Good Guys Wear Black

As the days get shorter and the mercury drops lower,
clothing choices follow suit.

Some gondoliers pull their boats out of the water,
while others reach for the "winter uniform".

photo by Isabella Mohr

         The pants are black, as is the sailor-collared overshirt
         (known as a "marinera").

         Some gondoliers keep with the navy and white stripes,
         but instead of a T-shirt - it's a thick knitted sweater.

Amadeo of La Gondola in Providence rows in his striped sweater

with an accordionist on board.

 

At the top of it all, the hat is the same, but the ribbon is black.

In Southern California, I spend most of the year in a summer uniform.
For a few months though, I swap out my red-ribboned capello,
for this beauty - one of the many masterpieces that have come out
of the shop of Giuliana Longo.

               Look through photos of the various gondoliers in the US
               and you'll see a lot of Giuliana's hats.

Hats off! (and on the wall) at the awards dinner
of the US Gondola Nationals in Providence, RI.

Rafaello and Alberto enjoy food and conversation.

As the sun shines less on the top half of the planet,
thin, light clothing makes less sense to us gondoliers.

Temperatures urge us to wear clothes that are warmer.
Tradition inspires us to wear black.

Black, because good guys wear black - just ask Chuck Norris.