by Rosanna Carlucci
The jukebox was broken and the crowd restless. No music meant more talk, and talk was cheap. The joint was full of dames and no “good boys” who thought they were men. The night was coming to an end and just as I was about to leave, a tall drink of water in a dark suit strutted in through back door.

He meant business- I could tell. He came close-real close and leaned in against the bar. “Going somewhere?” he asks, coy smile intact. I slowly remove my gloves and sit back down. I can tell he wants to play and I am game.

As the evening progresses, our game turns to a backseat dance and we both know the steps. Before you know it the clock strikes two and our short lived affair is nothing more than two pages out of drugstore romance novel. Before I leave the car I pull on my gloves again, one hand at a time, he remarks, “You’re a really good dancer.” I smile graciously and reply, “Well you know what they say, a lady isn’t much if she can’t dance”…

There is nothing quite as ladylike (or sexy) than a pair of long gloves. Long, short, leather or lace, gloves are making a comeback. For the past few seasons, gloves have slowly progressed into a very important accessory for any ladies wardrobe. More specifically, long elbow length gloves have remerged as the perfect accessory to a shorter sleeve on a great swing coat or jacket.

The glove itself has quite a lengthy history, some say dating back to the prehistoric age. It has evolved from a means of protecting one’s hands in battle, to ensuring a lady could keep her hands clean while she went about her day.

Long or “opera gloves” usually extend past the elbow and were commonly worn with shorter sleeved garments or sleeveless dresses in the late 16th and early 17th century by royalty or the wealthy. In the fifties and the sixties, the gloves were commonly worn with sleeveless dresses or evening coats.

Today, anything goes and opera gloves are no exception. They can be worn with everything from formal wear to casual wear and are available in a variety of colours, sizes and lengths.