The Gloves Were Us

To keep traditions and customs alive, it is customary to share, either by personal example or through written or verbal means. But because of COVID, the normal battle rhythm is anything but normal, so the AWN Protocol and Etiquette Team thought we’d share a fun “throwback” topic! You may have read our blog entitled “Dress for the Occasion.” One word you didn’t find there was “gloves.”

Thankfully, formal gloves are not a required part of our wardrobe ensemble today, but we do wear them for warmth, gardening, or even sun protection. That was not the case in the early ’60s when Ann Crossley was a young Army spouse. In those days, not only did they need a good supply of various sizes of white gloves, they also needed to know and respect the etiquette associated with wearing gloves.

There were three different sizes of gloves: wrist-length, mid-forearm, and long (opera) gloves. The formality of the occasion and what you were wearing determined which length gloves you wore. 

Wrist-length gloves were worn for casual or informal events. These short gloves later came in a variety of colors and styles, some sporty and some more dressy, so most wives had a variety of short wrist-length gloves.

Mid-forearm gloves were worn for more formal or informal events, but only if the sleeves of your outfit were short enough to show the full glove length.

Long (opera) gloves worn for formal events, especially when the dress was strapless or had very short sleeves. In the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s with Audrey Hepburn, she made these long gloves very popular. 

Glove etiquette that they needed to know included:

• No rings should be worn with gloves, but a bracelet over longer gloves was all right.
• In order to eat, drink, smoke (and most smoked in the ’60s), or apply makeup, you needed to remove your hands from the gloves. To do that with long gloves but still keep them on, was something you needed to practice at home a few times; you unbuttoned your gloves (most had a small row of buttons at the inside of the wrist) and slowly pulled the gloves off your fingers and then tucked them into the unbuttoned wrist opening.
• Gloves were always removed when you sat down to eat.

At receptions, it was important to know if the ladies in the receiving line were wearing gloves or not. If they were not but you were, you discreetly removed yours before going through the line. If they were wearing gloves, you were expected to wear gloves as well, and the Army wives developed a little trick to help out those who had not worn gloves to the event: Those who had gloves would remove their gloves after they went through the receiving line and secretly pass them back to the wives further back in the reception line who needed them. Wow, what a sight that must have been! 

Of course, white gloves needed to be white.  Many wives carried a piece of chalk in their purse to touch up any unsightly marks they might have gotten on their gloves while out.

Gloves were definitely a part of a lady’s wardrobe in earlier generations, as reflected in the following quote from one of the England’s foremost literary figures of the 20th century, Virginia Woolf: “Her old Uncle William used to say, a lady is known by her shoes and her gloves.”  

Prior to COVID, when we had receptions or ceremonies with receiving lines, some females wore gloves for a fashion statement, but others wore them to keep themselves healthy from germs during the cold season. Spouses’ clubs hosted kick-off events or luncheons with a throwback tea theme, inclusive with gloves and formal tea pourings. There will be a time that Army spouses can do these things again; however, now keeping the customs and traditions alive for the new generation is through blogs, newsletters, and story sharing. 

The Protocol and Etiquette Team wishes all military spouses, spouses’ clubs, and spouse boards all the best as you kick off your new year, whether in a new location, new position, or just getting reengaged with the military community. Stay healthy and happy; we keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

“We are the wind beneath your wings; Hooah hugs!”