Short Takes

Dress Gloves:

Occasionally I will see them in an antique shop.  I still have some in the back of a dresser drawer.  Will I ever wear them - probably not.  Dress gloves always used to be an integral part of a woman's wardrobe.  When going to worship, going downtown, going to a social event, etc. women always wore dress gloves that matched the outfit worn.  Those of us with limited funds just had the basics: white for summer, black, navy or brown for winter.  They were not made for warmth, but for style.  They were a light weight material something of a cross between felt and jersey knit.  Sometimes they were made of lace.  

I think they date back to Victorian times when a lady was not supposed to look weathered/tan, but delicate/pale.  Thus hats of all kinds, long skirts and the gloves protected a gentile woman from the sun.

In my memory, I didn't wear them until I was a teenager, and then only for "dressy" occasions.  I remember my mother, however, never went "downtown" but what she wore her best dress, hat, and the dress gloves.  Going to the shopping area a block away did not require dressing up, but going to Benson (It had been a town near Omaha over a mile away.) merited the "full" treatment.  When I "grew up" (if that ever happened) I then was fortunate enough to have some dress gloves that actually matched my dress rather than my shoes and purse.  I remember having a light green pair and a tan pair, and being very proud of them.  I think that is why I still keep them tucked away in the drawer.