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Anevening glove oropera glove is a type ofglove that reaches beyond the elbow. They are traditionally worn by women onformal occasions.
Women's gloves for formal and semi-formal wear come in three lengths for women:wrist,elbow, andopera or full-length (over the elbow, usually reaching to thebiceps but sometimes to the full length of the arm).
The most expensive full-length gloves are custom-made ofkidskin. Many other types ofleather, most usually soft varieties ofcowhide, are used in making full-length gloves;patent leather andsuede are especially popular as alternatives to kidskin, and are often more affordable than kidskin.Satin and stretch satin materials are extremely popular, and there are mass-produced varieties as well. More unusual glove materials include leathers made from salmon, python, and stingray.[1]
While the etymology of the termopera glove is unknown, gloves of above-the-elbow length have been worn since at least the late 18th century, and gloves reaching to or just below the elbow have been worn by women in Western countries since the 17th century; in an extant engraving of England'sQueen Mary dating from the 1690s she is shown wearing elbow-length gloves. Over-the-elbow gloves were first widely popular during theRegency/Napoleonic period (circa 1800–1825), and waned in popularity during the early and mid-Victorian periods (circa 1830–1870), 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 ofWorld War I. During that period, they were standard for both daytime and evening wear; even some swimming costumes were accessorized with opera gloves.Etiquette considered gloves to be mandatory accessories for both men and women of the upper classes, so it was uncommon to see a well-dressed woman at a public occasion who was not wearing gloves of some sort. According to several fashion historians, over-the-elbow gloves were re-popularized during the late 19th century by actressesSarah Bernhardt in France (to disguise what she considered her overly thin arms) andLillian Russell in the United States.[2]
The opera glove has enjoyed varying popularity in the decades sinceWorld War I, being most prevalent as a fashion accessory in the 1940s through the early 1960s, but continues to this day to be popular with women who want to add a particularly elegant touch to their formal attire. They have enjoyed minor revivals in fashion design on several occasions, being popular inhaute couture collections in the late 2000s.[2] Opera gloves of varying materials, particularly satin, lace, and kidskin, continue to be highly popular accessories forbridal,prom,debutante, andquinceañera gowns and at very formalballroom dances (white opera gloves are still mandatory for female debutantes at theVienna Opera Ball[3]).
They are sometimes worn by entertainers such ascan-can dancers andburlesque performers in particular during the performance of aGown-and-glove striptease. In popular culture, probably the best-known images incorporating opera gloves are those ofRita Hayworth inGilda (1946)Marilyn Monroe inGentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953),Cinderella from Disney's 1950 filmCinderella andAudrey Hepburn inBreakfast at Tiffany's.
InJapan, some ladies wear long gloves all day in summer, to protect the idealirojiro (色白), or fair skin, which represents beauty, grace, and high social status (as well as purity and divinity in local religions), and avoid any form of tanning.[4]
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