{"id":691922,"date":"2026-03-30T07:17:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T07:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/691922\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T07:17:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T07:17:12","slug":"elegant-or-just-silly-chicago-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/691922\/","title":{"rendered":"Elegant or just silly? \u2013 Chicago Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear Answer Angel Ellen<\/strong>: I inherited several pairs of long \u2014 past the elbow \u2014 gloves when my grandmother passed away.<\/p>\n

I think they\u2019re elegant but will people think I\u2019m dressing like someone out of a fairy tale or just look silly? Or would this be a look that is way too avant-garde for a normal person like me?<\/p>\n

\u2013Lucy B.<\/p>\n

Dear Lucy<\/strong>: Trust me, you will see women in \u201copera length\u201d gloves at this year\u2019s Oscars as well as at much less fancy, formal events. They are back in style, big time. Black, white, opaque, lacy, colors to match or seemingly clash with your outfit in leather, suede or fabric. If you\u2019ve got \u2019em, wear \u2018em.<\/p>\n

I saw some on the Prada website (prada.com<\/strong><\/a>) in gorgeous shades of aqua, brilliant orange and eye-popping chartreuse (a color that is enjoying a comeback, by the way) for a whopping $1,470. Debutantes are wearing long gloves at chic balls and It Girls are styling them with short skirts and daytime dressing. Go for it!<\/p>\n

And another fashion blast from the past\u2026<\/p>\n

Dear Answer Angel Ellen<\/strong>: I\u2019ve always loved penny loafers \u2014 the real thing that you put an actual penny in a slot\/cutout in the band that crosses the top of the shoe. I feel like I\u2019m seeing more and more of them. Are they back?<\/p>\n

\u2013Phil P.<\/p>\n

Dear Phil<\/strong>: Loafers, including penny loafers, never went out of style. They\u2019re a classic. But they are enjoying a renewed popularity \u2014 the same phenomenon as the long gloves above.<\/p>\n

And despite the fact that the U.S. Mint isn\u2019t making pennies any more, you don\u2019t need to worry about the supply drying up. There are literally billions of them out there. The latest iterations of the slip-on loafer have thicker, rubber lug soles available for under $100 to well over $1,000 for luxury brands like Hermes, Christian Louboutin and Gucci.<\/p>\n

FYI: That band across the top of the shoe is called the saddle, which rests on the front part of the shoe, aka the vamp.<\/p>\n

Dear Answer Angel Ellen<\/strong>: I am still angry\/hurt. Instead of sending Christmas cards I decided to send Valentines to all of the people and families on my Christmas card list \u2014 figuring it was a novel way of sending greetings and wouldn\u2019t just get dumped into the usual Christmas card pile. And then I waited. And I am still waiting. I didn\u2019t get a single thank you from anybody. And not a soul sent me a Valentine (although I mailed mine out in plenty of time for friends and family to reciprocate). What\u2019s wrong with people these days?<\/p>\n

\u2013Kristen M.<\/p>\n

Dear Kristen<\/strong>: Your switching up Christmas cards and sending Valentines instead is a lovely idea. But, there\u2019s nothing\u2019s wrong with the people who didn\u2019t respond like you hoped\/expected them to. The problem is your expectation. Most people don\u2019t say, \u201cThanks for the Christmas card.\u201d Why would you think that you\u2019d get a big thank you for switching up holiday greetings? The pleasure for you should be in the sending.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m always happy to get a piece of unexpected, personal mail\u2014not a bill, not a solicitation for a donation or ads for ways to spend money. I\u2019m betting that you brightened the day for the people who got those unexpected Valentines. Mission accomplished.<\/p>\n

Dear Answer Angel Ellen<\/strong>: I get regular manicures and spend a fair amount of money on my nails. I am on a budget and looking for ways to cut back. Do you have any recommendations for savings on nail care other than doing it myself, which I\u2019m not very good at.<\/p>\n

\u2013Emma P.<\/p>\n

Dear Emma<\/strong>: Lucky for you, the nude nail is enjoying a renewed popularity. Shorter, natural-looking nails in clear or barely there shades were popular on the runway at the recent New York fashion shows. These non-colors are much less likely to show polish nicks and wear. This will enable you to go longer between manicures and, over time, could be a significant savings.<\/p>\n

If you have favored French manicures \u2014 nude nails with the tips (often long) painted a contrasting color \u2014 a newly popular variation will be helpful. Now trending are very, very narrow bands of color at a very short tip where chips in the polish are not as noticeable and easier to repair at home.<\/p>\n

(Send your questions and rants \u2013 on style, shopping, fashion, makeup and beauty \u2013 to\u00a0answerangelellen@gmail.com<\/a>.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I inherited several pairs of long \u2014 past the elbow \u2014 gloves when my…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":691923,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[600,289842,960,171,10574,5386,1818,1370,1072],"class_list":{"0":"post-691922","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-advice","9":"tag-answer-angel","10":"tag-chicago","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-fashion","13":"tag-il","14":"tag-illinois","15":"tag-latest-headlines","16":"tag-things-to-do"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116316906963557203","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/691923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}