Who of you wears driving gloves?

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There is this old man living close to us, who fires up his 1960s Alfa-Romeo on sunny days for a spin around the country lanes. He must be in his seventies and clearly cherishes the car. Nothing unusual there. Although, before he takes off with a delightful rasp, there’s a little habitude: he puts on his driving gloves.

Now, I know these things were de rigeur back in the days of racing drivers who never hammered their leviathans around the track before they’d knocked back at least one bottle of wine. But who wears them nowadays? Just models on photoshoots, which happen to have a classic car in the background? I was given a pair one day. Dark blue, ultra thin, incredibly soft, Maserati-trident embossed. Absolutely gorgeous. Never wore them though, and when I did try them on one day it felt completely stupid behind the thick plastic steering wheel of my then-daily drive (a 1970s Lancia).

Ah - there it is. It's the disappearance of the thin wheel. Look at the lady here. She wears her gloves with grace - matching shoes and hat. And they fit the wood rimmed wheel of that Pontiac Grand Prix, too - powered or not. But then, this picture was taken in Italy in the 1960s. No doubt a place and era the old man adores, too.

(Words Jeroen Booij, picture archive Jeroen Booij)

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