Perhaps the oldest and most romanticised of all the ladies fashion accessories are long leather gloves. They could be found in the wardrobe of royalty and the aristocracy as the early as the 17th century and saw their last great peak in the first half of the 20th century, championed by actresses such as Audrey Hepburn.
In the last few years, they have been making a revival and have been seen teamed with capes and winter coats this autumn. However, for many women who admire these luxurious accessories, there is still a note of hesitation about buying them. Wanting to avoid the PVC look is one concern and not knowing what to wear them with is another. So here are a few hints and tips to help you on your way.
There are various styles of ladies long leather gloves with the most popular being the full length opera gloves in a neutral colour such as black. This style is a fantastic formal wear accessory, whether its for a night out at the opera or for cocktail party. As these gloves extend the full length of the arm, I would recommend wearing a strapless evening dress or gown. Matching your glove colour to your dress colour is essential. For a more casual use of the full length glove, I would suggest wearing under a cape in the autumn and a coat in the winter with jeans.
Elbow length leather gloves are perhaps a more versatile accessory than the full length. Also if you are slightly nervous about buying the full length opera gloves, it can be a safe way to break into the long leather gloves world.
Another benefit of this length is that there seems to be more styles to choose from. For example, Ive seen elbow length gloves in nappa leather and suede with a gold zip detail running from the wrist to the elbow and some with crystals scattered on the suede.
This style of glove can be worn for formal occasions but the beauty of them in my opinion is that they can be worn just as much as a casual accessory when teamed with a denim or leather jack and jeans and even with a thick cable-knit cashmere jumper with the sleeves rolled up to show them off.
So which ever style you decide to go for make sure you feel comfortable in them and show them off!
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