MUGI – My Unique Gift Idea

Thanks to Oprah Winfrey for bringing to my attention what has become the latest fan of a fashion trend which has been sweeping Canada for months now…those red-and-white woolen mittens that have a fuzzy Maple Leaf on their palms.

Oprah opted to hand out 300 pairs to her talk show’s studio audience Friday while interviewing American snowboarder Shaun White, who grabbed a gold medal in the men’s half-pipe last week.
The Hudson’s Bay Company reportedly sent Winfrey a shipment of the coveted gloves after she said how much she liked them on the show earlier in the week.
Apparently Oprah is just the latest celebrity to boost the status of the mittens. The mittens have also been seen on the hands of such celebrities as model Cindy Crawford, U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden and The Today Show’s Matt Lauer.
Dubbed the “it” souvenir of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the knit mitts warmed the hands and hearts of Canadians as part of Olympic torchbearers’ uniforms during the 105-day cross-country torch relay. Stores sold out very quickly after the winter accessory made its debut on Oct. 1, 2009.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge caught on to the trend early: he bought 106 pairs for his entire group back in the autumn.