Leather Gloves

[FinalVestige79]

What types / patterns of leather gloves would be worn in the Golden Era? Lined? Unlined? Stitched or smooth back? Are the gloves used today the same types as then?

 

[chanteuseCarey]

I'm looking forward to seeing what answers you get to this GG! I asked my vintage fashion dealer/guru Miz Jula regarding a suede pair and a smooth leather pair of gloves- if I could wear them for a vintage look. She said no on the suede ones.

On the vintage ladies fabric gloves, they are a tougher fabric I think than new gloves. For years I'd always safety pin my gloves together after I take them off, so I don't lose one. The older gloves material (on like 5 vintage pairs) is very hard to get a safety pin through!

What types / patterns of leather gloves would be worn in the Golden Era? Lined? Unlined? Stitched or smooth back? Are the gloves used today the same types as then?

 

[FinalVestige79]

I'm looking forward to seeing what answers you get to this GG! I asked my vintage fashion dealer/guru Miz Jula regarding a suede pair and a smooth leather pair of gloves- if I could wear them for a vintage look. She said no on the suede ones.

On the vintage ladies fabric gloves, they are a tougher fabric I think than new gloves. For years I'd always safety pin my gloves together after I take them off, so I don't lose one. The older gloves material (on like 5 vintage pairs) is very hard to get a safety pin through!

Thanks Carey, I actually forgot I posted this.

My grandmother did the same thing with her gloves, she had lacy ones and fur lined leather ones. I'm looking into mens gloves, something with style.

 

[Miss 1929]

It depends....

I only know for sure for the ladies... there is a whole art to choosing gloves.

Suede gloves are for daytime, generally more casual than kid gloves. If you're wearing suede gloves, you shoes should also be suede. If you are wearing kid gloves, there is more leeway - but if your shoes don't match your gloves, your purse should (there is a whole logic of shoes/purse/gloves/hat - they should never ALL be the same material. Two and two is better. More than two materials between the four items starts to look haphazard).

Suede gloves are also more fall and winterish. But they can pass for spring or summer if they are light in color and weight. They look silly with sandals of course. In summer, cloth gloves are more correct for daytime.

Kid gloves are more formal. The ones that are above the elbow or higher are only for evening wear. The length of the glove is referred to as three, four, five or six button, no matter how many actual buttons there may be, those are terms for length.

And if you are wearing them for evening wear, you have to take them off to shake hands or to eat or drink. So the right one can come off and leave the left on for convenience. Or, if they do have the opening at the wrist with buttons, you can unbutton the gap, remove just the hand of the glove, and tuck it into the gap, leaving the arm of the glove on your arm (a debutante trick).

Jewelry should not be worn outside the glove, except perhaps for one important bracelet. Rings over gloves are bad.

As far as men's gloves go, I would say this, from the magazines and catalogs I have perused (and, Granada Guy, you did rush right out and buy the books I recommended, right?):

Heavier, lined gloves in winter, not lined in summer (it's just common sense).
Suede, pigskin and heavy stitching for casual, country, workaday clothes.
Smooth leather, with not too obvious stitching, for afternoon and informal evening (suits).
White kid for formal evenings (either black tie or white tie).

Avoid novelty colors like the plague, they are for Vaudevillians.

Hope that is helpful!

 

[FinalVestige79]

Well sorry to say I didn't know you had a book list Miss 1929. I went by Paddys List...and I am currently searching out Esquires Encyclopedia of 20th Century Mens Fashions -and I have found some affordable copies. Now, what might you suggest?

Thanks for your help,
Dylan

 

[scotrace]

Those are good places to search. But the best and first place is The Fedora Lounge, where I found two pages of threads about gloves, including numerous ones on men's leather gloves, in a search on the word "gloves" for titles only.

A couple:

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=40336&highlight=gloves

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=17879&highlight=gloves

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=7301&highlight=gloves

The pages of Esquire from the 30's show numerous illustrations of men in gloves, and they are shown in photos of the upcoming year's fashions. You're looking for men's chamois gloves. Find vintage ones on eBay UK for cheap. The threads above will give you some good starting points and images.

 

[FinalVestige79]

yeah I've been in here 2 months and I dont know how to use the search properly yet. Im working on it tho!

 

[Miss 1929]

I've been here two years and the searching never works for me either. It never finds words in titles, only interspersed in the paragraphs.

I believe I suggested the Dover paperback, Everyday Fashions of the 20s (and 30s volume, and 40s) as they are great for dating stuff and seeing what goes with what as far as formality goes, The Esquire book is great, too!

There are also reprints of Sears catalogs of the golden era available.

 

[FinalVestige79]

Thankyou!!! Im gonna amazon those right now!