Gloves

Emergence of Gloves

To say that gloves have taken a lesser part in the history of fashion will be an understatement.  They have played an integral part in everyday life. More than just a fashion piece, the long evening fashion gloves and many more it serves different purposes. Featuring in daily life and even on catwalks are the different types of gloves. It makes fashion exciting and interesting all at once. As early in literature times as “The Odyssey” by Homer, a character names Laertes was seen wearing gloves in his garden to protect himself. At an early age people also wore gloves on their hands to protect them from elements and injury. Gloves have infiltrated every aspect of human life that it is affecting even religious services. It has been noted that bishops were now wearing gloves for their services. The clergy began to do this to keep their hands clean because of their handled holy mysteries. During Rome and post-Rome, the wearing of gloves had become very prominent in daily life. Kings began to wear them for special ceremonies along with their other regalia to show their luxury. It is further reported by some that King Henry II of England was buried in 1189 wearing gloves. Queens also began to use it in the 13^th Century. As of the 16^th Century, Queen Elizabeth set a trail for gloves by wearing hers bejeweled or embroidered.

More on the emergence of gloves

Within the 12^th to 16^th Centuries, Europe and the British Isles had a significant link with gloves as a fashion piece. The early gloves were in two styles namely the three-fingered and five-fingered. The three and five-fingered gloves were worn by the working-class men and not the women. The evidence of this is seen in a painting by Robert Campin called “ The Nativity”. Three-fingered gloves were in other words known as the “country man’s gloves”. In the middle ages, it was also recorded that builders such as masons wore gloves (from sheepskin)  to protect their hands from very dangerous tools they handled. It also protected them from corrosive materials. The five-fingered gloves, however, were not seen all over. In Ireland for instance during the 13^th Century, gloves were seen being worn by those who could afford them. Hunters in the earlier centuries also wore heavy gloves made from leather supported by a tassel to keep it closed. They also wore it to protect them just like in current times.

Gloves and royalty

The highfliers of society have always been seen one glove or the other. Designs include tassels, bells, and other embroideries. Kings put on gloves in the past as a symbol of rank. King Henry II’s tomb sculpture showed him wearing wrist-length gloves that had embroidery on it. An ancient glove that dates 1220 in a museum in Vienna, Austria shows a glove that was made with pearls, gems, and gold. By the 16^th Century, gloves had become a very highly sought after accessory. It was decked with all kinds of gems, ribbons, elaborate designs. Queen Elizabeth had a collection of many pairs of gloves with differing styles. King Henry VII is also one of those who enjoyed these decorated gloves. They added it to their everyday living to signify their class. Young women and adults also learned to add it to their clothing anytime they were going for formal events such as balls. Gloves as we see them now, have come a long way. Their usefulness has made them endure the different changes that have come with them.