Gloves
cover hands and have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and
the thumb.
Fingerless gloves have an
opening but no covering sheath for each finger.
Gauntlets
are fingerless gloves with one large opening. Gloves which cover the
entire hand but do not have separate finger openings or sheaths are
called
mittens.
Gloves are used for warmth, as a fashion accessory and as a design
statement. Gloves are made of wool, velvet, leather, silk, lace, acrylic
and rubber. Gloves have an internal lining of satin, silk or velor and
sometimes have padding as well.
Types of Women Gloves
The different types of women gloves are:
- Evening Gloves
- Formal Gloves
- Semi Formal Gloves
Gloves can also be differentiated on the basis of the time of the
day that they are worn. Women's gloves for formal and semi-formal wear
are available in three different types:
- Matinee gloves are gloves that only come up to
the wrist.
- Elbow length gloves cover the arm upto the
elbows.
- Opera gloves are full length gloves that go
over the elbow and cover the arm upto the biceps.
Gloves: Past To Present
Gloves appear to have a long history. According to some translations of
Homer's
"The Odyssey", the
protagonist of the story wears gloves while walking to avoid scratching
due to brambles. In 440 BC, Herodotus wrote
"The
History of Herodotus" which also mentions a story about
Leotychides getting incriminated due to a gauntlet(glove) full of silver
that he received as a bribe. In 100 AD, Pliny The Younger in his works
mentioned about his uncle's shorthand writer who wore gloves during the
winter so as not to smudge Pliny The Elder's work.
In the 10th and the 11th century, gloves were used by the Church
priests primarily by the Pope, the cardinals and the bishops. They were
worn only during celebrations.
In 13th century, gloves became a fashion accessory and also started
being used for ceremonial and religious purposes. The gloves were made
of linen and silk and sometimes covered the arm upto the elbow. In 16th
century, Queen Elizabeth I set the fashion for wearing the gloves richly
embroidered and jeweled. These gloves became a symbol of royalty.
Later on, gloves were used for everyday work and for fashion purposes.
Now, gloves are used to keep warm and to make a fashion statement.
