Evening Gloves

Ladies' evening gloves or opera gloves are a type of formal glove that reaches beyond the elbow. more...

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Ladies' gloves for formal and semi-formal wear come in three lengths for women: wrist, elbow, and opera or full-length (over the elbow, reaching to the biceps).

The most expensive full-length gloves are custom-made of kid leather. Satin and stretch satin materials are extremely popular, and there are mass-produced varieties as well.

History

While the etymology of the term opera glove is unknown, gloves of above-the-elbow length have been worn since at least the late eighteenth century. They were first popular during the Regency/Napoleonic period (circa 1800-1825), but enjoyed their greatest vogue in the last two decades of the 19th century and the years of the 20th century prior to the start of World War I. During that period, they were popular for both daytime and evening wear with most types of outfits (even some swimming outfits of the period were accessorized with opera gloves!)

The opera glove has enjoyed varying popularity in the decades since World War I, being most prevalent as a fashion accessory in the 1940s through early 1960s, but continues to this day to be popular with women who want to add a particularly elegant touch to their formal outfits. Opera gloves continue to be popular accessories for bridal and prom/debutante gowns and are often worn by entertainers such as can-can dancers and burlesque performers. In popular culture, probably the two best-known images incorporating opera gloves are those of Rita Hayworth in "Gilda" (1946) and Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953).

Mousquetaire

The best-known type of opera glove, the mousquetaire, is given this name due to the wrist-level opening (usually three inches long) which is closed by three (usually) buttons or snap closures, most frequently made of pearl or some lookalike material. The mousquetaire is originally derived from the gauntletsworn by French musketeers of the 16th and 17th centuries, although, tongue-in-cheek, according to Ambrose Bierce in The Devil's Dictionary, 1911:

Mousquetaire, n. A long glove covering a part of the arm. Worn in New Jersey. But "mousquetaire" is a might poor way to spell muskeeter. .

Mousquetaire gloves have buttons at the wrist so the wearer could open the buttons and slip her hand out without taking the whole glove off. The finger section would be folded in and kept away tidily. This is how ladies wore gloves while dining. After the meal they would put their hands back into the gloves, usually for the rest of the evening.

Measurements

The length of ladies' evening gloves are referred to in terms of "buttons", whether they in fact have buttons or not. Wrist length gloves are usually eight-button, those at the elbow are 16, mid-biceps are 22 and full shoulder length are 30. Opera gloves are between 16 and 22 button length, though some gloves can be as long as 29 or 30 inches. To fit oneself for gloves, measure all around the hand at the widest part of the palm where the knuckles are, but excluding the thumb. The measurement in inches is the glove size, but if one's arms are large, it may be practical to go up a size.

Read more at Wikipedia.org