What could be more ordinary, useful and, if we dare say, trivial than simple leather gloves? Yet this beautifully practical and wonderfully stylish accessory secretly hides and ambiguous past as gloves were worn not only for protection, but played a central part in different customs and rituals. In fact, for centuries, leather gloves were worn by those who needed to protect their hands in special conditions, such as heavy workers or, slightly far away in history, knights in battles. The upper classes wore more fashionable gloves which were crafted in finer leathers, beautifully fringed and elaborately embroidered with decorative elements such as gold threads. As far as symbolism goes, gloves were used both to issue a challenge between knights by a simple throw of a gauntlet, or, for the monarchy, to relegate power to others, done by simply delivering a glove. Gloves were also given as signs of friendship. Due to their high symbolic and decorative power, gloves have always been used by fashion houses to advance specific trends and develop the quality of their collections. In the 1930s, Hermès presented leather gloves with matching handbags. In the 1950s, Coco Chanel was known for her short gloves worn with day suits.
Gloves have a broad range of use such as keeping the hands warm and protecting them from harm. While they have lost, to a certain extent, their particular role in everyday etiquette, gloves still form a fashion signature and are able to pull together a look, whether it is by adding an edge with driving gloves or a touch of Dandy with a more tailored, refined feel. Even though the early significance linked to gloves have lost much of its relevance, they are still entrenched in our social conventions: a pair of leather gloves represents a social history of both the society we live in, as well as our person. With a wider range of options we have to choose from today, leather gloves add a touch of history bringing forth the reminder of gentlemen, knights and everyday hard work, right at the tip of our fingers.
