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November 8, 2012

How I store my vintage glove collection

Once long, long ago I started a wee little glove collection, and housed it neatly in vintage boxes such as this charming quilted gold number.


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Over time however, further pairs of gloves came along (or, more accurately, I sought them out online and off, adding them to my stash with great bliss), and soon my wee collection - which wasn't really so wee any more - needed a new home.


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For a while I tucked my gloves into a dresser drawer, but that didn't really seem to keep them together very neatly, and given how much the kitty loves to nestle into drawers if we leave them open, I quickly came to realize that a bureau claimed by a cat was not the best solution.

Next the gloves floated around various spots in my house, stored in small plastic (shoe) boxes, large handbags, and even a pretty pillow case.  All were ok, but I found the quickly locating the exact pair I was after in a flash proved tricky, and I'd often be left with plenty of re-organizing to do once the desired gloves had been obtained.

Then one day a light bulb (I like to think it was a pink bulb, pink being my favourite colour) went off and I suddenly knew just how to store my ever-expanding vintage glove collection. Sock boxes! Yes indeedy, those divided, neatly contained boxes that are sold with the intention of having socks, tights, or perhaps even undergarments stored in them would the perfect way to sort and house all of my gloves.

A few clicks of the mouse later, a couple of weeks to wait for my divided sock storage boxes to arrive, and presto, I could suddenly give each glove its own chamber and arrange my whole collection by colour (as I've touched on before, I rather adore sorting anything that can be sorted into a rainbow, into one).


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Gloves are one of my absolute favourite items of clothing. I wear them frequently and have tried over the years to build up a collection that includes colours from all across the spectrum. Though there are still some shades I need, and there's always room for more than one pair in the same colour (especially with so many neat embellished pairs out there), by collection at present has completely filled up four of these twenty slot sock storage boxes.


There's the whites, ivories, creams, beiges, and white sheers.

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The pinks, reds, oranges, yellows, and greens.

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The blues, purples and (some of the) browns.

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And the rest of the browns, the greys and the blacks.


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Though not all divided cloth storage boxes like this have lids, these ones do, and when closed this is what they look like.


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At the moment, I've had to double up (two gloves to one slot) in a few of the divided slots, so I clearly need to order another box or two. Though the first eBay seller I originally bought these boxes from is no longer selling them, after a bit of searching, I was able to find another seller who (at the time of writing) is carrying these exact boxes, too.

Like many people, I don't have an endless array of storage space by any means, which makes these boxes all the more perfect. Yes, at about 40cm x 10cm x 5cm, they do take up a little bit of room, but so long as the bottom one is housed on a flat, sturdy surface, I can stack all four on top of each other quite easily, which is what I'm doing at the moment in one of upstairs closets. I stack them from darkest to lightest, that way I always know which of the four boxes to grab when I'm looking for a certain pair of gloves.

If you have a budding (or already hefty sized) vintage glove collection but haven't yet found a way of storing them that really works for you, I highly recommend these divided sock containers. They're economical, very lightweight, and not terribly hard to find (you can source them, in different patterns, configurations, and sizes from eBay, various online storage product websites, some home decor shops, and sometimes even big box stores like Wal-Mart).

In last month's post about how to size vintage gloves, I promised to share how I store my vintage glove collection with all of you, and this fine (nippy!) Thursday in early November seemed like just the time to do so. If you don't feel this particular storage approach calling your name though, here are ten other possible glove storage ideas for you:


-(As I originally used) Vintage glove boxes (glove boxes have been a time honoured way of housing gloves for centuries)

-Hat boxes (vintage or new)

-Vintage luggage

-Sewing boxes and baskets (vintage or new)

-Decorative home decor boxes

-Plastic storage towers

-Dresser and vanity drawers

-Vintage stocking boxes (which, though usually smaller than these sock storage boxes, are often divided already, too)

-In the pockets of dresses, coats and other garments that aren't worn often (make sure that neither the gloves nor the garment you're storing them in is apt to bleed any colour onto the other)

-Sprinkled around one or more rooms in your house, on shelves, decorative trays, resting on a stack of books, etc (the aim is to utilize them as the beautiful pieces of art they are)


When storing vintage gloves, you want to treat them like you would any older, (fairly) delicate fabric. Keep them in a dry, clean environment away from critters, curious youngsters, unwanted creepy crawlies, moisture, excess humidity, and anything that could stand to stain or impart a strong unpleasant odour.

If you're housing a lot of gloves in a small space and not wearing them all that often, you may want to take them all out once every few months and hang or lay them someplace (dry) with a lot of ventilation so that they can breath for a day or two.

Check your gloves periodically for signs of wear (or worst, moth nibbles!), making repairs (if possible) when necessary, and gently hand washing any gloves that become soiled as soon as possible. I've had good luck hand washing mine in the bathroom sink, in cold water with a little bit of Woolite detergent, and then drying them with my set of vintage plastic glove dryers (which looks quite similar to this one that's for sale on etsy).

If your gloves should happen to become heavily soiled, you may want to take them to a professional drycleaner, who, ideally, will have experience with delicate fabrics and/or vintage clothing.

Collecting and wearing vintage gloves is truly a delight for me. I adore having a rainbow of these classic accessories at the ready when I get dressed and enjoy wearing my collection all through the year, no matter the season. I know that as time goes on my not-so-wee any more collection will continue to expand, and as it does more divided sock storage boxes like these cute floral print ones will be called into action.


How to store vintage bracelets, bangles, vintage glove box


And should you be wondering what happened to that lovely quilted gold vintage glove box that housed my first few pairs of gloves, it now works splendidly as an abode for some of my stretch and charm bracelets (clearly, whatever is put into is destined to touch my wrists!).

48 comments:

  1. holy cow! That's the most epic glove collection that I have ever seen!! I also have a ton of gloves and I store mine clothesline style- a pretty ribbon or cord tacked to the wall (or at my old place, tied to the sides of my dress rack) with gloved pinned in pairs with a clothespin. For your amount of gloves, the sock boxes seem like the most practical option though! :) Excellent post- must share it! x

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    1. Oooohh, I just adore the idea of using a ribbon in a clothesline style to hang gloves from. I've been wracking my brain for ages trying to come up with a practical way to store my hair flowers and the moment I read your comment, the light bulb went off - I could do the same thing with my flowers! Love it!!! Thank you so, sooooo much, sweetie!

      ♥ Jessica

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  2. What a good idea! I too like to organise into colour, it drives Andy potty, particularly when I start on the bookcases!

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  3. Your collection is beautiful! And I agree on the sorting into rainbows wherever possible. It's just so colorful and fun.

    I must admit: I have no vintage gloves. None at all! For some reason it never occurs to me. I'm not sure if that's because I go from no gloves immediately into hand-knit ones. But you always look so charming in them, I think perhaps I should take a queue from you!

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  4. what a wonderful collection. My collection is just starting and I am now on a quest to find a vintage glove box. :)

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  5. OH MY Jessica you do have quite the collection! I love it, and the storage idea is so smart. The photos are so pretty, it's a collection to be extremely proud of.

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  6. Wow you have quite a collection! I've got about four pairs that fit me well. I have large palms so finding gloves that fit are few and far between. I store my gloves in an old, clean cigar box.

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  7. What a fantastic idea!!! I had no idea there was such a thing as sock boxes! I'm going to check these out. My glove collection is also growing and I've been looking for an organized way to store my gloves. Very helpful post! Thank you dear sweet Jessica:) I so enjoy your blog:)))

    http://dividingmoments.blogspot.com/

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  8. Wow, you have a amazing collection of gloves. I think the blue ones with the white lace(?) are my favourites, as far as I can see.

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  9. Jessica,
    Your posts are so exciting. In fact, your whole blog is informative,fun and photographed so well! I have to say Chronically Vintage is my favorite blog.
    You my friend have got to be the sweetest person.

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    1. April dear, that has to be one the most tremendously nice compliments I've ever received. In fact it touched me so much, I just read it aloud to Tony, who sweetly said, "She's right." Awwww to you both.

      ♥ Jessica

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  10. Jessica,
    Wow, you really do have quite the collection of gloves! What a delight and how much fun it must be to choose just the right one for each outfit. It is like every little girl’s dream come true.

    When I look at my inbox and find your lovely comments, my heart is cheered and blessed! Thank you, dear friend.

    Hugs,
    Hope

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  11. Love this post Jessica. Incidentally I had bought a couple of these containers (minus the lid) for my son & my husband's socks. They are really very versatile. I admire your glove collection. I collect scarves, mostly silk ones and am planning to open a specialised silk scarf shop on Etsy soon. take care:)

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  12. This is such a great idea! Of course I only have a couple pairs of gloves and none of them are true vintage, but I am planning on starting a collection. I like the idea of starting with the darling little glove box.

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  13. super organised! the rainbow of colours is so cheery to look at.

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  14. What a great collection of vintage gloves! I should also organize them better, I tend to lost the other pair...

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  15. My how organized you are. I need you to come down here and help me with my little room. LOL! I love your collection. I have a few myself. A pair of cocktail length black gloves, white ones which were my Grama's, and green leather ones.

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  16. what fun choosing gloves in the morning- must taker HOURS!! x

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    1. Hi sweet Janine, thank you for your comment. Interestingly, as my collection has progressed over the years, I find it usually takes less time to pick a pair, because I now have gloves to match, compliment, or appealingly clash with most things in my wardrobe. Occasionally though I do hum and haw for a while, and then I usually call Tony in, who - having a great eye for colour himself - always makes the right call when I'm on the fence between two pairs.

      ♥ Jessica

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  17. oh, i'm almost speachless ... this is the biggest gloves collection i've ever seen ... and you boxed them perfectly. wow!

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  18. Your collection is incredible! Just great ♥

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  19. WOW I am totally impressed by yout glove collection! I have a thing for socks, so I guess that is how my sock collection will look in the future ;)

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  20. Perfect! I'd love to see more of your glove collection in all its rainbow glory! I just bought a new pair of gloves and was wondering how I'd store them... Do you have any tips regarding longer gloves? You keep your gloves rolled up, do you find that is the best way?
    Love to hear your organised thoughts :) x

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    1. Hi Sarah, thank you very much for your lovely comment and questions. Amongst the pairs pictured here there are certainly some longer (opera) length gloves, all of which I keep neatly rolled up. I think this works well for these specific pairs because they're made from soft fabrics, I wouldn't necessarily roll longer length leather or stiff suede gloves (or any gloves that were exceedingly delicate). In that case, a longer length vintage glove box or perhaps a small train case, sewing box, hat box, or even suitcase might be a good place to house lengthy gloves.

      Yes, I do find that keeping my gloves rolled like this works well for them. If more than one pair looks similar, I make sure to roll them with a little bit of a distinguishing feature (stitching, embellishments, buttons, etc) showing, so that I can easily pick it out for the crowd without having to unroll several pairs (hopefully!) to find the one I'm after.

      Thanks again, dear gal, and please don't hesitate to ask any other glove related questions you might have.

      ♥ Jessica

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  21. Lovely post Jessica! I currently store my rather small glove collection in my dresser drawer, and whilst I don't have a problem with felines claiming space, I certainly do with my gloves floating around with my scarves, collars and other vintage lovelies I don't know where to store!

    I like the idea of dividers and will seek out the drawer-kind for my storage solution methinks. Thank you!

    xox,
    bonita of Depict This!

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  22. I love seeing how people organize! Great post mama! Thank you for letting us see how you store your gloves-its all an interesting process isnt?? I have to find a storage for my bracelets as my train case is not good for them anymore. Any suggestions?? xox

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    1. Hi sweet Bunny, thank you very much. I adore seeing how people store their prized possessions, too. It's really interesting that you asked about how to store your bracelets. I have post in the works that will hopefully go up next month (December) about how I store my bangles (just email me sooner if you want a spoiler :) ).

      ♥ Jessica

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  23. What a divine glove box! Glad that it is still being put to good use. Your storage system is perfect and I love the idea of sock storage.

    As a tip to your readers those dividers can be purchased separately at places like IKEA and simply placed in a drawer or any of those great containers that you mentioned.

    And I second your reader above...you are the sweetest! xoxo

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    1. Hi sweet Collette, thank you very much for that great tip. There isn't an Ikea for hundreds of miles around these parts, so I'm not overly up-to-date on their stock (plus, I know from experience, that US Ikeas usually have way, way better selections than ours up here in Canada!).

      ♥ Jessica

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  24. Wow, Jessica, what an incredible glove collection you have. With all those colors, you are never at want for the perfect glove to match an outfit.

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  25. Wow lovely! I love the range of colours!

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  26. Wow, what a collection! Gloves in the colours of the rainbow and a few more. Lovely! :)

    Wishing you a nice day!
    // Annie

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  27. Wow, you really do have a collection! Puts mine quite to shame. I store mine in a vintage overnight case (vintage luggage! One of your suggestions). They outgrew the little vanity case I used to have them in (which now houses buttons) so I had to upgrade them to their current home.

    xx Charlotte
    Tuppence Ha'penny Vintage

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    1. Thank you very much, dear gal. I love that you store yours in a vintage overnight case. I'm always on the hunt for cute vintage luggage to use as storage pieces, but in recent years have only come across the train case I got last spring (which was such a great little find) to use as storage around the house. Hopefully I'll find a bit more while out yard saling and thifting in the years to come.

      ♥ Jessica

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  28. Wowowowowow! What a huge collection of gloves!!! :) Clever storage idea!

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  29. Sock are the perfect solution to your glove storage problem. You now need a dedicated chest of drawers to keep them in. Imagine how wonderful it would be to slide open a draw and see all your gloves neatly packed and colour coded. Swoon!

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  30. I am so jealous right now I'm speechless!

    Nora

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  31. What a great way to store all those wonderful gloves - you have some wonderful colours among them, I've never seen so many pairs apart from in a store and I think you've probably got more than most stores have! I only own four pairs!

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    1. Thank you very much, dear Rowan. This collection was gathered over time and didn't seem all that big as it was gradually snowballing, but when I lined up all four sock boxes, it really did drive home the fact that it's grown to be quite a respectable size at the point. I'm going to order a couple more boxes soon, otherwise future pairs would have to be crammed into already full divided sections.

      Thank you again - I hope you have a beautiful weekend,
      ♥ Jessica

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  32. Now that is a serious collection! I think I have four pairs, including my Canada 2012 mittens!

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  33. what a great idea! Right now I'm searching over Polish bidding service (similiar to eBay) and looking for socks organizers! They are really cheap, pretty and useful and I'm definitley going to buy one or two. My gloves collection is not very big yet (I only have 4 white pairs and 2 black pairs), but I store them in an old chocolate box which is almost full right now. I want to thank you so much for sharing this GREAT idea!!!

    xoxo
    Monika

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  34. You're very welcome, dear Monika. I'm so happy to know that idea helped you and I will keep my (gloved) fingers crossed that you're able to find some well priced sock boxes in Poland, too (I should mention, the eBay seller I bought these from is located in Asia and had no problem shipping them to Canada, so it might be worth checking to see if they can send to Poland, too, if you like buying from eBay, I mean).

    Thank you for your comment - happiest weekend wishes,
    ♥ Jessica

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    1. I just found some pretty and cheap sock boxes so I am happy right now ;) I prefer not to use eBay, because shipping prices are killing me :( Even shipping from European Union to Poland is about 3 times more expensive than from Poland to Poland. So I only use "Polish eBay" called Allegro (it works just like eBay, but it's for Polish sellers only).

      xoxo
      Monika

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    2. Ahhh, I completely understand. I import the vast majority of everything I buy online from the US, UK, and other countries and am always, always trying to save as much as I can on those hefty shipping costs. So happy to know you found some similar ones. I'd love to see photos of your glove collection one day, too.

      ♥ Jessica

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  35. What a great collection! I've had very little success finding gloves, probably because it's so hot here. The few I have found were too small since I'm tall I also have long fingers!

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    1. Hi Chrissy dear, thank you very much. I have pretty short fingers, so it's not uncommon for me to have to pass on pairs that catch my eyes online because the finger length is too long for me. If there's any colours and/or styles you'd like me to keep an out for you in, please let me know (including your glove size) and I'd be happy to email you if I come across any that I find which might work well for you.

      ♥ Jessica

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  36. wow! What a delightful collection of vintage gloves. I love all of those colors! Thanks for sharing this great idea of how to store them. You are a wealth of great info!

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  37. Wow! I'm happy to have met some one who have more gloves than I do. :)

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