Polite society went through a period in the nineteenth century when hands were always gloved. We have no cause to do that any longer of course, nor to change our gloves several times during the day as the great dandies of the past were wont to do. But still, several pair are desireable for wear in cool weather. The well-dressed man's dress glove wardrobe might contain black for evening (during the day black gloves are like black suits - fairly common but far from ideal), gray suede for day wear, and peccary for the country. Another classic, the yellow chamois gloves that were worn by 19th century gentlemen, is fast becoming extinct. Merola, the fine glovemakers based in Rome, is for example no longer able to obtain suitable deerskin.
In Mr. Merola's shop, the glovemaking process has not changed significantly for a hundred years. It begins with a craftsman who stretches the skins and then hand cuts the leather. The shaped pieces are passed on to a seamstress who hand sews the gussets on the side of each finger and places the thumb pieces in their opening before sewing them to the body of the glove (the hand sewing helps Merola's gloves to conform particularly well to the fingers compared to other makers). If the gloves will be lined they are passed on to a liner who inserts the silk or cashmere and anchors it by stitching it to a narrow piece of leather on the edge of the glove. Finally, each pair is shaped on electrically heated hand forms. Merola repeats this sequence of events about 20,000 times annually.
Personally, I prefer unlined gloves for walking about, however silk lining is a good choice when the gloves will routinely be worn in mild to freezing temperatures. Cashmere is still warmer, for even colder days, but is all but unwearable above freezing. If I lived somewhere cold I might want a second, cashmere lined version of each of my gloves. Fortunately, that is not necessary.
Photo: Merola Gloves
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10 comments:
Ohhh! I love that shelf. Where can I get it?
Well, the gloves themselves look fantastic, but that shelf I really need.
Would you have any advice on the type of appropriate gloves for vegans? I don't wear any skins and I have no clue what to look for and where to look for decent looking gloves.
The temperatures have really warmed noticeably in the last few years and now I almost exclusively use unlined gloves, which also makes handling any objects easier.
I wear black gloves during the day, they go well with grey suits and topcoats. Shades of brown do too and I have those, but I also wear black shoes half the time and I like things to match.
Pol, I don't know whether vegans can wear wool, but cloth gloves should not be difficult to find. Nor should something made from nylon or polyester, though my experience with those is exclusively for sport gloves.
On a semi-related note: some vegetarians (and I suppose all vegans) eschew silk, because the pupae are killed in the process. However, "raw" silk, the nubby, slubby material found in shangtung and tussah ties, is gathered after the pupae have emerged from their cocoons as moths, so should be acceptable to those who use animal (or insect) products created without harm to the animal (or insect) in question.
When the weather is truly cold, no glove however lined will keep your hands warm. Under those circumstances mittens are required. However, under said extreme conditions I seriously doubt than any gentleman would still be attempting to get by in his topcoat. That will be Arctic parka time and style bedamned!
I agree with Roger. I think black gloves work very well for daytime wear since they are a leather accessory. Just as black shoes are leather and compliment a daytime gray suit perfectly.
'Would you have any advice on the type of appropriate gloves for vegans?'
You know you don't have to eat your gloves?
So is it Merola or Chester Jefferies?
A few months ago I read "American Pastoral" by Philip Roth, it was a great read and left me with the desire to own a proper pair of gloves. The book is about a man who owns a glove factory in mid-XXth century Newark, descended from an Italian family of craftsmen (actually it's about a lot more than that, but that's besides the point right now). During many parts of the book, it gets quite poetical about the stretching, the cutting, the sewing and the shaping of the glove, even considering the issue of what is the hardest piece of clothing to make, shoes or gloves? Definitely gloves, they have the most shape to follow and the smallest stitching. It left me in awe of the skill and experience necessary to produce it, I very much recommend this book to anyone, not just because of the glove parts, but in general. It makes me happy that such artfully crafted products are still available on the market.
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