Celebration of the Chinese New Year is a big deal in New York City. Thousands of people gather in downtown Manhattan, crammed along the skinny streets, clutching miniature fireworks. After the parade, families crowd into restaurants, to scoff dumplings & drink tea. It’s no surprise, though: Chinatown in Manhattan is the biggest enclave of Chinese people in the entire Western hemisphere!

On Sunday morning, I wriggled my way into the front of a crowd lining Mott Street to catch a glimpse of the dragon. The gathering was terrifically diverse, with teeny-tiny Chinese girls sitting on their fathers’ shoulders, solemn-looking senior citizens, & slightly confused tourists! As we waited for the festivities to begin, the quiet murmur of the crowd would be punctuated by a wicked snap-crackle-pop, & an explosion of glitter & confetti from a popper would fly up into the sky. A man carrying rainbow-hued cotton candy walked up & down the crowded pathways. Mickey Mouse, Cookie Monster, & a man in drag with a bright green beard walked the parade route, presumably to entertain us while we waited…

Suddenly, the drums started to play, & the dragons followed. Lurching towards us & soaring over the crowd, they fluttered their big eyes at us & darted from side to side. Everyone reached out to touch the dragons, tried to call them over & get closer. In Chinese culture, they believe that loud drums combined with dragons dancing can defeat evil spirits. It’s a way of cleansing before the new year!

Flocks of girls in traditional costume walked past, followed by a gathering of families with adopted Chinese children. There were balloons, Chinese & American flags, & Snoopy made an appearance, too.  Every new float or gaggle of people elicited excited cheers from the crowd, even when Chuck Schumer — New York Senator — came past. A Chinese woman walked beside him, talking into his ear, & he would repeat whatever she said into a bullhorn!

It was surreal & delightful. A lot of us in the crowd had no idea who most of the people were, or even what their signs said, but we cheered anyway. It just felt right, & so good to be there!  We all went home with happy hearts & confetti in our hair.

From New York City to wherever you are: 吉慶有餘 ! Or, may your happiness be without limit!

Words by Gala Darling (@galadarling). Photos by Lydia Hudgens (@lydiahudgens).

The Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store (372 5th Ave. Brooklyn, NY. 11215) is a cross between a warehouse and a funhouse, laid out a bit like a Home Depot with aisles organized by categories like “Capery”, “Gear & Manuals,” “Secret Identities,” and “Robotics/Cybernetics/Mutations.” And while it’s possible to buy any of their reasonably-priced superhero supplies via their website, there’s something special about the experience of shopping there. The knowledgeable staff is extremely helpful and will go out of their way to help you try on a cape, get de-villainized (in their patented De-Villainizer, which helps you rethink your choices and become a more upstanding citizen), or decide whether a can of Doom or Gloom would be right for you. They are also adamant about encouraging the superhero in all of us. When making a purchase, you must put your items in a vault, and they are not released to you until you recite The Vow of Heroism out loud, thereby ensuring that you will not waver in your pursuit of truth and justice.

Shopping at the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Store is an act of heroism in and of itself! All proceeds from the sale of the superhero supplies benefit the 826NYC, which provides free drop-in writing tutoring for school-age children in the New York City area. 826NYC is part of a larger group of tutoring facilities co-founded by author, Dave Eggers, which started with 826Valencia in San Fransisco. Since then, 826NYC sprouted in Brooklyn, and 826Michigan was created in Ann Arbor. Each of these tutoring centers work both to provide free writing tutoring to children, and get the community excited about the written word. The 826 centers are strongly rooted in their communities, and work with the schools as well as provide fun events for children and adults alike, all in the interest of keeping literacy and writing alive. And like 826NYC, the other locations have geeky storefronts to help them fundraise. 826Valencia boasts a Pirate Supply Store, while 826Michigan offers Robot Supplies and Repair Services! The ties to the community are apparent even in each store’s theme! San Fransisco has an ocean-based store; New York, the home of comic books, has a superhero supply store; and what makes more sense in a state known for its car factories than a robot repair shop?

So, whether you’re visiting New York, San Fransisco, or Ann Arbor, you can get your geek on while being a hero to schoolchildren by visiting an 826 store!

Follow Geek Girl Traveler on Twitter: @GeekGirlTravels

Words and photos by Teresa Jusino.

It doesn’t get much geekier than hotel rooms organized by the Dewey Decimal System. Yet this is exactly what you’ll find at The Library Hotel in New York City, a swank, yet cozy boutique hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

Whether you love books in general, or there’s a specific topic you’re interested in, The Library Hotel has a perfect room for you. Each of their ten floors is dedicated to one of the ten Classifications of Knowledge: Social Sciences, Literature, Languages, History, Math & Science, General Knowledge, Technology, Philosophy, and The Arts and Religion.

With 60 rooms in all, there’s everything from a Biography room, to a Fairy Tale room, to an Astronomy room. Each contains books on that topic and is tastefully decorated accordingly, so you can feel surrounded by it without being overwhelmed. In addition to standard hotel room features, there are those that go the extra mile to make your stay comfy and pleasant, like the complimentary terrycloth slippers that come with your room, the Library Hotel bathrobes that are yours to use for the length of your stay, and little handwritten cards that come with your turndown service indicating the weather forecast so that you can plan for the following day.

Wanna watch a movie? Each room has a DVD player, and there’s an extensive DVD collection including all of the AFI Top 100 Films. Need to get out of your room? There’s a Writer’s Den on the top floor with enormous couches, and a lovely glass-enclosed Poetry Garden, both of which provide indoor and outdoor seating and are great, quiet places to sit and relax, or get some quality reading and writing done. There’s also a small business center with computer/printer access.

Hungry? The Reading Room on the 2nd Floor is accessible 24-hours a day, and is stocked not only with a wide selection of books, periodicals, guide books, and a piano, but with baked goods, fruit, hot and cold beverages, and other snacks throughout the day. They also provide you with a well-stocked continental breakfast every morning, and a complimentary wine and cheese reception every evening.

The Pros:
- Everyone from the Front Desk to housekeeping is friendly and incredibly helpful. I had a problem during check-in, and the staff not only resolved it efficiently, but never once made me feel as if I were being a burden or a nuisance. Calls for things from the Front Desk were always answered quickly, and I watched as other guests who’d been staying longer than I were treated like friends by the end of their stay, with staff asking them about their lives as if they’ve known them forever.

- While the hotel is fancy-pants, each guest – no matter what their status or background – is treated with respect and courtesy. A variety of people came through the Reading Room and past the Front Desk every day; some of whom looked well-off, others less so. I’m certainly not. And yet there was never the feeling that someone didn’t belong. Again, the staff rocks my socks. Also, the rooms are gorgeous without being imposing. They’re rooms you can actually live in.

- You make up the price of the rooms by not needing a huge food budget. The fact that so much food is included in the cost of your stay means that you can save money on meals. While they do have room service, a restaurant, a hotel bar, and minibars in every room, you don’t have to pay for any of it in order to be well-fed, and you won’t have to spend money on eating out.

- Passes to the New York Sports Club are included in your reservation. So, after eating all that food and drinking all that wine, you can work it off.

- Location: easy walking distance to Times Square means you can catch a subway/bus to anywhere in the city.

The Cons:

- The price of the rooms might be too much for some geeks. But the computer programmers who can drop $600 on a personalized bat’leth or a limited-edition bust of their favorite comic book character at NYCC or Big Apple Con will have less of a problem.

- While there are plenty of books to choose from throughout the hotel, they’re chosen more to maintain the old-library aesthetic of the hotel than for relevance or timeliness. You may have already read many of the books on the shelves.

- You can call the Front Desk for everything, which might seem like a pro until you have to call them every single time you want ice. Sometimes, you just want an ice machine on your floor so you can get it yourself, you know?

Geek Cred:

- It’s a LIBRARY. THEMED. HOTEL. Come ON! Books on every subject all over the place.

- They only have the original Star Wars trilogy in their DVD collection, not the prequels! Take that, Jar-Jar!

- Free wi-fi throughout the hotel, so you and your internet-ready device of choice can hang out anywhere you like.

- iHome MP3 dock/alarm clocks in every room, so don’t fret if you left your iPod charger at home.

Geek Girl Traveler’s Final Verdict:

MAKE IT SO! If you can swing it, The Library Hotel is a wonderful place for one night, or for a more extended stay. Check out their website, follow them on Twitter, or “like” them on Facebook to keep track of special deals and events throughout the year!

GEEK GIRL TRAVELER NYCC DISCOUNT: If you’re making plans to visit NYC in October for New York Comic Con, consider staying at The Library Hotel. If you’re booking a room for October 13-16 (or any time during NYCC weekend), mention the code “CHINASHOP”, and you’ll get 12% off the Best Flexible rates (based on availability)! This applies to reservations made via their WEBSITE ONLY. A 3-day cancellation would apply.

Words and photos by Teresa Jusino. Follow Geek Girl Traveler on Twitter.

New York City geeks were recently lined up around the block for five hours in anticipation of one of Geek Culture’s patron saints. Simon Pegg, star of fan-favorite films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, the J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek, and the cult-hit television show, Spaced, made an appearance at the Strand Bookstore as part of his U.S. tour to promote the American release of his new book, Nerd Do Well.

The book is an entertaining and insightful read whether you’re familiar with Simon Pegg or not. Part memoir, part comedic genre fiction, Nerd Do Well chronicles Pegg’s journey from being a young boy obsessed with Star Wars and zombies to becoming a man who gets to hang out with George Romero and be introduced to George Lucas. As Pegg puts it, it’s “about the idea of an adult fulfilling his childhood passions.”

Pegg understands what it is to be a fan, having been one all his life. So, rather than have the crowd gathered at the Strand sit through a reading and risk not having the time to get their books signed, Pegg chose to skip reading and go straight to the signing, determined to give every single person the one-on-one attention they desperately craved. It’s this kind of understanding that makes Simon Pegg so beloved in the Geek Community.

I was lucky enough to be able to speak with him several days later, as he continued his book tour across the country. It wasn’t originally his intention to write a memoir at all. As I said to him, it seemed a bit soon for this kind of a book, rather like getting a Lifetime Achievement Award when you still have so much left to do, but his original plan was to do a book about film, or even a work of genre fiction. It wasn’t until he met with his editor that he was convinced that it would be worth it to write something a bit more personal.

“Richard E Grant wrote a wonderful book called With Nails, which is all about his first five or six films in quite detail and talks about the story of making them and what was going on, and I thought that could be worth doing, because it felt more work-related,” Pegg says. “But I found that [I] couldn’t get excited about talking about work – as much as I love my job – it felt like something that would be boring to read.” He began to see that there were many parallels between his childhood and his adulthood that he thought would be more fun, both to read and to relate. “And I had to then get over the fact that I would be sharing – I’ve always been a very private person, I try to keep my private life out of my work – and this would necessitate me actually talking about my private life. So I wrestled with that for a while, and came to the conclusion that…this is the kind of stuff that I would share with friends down at the pub, and it was also coming straight from me, and not being filtered through anybody. So after going through that whole thought process (laughs) I finally thought OK, I’ll write the memoir.”

After writing the book, Pegg thought it important to get in contact with the people he mentions in it, to get their blessing. That, in itself, proved to be its own journey. “In some instances I found odd moments of closure where I didn’t realize I needed it or even wanted it,” he says. “And [I] also found an excuse to talk to people that I missed, whose company I’d fallen away from just through distance and time.” He even got in touch with Mrs. Taylor, one of the English teachers he mentions warmly in the book: “She’d written a comment after one of my projects about ‘Perhaps you can do this when you’re published’ and then to sort of, twenty-five or thirty years later to be able to say, ‘Well, now I am published, and here it is! And here’s your comment!’ That was a nice sort of circularity.”

As kind and thoughtful as Pegg was on the phone, there was also a seriousness about him that seems a bit surprising at first, until you put it in the context of his real-life close friendship with actor, Nick Frost, which has been immortalized in a fictionalized version in the projects they’ve done together. He’s the one who could stand to let go a bit more (like Nick Angel in Hot Fuzz) and Frost is the one who teaches him how to do that (like Danny in the same film). Their friendship, as well as the bromance in all its incarnations is a large focus of Nerd Do Well.

In fact, there are a several humorous as well as not-so-nice incidents in Pegg’s life that have involved other boys and men by whose inclusion I was surprised. It isn’t many actors of a certain caliber who openly discuss, for example, the times that they kissed male friends in a group for a laugh, or the times they briefly wondered if they were gay; but he believes such hesitance is unnecessary if one is secure in who they are. To Pegg, it’s just not that big of a deal.

When I asked him why he chose to include those anecdotes, he says, “I just wanted to be honest, really. My agenda wasn’t anything more than just telling it how it is, and everything else be damned. I don’t care what people think about me in that respect, I have nothing to hide. And I’m sure there were things there that lots and lots of people can relate to. Nowadays, particularly in light of my screen relationship with Nick Frost, there are guys being a lot more open about being friends and not being worried about… I mean, guys who worry about people thinking they’re gay are probably gay, and that’s the root of their insecurities, when it’s actually fine to give your mate a hug. It doesn’t matter, you know? And also there are things that a) they’re quite amusing, and b) they fed into my emotional growth, which is part of the book in a way. So, no, I didn’t worry about that at all.”

He tends not to talk about his baby daughter much, given his desire for privacy, but I asked him how he feels about the current Geek Girl movement as the father to a future geek girl. “I think it’s great,” he says. “It’s another moment of empowerment. Just as we’ve gotten to a point where guys can talk about the things they love without being ashamed of it, then women are feeling the same thing. And it’s great, because it’s creating a new layer of female geek output, you know? There are new characters, and new types of genre fiction that are tailored specifically for and created by women and that can only be a good thing. Cause guys can get a kick out of, you know “They’re here now! They’re here!” (laughs) Men can enjoy that, too! I love the rise of the Nerd Girl.”

Simon Pegg is a talented and funny actor/writer who is comfortable enough in his own skin to not be threatened by bromance or girls and women in the geeky clubhouse, and Nerd Do Well is a funny, entertaining, and honest read from one of geekdom’s greatest heroes. It’s available now from Gotham/Penguin wherever books are sold!

Words and photos by Teresa Jusino.

You’ve curated in a number of spaces, from Manhattan galleries to car clubs to art fairs. How do you deal with the challenges each space presents?

I’ve been curating and organizing “art happenings” and pop-up exhibitions in alternative spaces for a number of years now. While some galleries have been somewhat straight forward, others have been very odd places for art to hang. Overall, each and every space is utterly different. Any show I put together requires from me a lot of diplomacy and communication with venue owners, employees, artists and anyone else involved. While it’s difficult to start from scratch every time, it’s also wonderfully challenging and I learn a lot from each experience.

I like how non-traditional spaces can re-contextualize the way art is viewed and understood. A venue that displays art becomes a secondary frame to it, so to speak. It has a silent voice in defining how people will perceive the art upon its walls; most galleries are white boxes so that art speak for itself. This is a challenge that I can take advantage of while it is also something that can ruin an exhibit. Showing art in a bar, to name one example, can be problematic because most people don’t notice the art on its walls unless the display of it is dealt with just so. While art has the potential of breaking through these kinds of boundaries on its own, I need to facilitate that break-through as much as possible. Thus, when choosing a venue for an exhibition, I have to consider the decor that already exists, what aspects of it can be changed to better bring out the art, the type of people who regularly visit the space, the employees and how well they will protect the art, and many many other factors.

The artists you handle tend to share a definite dark aesthetic. What draws you to this?

I am indeed very attracted to a dark aesthetic in art, but I try to work with that which evinces a dissonance between that dark aesthetic and a sublime beauty. When those opposites in visual art set each other off in the right ways, the pulling and pushing between them creates the most grotesque and intriguing of mysteries that I am ultimately fascinated by, and have chosen to explore and promote. I’ve seen people freeze in front of Buddy Nestor‘s paintings, simultaneously disgusted, amazed and intrigued, unable to tear themselves away. The narratives in Carrie Ann Baade‘s paintings are harsh and moody, yet speak of love and humor, and display an exquisite palette of bright colors, texture and composition. Dan Ouellette‘s pencil drawings glow with soft light and form, yet his subject matter is extremely disturbing exploring psycho-sexual confusion, hauntings and bad dreams. Roger Ballen, Odd Nerdrum and Dino Valls are some other contemporary artists whose work contains such imagery that challenges societal norms and breaks taboos.

You’re trained as an artist. What does this bring to your curation?

I’ve studied conceptual art while I’ve also learned traditional master drawing and painting. I feel that the knowledge I’ve gained from that multifaceted education has greatly sharpened my curatorial eye. Besides my education, I grew up in the arts surrounded by performers, musicians and visual artists, and have watched them struggle and thrive, so I believe I have a deep understanding for how artists speak through their work, and sympathize with that when curating and marketing an exhibit.

What do you look for in the artists you handle?

The list of criteria is quite long; I have to be very picky about the artists with whom I work! In general, their art must fit into my aesthetic very neatly. It must also be intelligent, thought-provoking and evince good technical chops. I won’t work with any flighty artists (sorry, but the stereotypical crazy artist does not exist in my world). The artist must take care of their artwork, be prolific, confident and hell-bent on introducing their work to the world. In addition to all of that, the artists with whom I work must maintain an active dialog with me; I can do more for an artist who is curious and communicative. They have to understand that I’m not just a vehicle through whom they get an art show, but am providing marketing, sales, business connections, management and much more, all of which starts long before their exhibition opens and long after it comes down. It is always surprising to me how many artists, young and old, do not take these latter things into consideration.

What’s next for you?

There are a lot of exciting things that have been going on behind-the-scenes that will bloom in the coming months and years. For example, I’ve been working with Carrie Ann Baade on publicizing the group exhibition she curated, Cute and Creepy, taking place this coming fall at the Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts. I have been asked to guest curate for a few galleries, and to write for a number of different publications and blogs. I’ve also been mentoring younger artists here and there, and am beginning to conspire with a few people on large projects. So, basically, I’ve got my hands full with a lot of wonderful things at the moment!

Samantha Levin | 646.712.2820 | artanagnorisis.com

Interview by Molly Crabapple

Sweaty, smelly, hot and cramped—and that’s just the cab ride to the venue. Our second stop of the evening was the official WMC Opening Night Party at the Vagabond downtown, where Frankie Knuckles, David Morales and Hector Romero were spinning house music so deep they should have been handing out free life preservers at the door. If Tenaglia’s set at the National was the appetizer, this was the main course, and the Vagabond did not disappoint.

It’s not a huge venue, but the partitioning of the rooms is genius. If you don’t get caught up in the first room, the main room will definitely suck you in. Low ceilings, crazy lights, and a sound system with as much whomp as a full scale LA nightclub. You don’t just hear the music at Vagabond. You get knocked around by it. Need a little respite from the audio/visual onslaught? Pass through a small hallway and out into the lush open-air patio where the Vagabond house band, 3^rd Party, is laying down a trademark Miami mix of jazz, hip-hop and soul. Fresh burgers are hot off the grill, and the palm trees sway back and forth with the patrons.

Dance music DJs like to talk about how their sets take you on a journey. For David Morales, that journey plays out like a cab ride through all the five boroughs of New York City. He’ll get hands in the air with back-to-back diva cuts, have all the girls dancing on tables with a few tracks full of cumbia rhythms, then do a deep dive underground with a song like Green Velvet’s “La La Land.” Even if house music isn’t your thing, it’s hard not to be moved by a Morales set. His style is relentless, and the packed house was content to throw it all back at him. By the time he brandished his new single, “You Just Don’t Love Me,” there wasn’t a dry shirt in the house.

I never had a chance to experience what the house music scene was like in New York in the late ’70s and early ’80s; warehouse parties packed to the gills with people of all sizes, shapes and colors dancing to an indelible mish-mash of funk, electro and disco. For DJs like Morales and Frankie Knuckles, those were the glory days of dance, and they were truly in their element. In the midst of a new electro revival spearheaded in the mainstream by artists like the Black Eyes Peas and Usher, it was good to get a little late-night history lesson from the teachers that originated the curriculum.

Follow all our WMC movements @ChinaShopMag

Words by Rich Thomas. Graham John Bell.

Dorks on one side of the line.  Cool kids on the other.  This high school dichotomy holds fast for much of New York nightlife, and it’s something that Seen Magazine is trying to change.  Starting with their launch party.

On July 4^th, Seen Magazine, the street wear brand Mishka, and the Comic Books Legal Defense Fund threw an epic party at Water Taxi Beach, artificial patch of sand and neon palm trees on the East River. Music by Beach Fossils and the Death Set blasted as the sun set over Manhattan.

There were taut, tan young things dousing themselves in beer.  There were beachballs and photobooths and enviably flat stomachs and freaks being gotten on galore.

But!  There were also comic geeks- including pasty pasty me.  The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (valiant free speech warriors if there ever were) had gathered us.  We had painted up Etnies sneakers and took turns on the artstage, marking up giant canvases.  Gig poster artist Brian Ewing, “pop art princess” Tara McPherson, and comics creators Nikki Cook and Khary Randolph all turned out finished paintings in under two hours.

In the end, perhaps cool kids and dorks are doomed to sit on different sides of the room.  But, for one night on the 4^th of July, Seen got them to hang together.

Words and photos by Molly Crabapple

No other hotel has as much rock ‘n’ roll history.  So, it’s not perfect — or particularly opulent.  There is no room service, some of the rooms are more “grunge” than chic, & there is a bullet hole in the door in the 5th floor corridor.  But it’s absolutely worth a visit to soak up some atmosphere.

You’ll understand why after just one night in the Chelsea’s eclectic digs.  Sometimes it seems more like a home for the bewildered than a hotel, but it all adds to the charm.  Be warned, however: this is not a place to stay if you’re feeling particularly Type A.  It’s more suited to smoking cigarettes on the balcony, last night’s eyeliner & a trench coat worn with nothing but a pair of heels.

Jack Kerouac wrote On The Road in one of the rooms.  Charles Bukowski, Edie Sedgwick, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen & Tom Waits have all spent time here.  The central staircase winds around an ornate balustrade, artists paint in the hallways & every room is unique.

For the same price as a normal-sized room in most New York hotels, you can obtain a one-bedroom suite at the Chelsea — with a lot of ambiance.  If you need a couple of days to yourself to work on some kind of masterpiece, this is surely the perfect place to do it.

Hotel Chelsea
222 West 23rd St, New York NY
http://www.hotelchelsea.com

Words by Gala Darling with photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/hal990/

The whole concept is brilliant.  They’ve taken the classic charm of an apothecary & combined it with the needs of a young, modern customer.  Daily flavor specials are blasted out across the universe courtesy of Twitter, but samples are still served on silver spoons.  In cold weather, they serve sublimely rich vegan hot chocolate with marshmallow pieces.  The staff are charming, dapper & genuine.

Lula’s house o’ sweetness has a checkered floor & cranks old-timey tunes, but the space is too small to hang out in comfortably.  Instead, take your shake or cone & walk north a couple of blocks to Tompkins Square Park.  Go & admire the enormous elm trees — one of them is the site where the Hare Krishna religion was started in America (& beat poet Allen Ginsberg was in attendance!).  The park is always littered with divine miscreants & fireflies blaze trails through the night.  A beautiful park & a tongue lashed with frosty delights is the recipe for a magical evening, n’est-ce pas?

Lula’s Sweet Apothecary
516 East 6th Street, New York NY
http://www.lulassweetapothecary.com

Words by Gala Darling with photo by  http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathyylchan/

Welcome to the icy tundra. I don’t know about where you are, but here in New York City, locals are lamenting the temperatures, calling it the coldest winter in years. It seems like everyone in the city is resigned to wearing puffy jackets & waterproof ski pants until spring. I am no better than the rest of the masses — my style has been a true casualty, dangerously teetering most days between a pair of pajamas & something I like to call “dumpling-wear”. 

Cold, schmold — unfortunately, life goes on.

We still have to leave the house to make the long trek to work, buy coffee or shop for groceries. We layer up with a sigh, donning boots, stockings, skirts, three sweaters, a coat, a hat, a scarf & a pair of gloves. We waddle around, practically immobilized by our many layers, feeling like something out of March Of The Penguins, just far less elegant. To add insult to injury, you can’t get coins out of your purse, change songs on your iPod or type a simple text message without having to use your teeth to remove an enormous glove.

 It’s a very sad time, but there is light on the horizon. Despite the days of freezing temperatures ahead of us, there have been advancements in glove technology, & that alone is reason to celebrate!  Yes, once upon a time, we had only a few choices — gloves (tricky), mittens (impossible) or fingerless gloves (hobo/criminal chic). But it’s all about to change. Etre Touchy gloves are here for you. They believe that you shouldn’t have to choose between dexterity & frigid digits. Etre Touchy gloves are your new, cozy messiah. What is an Etre Touchy glove? It is a full woolen glove with the top of the thumb & index finger conspicuously absent. Genius! 

Now you can type a magnum opus text message, skim through your 20,000 MP3s or fiddle with your contact lenses without exposing your other fingers to the chilly elements. You can even pick your nose (très chic) or read braille — two activities fully endorsed by the creators of Etre Touchy gloves!

Creators Paul & Simon say the idea came to them over a couple of cups of espresso. Recent iPhone purchases had presented them with a challenge — that of flirting via text message with desirable young bachelorettes in winter. Removing a glove to punch in a few words with the intention of impressing a lass just seemed like too much effort, & fingerless gloves (the next logical step) rendered fingers numb & useless. But what if the glove was only missing two fingers? What, indeed? 

It was a long road from dream to reality, as you can read here: http://www.etretouchy.com/about/where/  We sure are glad they persisted.

 Manufactured in the United Kingdom by a company who also creates accessories for Gucci & Paul Smith (ooh, err!), Etre Touchy gloves come in a choice of colors. My favorites are charcoal with turquoise trim & gray with rose trim (pictured).  They even offer fully-customizable colorways for bulk orders!  How very generous.

 Despite the excitement, it definitely leaves you with a couple of questions to ponder. Firstly, which color matches your wardrobe best?  And secondly, why didn’t anyone think of this sooner?!

Words by Gala Darling