Glove Love and Being a Gentleman

Why should women get all the love? Or gloves? That was the lament-slash-complaint from a male reader in response to the Anti-Romantic's Gift Guide. So I decided we need to share the love, and the gloves.

The problem is, like so many things when it comes to male fashion—there isn't a whole lot out there – pictorially anyway. What I mean is, men's fashion gloves, unlike women's, look a whole lot alike for the most part.

So I turned to Jason Tesauro, author of the Modern Gentleman series of books, to expand a little on the glove's role in modern man's life.

First of all, Tesauro believes men's fashion is in fact not boring, that has a lot of variety, it's just extremely subtle.

Hmmm. So subtle it's invisible.

Tesauro does believe that a pair of black leather men's gloves is a necessity in a man's repertoire. (Upper left, Perry Ellis black gloves, $50; Center Croft & Barrow black leather gloves, were $55, now $22 at Kohl's).

And in a man's world, a glove is not just a glove. At least it didn't used to be. Fashion gloves were an integral part of the wooing, flirting, courting ritual.

Glove Love
"A gentleman had to remove his glove to shake the hand of a lady," Tesauro reminds us.

And when those gloves were fitted, that was no easy feat. So gentleman-turned-apologist said, "Pardon my glove," to avoid the embarrassingly time-consuming removal process.

In fact glove removal, especially on a woman, was a very intimate act – think Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfieffer's very hot glove removal scene in Martin Scorsese's Age of Innocence.

Glove, Gage, Gauntlet, Ground
Ahh, but that's women's gloves again. When a man took off his glove among men, also known and his gage or gauntlet – and threw it on the ground – well, them's fightin' moves.

Someone was in big trouble.

One could argue that, since men don't really wear gloves these days unless it's cold, they're always sportin' fer a fight.

But Tesauro says a staple pair of black leather gloves is a sign of class and panache – something you definitely should have achieved by midlife.

He's also a fan of conductive gloves (lower right, Isotoner version at Kohl's, $29.40) for smartphone use – very "modern gentleman", because of course he's texting you to say he'll be late…

I've even seen some silver-backs rock the fingerless glove look; [it usually goes] with skinny jeans, ironic tees, and a European scarf."

That's the group, he says, that's eschewing the pleated pants and khakis for bespoke suits, and hand-cobbled shoes. With those aforementioned super-subtle fashionable variables.

They're not trying to look like they're 25, they're giving 55 some pizzazz."

Did you know, Tesauro notes in a random tangent meant to underscore this point, "that the fastest gowning segment of male triathletes is 40 to 55? "

Nope. Didn't.

One final word of advice for Jason Tesauro on the topic of men's gloves: "Get the 2-pair-for-$3 knit gloves at Target." He suggests always having them on hand.

It's like Echinacea for your fingers."

Don't forget to say, 'Pardon my glove'  — if you want to be a modern gentleman that is.

Manly men & modern gentlemen:
Coolest Haircut for Over 40
Too Late to Save Your Hair?
Men of a Certain Sage
Presidential Candidate Hair Fixes