There was once a time when a lady wouldn’t dare leave the house without her gloves. I watched Little Women some days ago and Aunt March was appalled at the idea of Meg venturing out without gloves, especially being among “society.”

Gloves come in a variety of fabrics and with a multitude of embellishments. We know winter gloves—cashmere knits, wool, mohair, leather, suede and mittens. There’s also gauntlet styled gloves, with cuffs that cover the wrist or forearm.

In today’s culture, the wearing of gloves is not generally the mark of being a gentlewoman, but as a needed accessory for protection from the weather, contamination or abrasions; and of course for style and fashion. We no longer have to subscribe to daytime and evening glove wear to denote our social status and level of sophistication. Still, I personally can’t help but to see the elegance in wearing beautiful ladies’ gloves. Perhaps I have been overcome with visions of old Hollywood glam and vintage couture. I am especially fond of fingerless gloves.

The gentlewoman’s or ladies’ gloves come in three distinctive lengths, and are casual, formal or semi-formal. There’s wrist, elbow and full/opera length (also known as evening gloves).

Ladies’ Evening Gloves

Now let’s talk about ladies’ evening gloves. If you’re a fan of the opera such as I am, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Satin, silk, lame, suede, lambskin. Sophistication and glamour. This style of gloves extends beyond the elbow. There’s also Mousquetaire gloves—opera gloves that button at the wrist. We see opera gloves in various contexts—weddings, proms, formal dances, pageants and debutante balls. I definitely think formal when it comes to opera gloves.

Do any images from black and white movies, or perhaps paintings, come to mind?

Glove Girl

For the love of gloves!! What about you? Are you a fan of gloves? Perhaps you’re not so much into formal gloves, but like stylish embellishments, fringe and stitching with a more youthful flair. Whatever the case, welcome to the Glove Girl Club. Share a comment and tell me what you think.