could. Maybe you can contact them and see if you can have your own giveaway and do a review of them. Those sites I listed wrote a review of the gloves and everyone loves them. They also have coupons too for 10% off and Ethel has free shipping. I think you should try them really.

[margaret]

I keep boxes of vinyl surgical gloves in the barn and the mudroom, and though they are "disposable" I use them till the fingers are tattered, at least several times each. I need to feel what I am doing, hence the thin glove...or better yet, none at all. When mowing or holding serious tools (like a long-handled shovel for hours, or raking endlessly) I try to put on gloves that look a lot like Ethel's. Note that I say TRY. OK, so maybe I could use a manicure over here at this point.

[Garden flags]

Thanks for the useful information

Thanks
Garden flags