My best Value Village score ever was a navy cashmere coat about knee-length, in almost mint condition, probably dating back (guessing by its three-quarter-length sleeves) to the Doris Day era. Sometimes I wear the coat with a rust-coloured long-sleeved sweater underneath. I also own, from the last time chartreuse was a hot colour, a pair of long, chartreuse, wool gloves–and am I ever glad I do. Sleeve lengths are all over the place this season: mid forearm, to the elbow, and just above the elbow. The only accessory making sense of these lengths is gloves: to smooth the line and fill in the gap.

In the past, gloves have been nothing to get excited about; something you put on for warmth, made of black leather, maybe chocolate-brown leather, with the occasional pair of bright green or scarlet stretchy ones bought at a downtown dollar store the day you didn't realize how cold it was going to get. Now, gloves are one of the brightest accessories going.

For the first time, the words extra-extra large recently showed up on the cover of Vogue, the big, fat, fall issue filled with "840 pages of fearless fashion". After plodding through 288 pages of advertising, the editorial included lots and lots of gloves. Above-the-elbow with a sleeveless tunic (and a big, bold bangle worn over one glove); short and scarlet with a long dress of all-over black-and-red sequins; and an entire story that was part of an "accessory challenges" section, because gloves are not an item that usually makes headlines.

This fall, bank on adding several pairs to your wardrobe. If you're buying into grey as the new black–and black itself is back in force–you're going to need all the help you can get. The simplest way to inject some excitement into a monochrome outfit, or a grey day, is with an adrenaline shot of colour.

However, gloves do get lost. Buy cheap, so it's no tragedy if one gets left on the bus or falls in the gutter when you're climbing out of a car. But if you do invest heavily, as with sunglasses, guard them like newborn twins.

Holt Renfrew (737 Dunsmuir Street) has the most luxurious selection. Wildest by far is Missoni's $725 version that has a grey leather glove, to which is attached a ginger fur cuff, and above that grey knit arm-warmers, with three other colour combinations available for the "romantic warrior" look, says salesperson Michelle Miller. Also combining textures, a Nina Peter glove teams black patent leather with purple knit to just above the elbow ($175). Still too bold? Consider Holt Renfrew's black leather gloves with a side zip, and two vertical bands of colour–and five colours to pick from ($125).

If you're wincing at those prices, think vintage, thrift, and secondhand. Rod Hubic of Deluxe Junk (310 West Cordova Street) spotted a trend last fall when "what I noticed were selling were nice kid-leather gloves. Younger women picked up that they looked cool." The colours we've been getting are traditional, but "every once in a blue moon, something unique comes along", such as Lilly Daché gauntlet gloves with tiny mother-of-pearl buttons. "A little flash here, a little pop there–that's all you need," Hubic says.

Evening gloves are a whole other topic. Last month, the must-read fashion Web site by London-based Susie Bubble (stylebubble.typepad.com/) suggested buying cheap, sheer gloves and wearing them in layers as an alternative to splashing out on Yohji Yamamoto silk tulle ones that are covered in logos. I'd also check eBay; extravagant gloves may be gifts that never get worn, which is why you occasionally come across treasures like vintage-red, silk, paisley, long opera gloves. Wish I'd remembered to snipe those at the last moment (sigh).

Long, tight-fitting gloves are iconically sexy. (Think of Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's in a sleeveless black dress and black gloves above the elbow.) But they're also a cool way to update last winter's little black shift. Thrift stores aren't your only resource. Gearing up for Halloween, the aisles of Dressew Supply (337 West Hastings Street) are full of bargain-basement options. Long-length gloves ($17.99) come in glamorous gold lamé, or plain colours like turquoise, lime, or rose although you'll need to funk them up with lots of black, scarlet lips, and plenty of attitude to lose any bridesmaid connotations. The other option is to go truly subversive. Spider-Man look-alikes are too costume-y, but for trashing a tame outfit, you can't beat black-and-gold-mesh spider-web ones ($9.99).