The Long And Short of It

Two pairs of kidskin gloves: shorties beautifully inset with battenberg lace, and divinely soft 22" opera gloves.I am sad to report that gloves are not very much in fashion. On the other hand (pun intended), it is probably a good thing as I would probably have an enormous collection overflowing my drawers and shrinking my bank account.

Ancient Histories

Illustration of Cyrano de Bergerac by Pierre BrissaudOnce upon a time however, gloves were full of meaning: you could throw down the gauntlet if someone jostled you in a doorway or, if insulted, slap your nemesis in the face. You could offer your glove on bended knee in homage – or in a complete about turn throw your glove at the King’s feet to challenge his right to reign. Or you could even lace one with poison and gift it to an enemy, such as was done in the fifteenth century to Jeanne d’Albret, the Queen Mother
of France.

…you could throw down the gauntlet
if someone jostled you in a doorway or, if insulted, slap your nemesis
in the face.

Fair ladies showed favour to their knight by bestowing a glove to be worn in tournament. In eighteenth century Central Europe, gloves signified an exchange of property. Dutchwomen could marry their long-distant fiancés by proxy – standing beside his portrait and clutching his glove – prior to sailing to the East Indies to meet him.

So much more interesting than modern times: we just use them to keep our hands warm. Or even more prosaically, protect them from the evil effects of dishwater, or harsh chemicals and the like.

Short or Long?

The empire-line gown Josephine made fashionable, worn with long (and ruched-down) gloves. Image from ‘The Fine Art of Fashion – An Illustrated History’, by Julian Robinson, Bay Books Australia.Glove length depends upon the occasion. I once read somewhere: the longer the glove, the more formal the occasion. However, historically, sleeve-length has also influenced the length of the gloves.

Over-the-elbow gloves first became fashionable towards the end of the eighteenth century, when Napoleon was rampaging all over Europe, and his Empress Josephine was dazzling fashionable society with Empire-line gowns – and long gloves of course (the better to disguise her ‘ugly’ hands). It was also very fashionable to scrunch them down so they wrinkled attractively.

Around 1810, when sleeves lengthened, gloves grew shorter, but long gloves were still worn with formal dress until around 1825. Then, the Victorian era’s fashionable tendencies towards longer-sleeved gowns made long gloves obsolete – even with shorter-sleeved eveningwear.

The Three Musketeers’ Legacy

Ah, so that’s how they did it! Drawing by Harrison Fisher.Made from delicate kidskin and coloured white, ivory or black, opera gloves are between 19 and 23 inches in length. They have a wrist opening that closes with three pearl buttons (although originally they did not), with three lines stitched across the back of the hand. In French, they are called mousquetaire gloves, and do in fact take their name from the French musketeers, being feminine adaptions of a style in use by these duellists.

The mousquetaire continued to be popular, particularly in the Edwardian period, and became associated with elegance and high class – a far cry from the medieval period. It was considered inappropriate to remove them in public
(far too alluring), so there was no slapping anyone in the face with these. Instead, many ladies made use of the wrist opening and slipped their hands through in order to eat or drink, without removing the glove itself.

Forbidden behaviour: removing gloves alluringly in public. These'd be no good for face slapping anyway.

The Rules for Gloves

Fast forward to the mid-twentieth century. By this time gloves of all lengths and styles were an indispensible accessory. One could not venture out of the house without gloves, but one was certainly permitted to remove them on certain occasions.

Eating, drinking, smoking, playing cards, applying makeup: all were forbidden activities in the 1960s. Bracelets were allowed on top of gloves, but rings were a positive no-no. (For the full list of Do’s and Don’ts, refer to Miss Abigail.)

These days so few women wear fashionable gloves that there are no official tenets governing their deployment…

These days so few women wear fashionable gloves that there are no official tenets governing their deployment: it is more likely simple common sense that will rule – or the whim of the moment. Gloves worn for warmth are cast off once one has reached one’s destination, while those worn for fashion are retained so long as food is not consumed. The former will most likely be stuffed into a pocket, and the latter (hopefully) sedately folded and tucked into a purse.

It is a pity, but there may not be too many opportunities to wear kidskin opera gloves these days, but there is a certain pleasure in owning a vintage pair. Gloves of all kinds are a delight to wear. I for one will not be foregoing any opportunity, even if I limit myself to less fragile pairs – it helps to own lots of these!