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In love with the glove: the TikTok generation falls for a classic look

The gen-Z demographic who use TikTok may be too young to remember a time before smartphones, but one of the most popular fashion trends on the app harks back to a bygone era. Opera gloves – as worn by screen stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn and Rita Hayworth – are taking off. Videos with the hashtag have had 275,000 views on TikTok. According to a study carried out by Clothes2Order, that represents a Google search increase of 84% in the second half of 2021.

Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe in a publicity shot for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953. Photograph: Alamy

The surging interest in a clothing item that would once have been worn to an elite cultural event, the opera, has been repurposed over the years and is now being sported by popular musicians and actors. Adele, Olivia Rodrigo and Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion have worn them in videos, while Julia Fox and Euphoria’s Sydney Sweeney have worn them to events. The red carpet at the Fashion Awards in December saw attenders get behind the trend – Demi Moore, Alexa Chung and Kristen McMenamy wore opera gloves. Beyoncé, meanwhile, has made them something of a signature. At the Grammys last year, she sported leather opera gloves with matching dress.

Opera gloves are on the catwalk too – at brands ranging from Valentino to Marc Jacobs, Fendi and Richard Quinn. More accessible labels, often aimed at a younger demographic, are also selling them. Heaven by Marc Jacobs, typically a collection inspired by 1990s club kids, sells dresses with gloves. Kai Collective, a brand established in London in 2016 by fashion blogger Fisayo Longe, has its popular Gaia gloves for £45. And Miscreants, set up by 29-year-old Central Saint Martins graduate Lillie Hand in 2019, has designs using velvet, feathers and bows, worn by women ranging from singer Lizzo to Joan Collins.

In 2022’s iteration of this look, gloves are paired with dresses, made in matching prints. When Hand launched Miscreants, the first design was the Cupid little black dress and matching gloves. “Since then, a lot of magazines would just request the gloves,” she says. “We built on that, did detachable bows and puffs and the feathers, and it’s just got a bit out of control.”

Hand believes the popularity on the red carpet has had its impact on the trend: “They’re so fashionable at the moment. And obviously every time you see a red carpet then celebrities are mainly wearing gloves. I think they’re elegant, they’re classy.”

It’s this classiness – a nod to the glamour of Hollywood’s golden age – which gives them a big tick. While gloves have been worn by women for hundreds of years, opera gloves were particularly fashionable in the 1950s. Not only were they worn to the opera, but also by movie stars, and debutantes at their coming out ball and a young Princess Margaret.

“I have an affinity with 50s and 60s couture and gloves are so integral to this look,” says designer Richard Quinn. “They are so elegant … it’s an interesting way to extend and finish the silhouette.”

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Boxsets such as The Crown and Bridgerton have also probably had their part to play in these gloves becoming popular. “They are borderline costume,” says Hand. “Since I’ve started Miscreants, I’ve noticed everybody likes to dress up.”

Hand is fond of dressing up – and praises opera gloves for their adaptability, a surefire plus point for a generation not known for its attention span. “They complete the outfit,” she says. “And if you want to dress down, you can just take them off, put them in your bag.”