Evening star., 1921-03-08

The ornamental glove has returned
to favor and fashion. And it has
returned from a day long gone by.
For not for many seasons have we
worn gloves with a consideration of
their decorative value For the past
few years we have worn them not at
all. excepting when our hands were
cold. And for years before that we
observed the most somber conven-.
tions in gloves. and wore those of
white or black. brown, gray or
chamois color; gloves cut on straight
and simple lines. and decorated at
most with little tailored stitchery.
But now, Well, we have begun on
this era of decorative gloves by
adopting the gauntlet glove. One
, wonders whsre it will end. One won
derS whether We will wear gloves Of
colors outside the accepted glove cate
CORY. One wonders whether we will take
to gloves tied with ribbons, as did the
ladies' of the court of Louis NIV-a
fashion perhaps introduced by Anne
of Austria, at any rate sponsored by
her.
Real Gauntlet Gloves.
Anyway. the gauntleted gloves are
decidedly smart. They have been
but it is only very lately that they
have actually appeared for sale on
this side the Atlantic. Now they may
be found in the shops. They are not
the usual gauntlet glove. you know
with the flexible upper portion
is really no more than an extension
of the soft lower portion. They have
stiffened cuff. and are modelled on
the gloves that were worn in the
middle ages when pet falcon was
carried on the wrist, not only for
20 L. ~
abroad. as nowadays one carries pet
pekingese or pomeranian.
These gloves, as they have so far
appeared in our shops, are decidedly
smart. They are not as elaborate as
the original faiconry gloves. Those
of course. made by hand were richly
embroidered on the cuff, and some
cimes were decorated there with
jewels The modern gloves show an
effective use of the kid of two col
orS one overlaid on the other. the
upper layer cut out to show the lower
one in a pattern more or less intrl-
cate One simple but effective style
shows a glove of soft white kid with
an unglazed finish overlaid on dark
brown kid, with cutout design of
simple leaf of the ivy variety. The
result is charming.
Originally. of course. these gloves
were worn to protect the hand against
inadvertent scratching by the hawk
or falcons. And that was originally
the use of all gloves. At least. they
were first designed not as ornaments
IT even to keep the hands warm, but
to protect the hands against heavy
work. That seems to have been the
use of the gloves of the early Greeks.
And even in the relics of the cave
men gloves made of skins and sewed
with thongs have been found.
So in adopting the gauntleted glove
of the days of hawking we are just
adopting primitive fashion-the
glove that is designed for use rather
than for ornament. But at the same
time we wear this glove as an orna-
ment. for it is far more decorative
than any glove that we have had for
years. And when, as some French
bracelet such as the original falcon
glove often bore. as a ledge to which
the falcon might cling. it is a de-
cidedly decorative bit of apparel
Wool Sport Gloves.
Hardly less decorative are the huge
angora gloves for skating and all other
forms of winter sport. These are made
with enormous cuffs that reach. some
times, to the elbow. The gloves are
OF necessity shaggy and no effort is
made to wear them in skin-fitting
size. indeed. all the gloves of the sea-
son are worn loose. A glove 50 short
that it fastened-if there were an
opening, which there seldom is nova
days-across the middle of the palm
with fingers that webbed ones hand to-
gether like a ducks foot at the lower
finger joints. would be considered quite
inartistic nowadays. Yet many of us
can remember the day when no woman
wore glove really large enough to