Skating Tops and Gloves

[Orianna2000]

I just got a new long-sleeved skating top that has thumb-holes. (See the style here. Not the same jacket, just illustrating the thumb-holes.) I love the look, I think it's very skater-chic. But I am wondering how it's supposed to work with gloves. Do you not wear gloves with them, since the sleeves are extra long? Or do you wear gloves under the sleeves? Seems like that would ruin the style, besides being bulky and awkward-looking. Wearing gloves over the sleeves would hide the thumb-holes, so I'm perplexed!

How's this supposed to work? Or am I mistaken--is this not a style for skaters? I could always fold the ends of the sleeves under and not use the thumb-holes, if I find that I really need gloves. But I like how it looks, so I'm curious if there's a solution. Any thoughts?

[Sk8tmum]

Yeah, my kids have the thumbhole thing on a lot of their jackets (then again, they live in LuLuLemon, which has this as a standard item!).  They hook the thumbhole in, then, pull the gloves over.  It's not an aesthetic thing - the idea is to that the thumbholes hold the sleeves down to keep wrists warm and to prevent the sleeves from riding up.  Very common in running gear.

[hopskipjump]

Lots of regular hoodies come that way too.  Dd has a skate jacket with the holes for her thumbs.  She wears her gloves over it.  The hole isn't a decoration - it keeps the sleeves down.

[Kim to the Max]

At my rink, we tend to out our gloves under the thumb hole. I think it is just personal preference. I love Lululemon...it wears well, is comfortable, and is pretty warm (depending on wha thou get).

[VAsk8r]

I was admiring a Lululemon top yesterday with thumb holes. It was super cute and looked very warm, but it was $68...too much when the $15 thermal tops I buy at Target and Old Navy get the job done.

I would just wear the gloves under the holes and pull the jacket/top down over them. That's what I do with the arm warmers I sometimes wear when my rink is really cold.

[Clarice]

I like the gloves under the thumb hole, too.  But when I'm working with my dance partner I have to slip my thumb out because he finds the extra fabric distracting in hold.

[Skittl1321]

Our synchro coach had a few of these shirts with thumbholes.  I never saw her wearing gloves with them.  I think the idea was extra warmth, when you can't have gloves. 


Then again, we weren't supposed to wear gloves during synchro unless the rink was exceedingly cold.

[Orianna2000]

Ah, see, I assumed it was a skating jacket, because it seemed geared for cold weather. And I didn't realize the thumb-holes had an actual purpose, besides looking elegant! But then, I've never had trouble with sleeves riding up, so I never would have guessed.

I don't recall the brand of my jacket, but I found it at Marshall's for $15. It's a half-zip pullover jacket, with a high-neck, thumb-holes, and a pocket for your iPod at the back hip. But I can't find a hole for the headphones to thread through, so I'm not entirely sure what the point of having the pocket is. Are you supposed to leave it half-zipped and let the cord hang out through the zipper? Seems like that would defeat the purpose.

(Sorry, I'm new to the world of modern athletic gear. . . .)

[aussieskater]

Ol' Monkey Arms here loves thumb holes - jackets with thumb holes are the only ones to get all the way to the ends of my arms!!

[AgnesNitt]

Because I'm short with proportionally shorter arms, I end up cutting of the length of arm with the thumb hole and just skating with a regular jacket.

[bollyskater]

I have about three Lululemon jackets as they are so comfy and useful, and they all have the thumbholes.

The idea is that the adjustable soft cuffs at the end of the sleeves can be worn like half-gloves when you put your thumb through the hole and pull the cuff all of the way out. If you don't put your thumb through, the cuff looks like a typical cuff.

I find the half-glove effect handy for skating on hot days. I don't have to wear gloves because the half-glove cuffs protect the palms of my hands if I happen to fall and my exposed fingers keep me a lot cooler.

One of my Lululemon running jackets even has an extra fold on the cuff so that you can pull it over your fingers if the weather turns even colder.

I also have a couple of Velvet paper-thin turtlenecks with thumbholes in the sleeves. That's probably more for style than anything else.

[platyhiker]

Thumb holes seem to be moderately common in long sleeved active wear aimed at runners - which makes sense as runners pump their arms up and down as they run and I would think that having floppy sleeves would be quite annoying.  I wear a light weight LL Bean "base layer" with thumb holes as a skating shirt (it breathes well and looks decent).  Personally, I don't really want the shirt on my hands, and I fold about two inches of the sleeve back up to make a wrist length sleeve and then it still stays put nicely.  If I was going to use the thumb holes, I would be inclined to wear the gloves under the sleeve.  But I don't think there are any fixed skater fashion rules here - try it both ways and see which feels better and/or looks better.

[jjane45]

I love my arm warmers with thumb holes, makes me feel elegant in a way. Another vote for gloves under

[Orianna2000]

I guess I'll try it both ways and see which I prefer. In the winter and spring, our rink never had "warm" days. It was always freezing. That may have changed now that it's 90-100 degrees outside, but I haven't been skating in three months, thanks to my custom skates being delayed. I'm scared I'll go back and find that the humidity has wreaked havoc on the ice, turning it into a nightmare of stalagmites and divots. Guess we'll see. In any case, I'm looking forward to trying my new skating clothes out. I even bought some gray knit jersey to make a skating skirt that matches my new leggings and tops. If I have leftover fabric, maybe I'll sew a pair of arm-warmers, too. With thumb-holes, of course. 

[sarahspins]

I love running shirts for skating, and I almost always wear my gloves under the sleeves.. I hate how the cuff can bunch up in the palm of my hand when trying to wear them under.

The best time to buy these is in early spring when stores start to clearance out all the fall/winter stuff.  I've been able to stock up quite a bit that way without breaking the bank.

[PinkLaces]

 I have 2 jackets with the thumb holes. I sometimes use them.  If I do the gloves go on first and under the holes.

Our club has the lululemon jackets as one of the club jacket options now. I haven't seen the kids really use the thumb holes.