Opera Glove

Length alone defines this glove. An opera glove reaches past the elbow and usually stops partway up the upper arm, worn with sleeveless or short-sleeved evening dress so no bare skin shows between glove and gown. Warmth plays no part in the design, and most pairs are unlined.

Sizing still uses the button scale, a historic measure counted from the base of the thumb up the arm where each button equals roughly one inch. Eight button lands at mid forearm, twelve reaches just under the elbow, and sixteen sits above it, which is the classic opera length. Materials split into two camps. Kidskin, a very fine soft leather, molds to the arm and costs the most. Satin and stretch nylon cost less and forgive far more variation in arm width. Better pairs include a mousquetaire, a short buttoned opening at the wrist that lets you slip your hand out and fold the glove back at dinner without removing the whole thing.

Nothing else in this family is close. A leather glove in the same kidskin stops at the wrist and is built for the street. A knit glove would look absurd with a gown. What an opera glove shares with the rest is only the hand construction, and even that is cut longer in the fingers, since a formal glove should look sleek rather than snug.

Black tie, white tie, weddings, debutante events and stage costume are the real occasions. No daytime event calls for them. Leather versions are a bad bet if your upper arm sits outside the narrow band a fixed-width glove allows, because kidskin has almost no give across the bicep.

Etiquette is part of judging one properly: rings go under the glove, bracelets over it, and you never eat or drink with the hand still covered. This is exactly what the wrist opening solves. On quality, the seam running up the inside of the arm should lie flat and be barely visible. Storage should be flat and in tissue rather than folded, because a crease in kidskin or satin sets and shows under stage light.