In their early history, gloves were emblems of status and power,
worn by royalty and church dignitaries. In the Middle Ages,
leather gauntlets were worn for riding and falconry, and
elaborate gloves were used for ceremonial occasions, such as the
investiture of a knight. Gloves took on symbolic importance:
They were pledged as a guarantee, flung down as a challenge, and
given as a token of affection by a lady to her suitor. By the
Renaissance, fashionable women wore opulently embroidered and
perfumed gloves of silk, linen, and kid leather. Queen Elizabeth
I, who ruled England during the sixteenth century, was so fond
of gloves that she amassed more than 2,000 pairs, which were
looked after by a special wardrobe mistress. In fact, gloves
were so popular that they were given as keepsakes to wedding
guests, a tradition that continued into the nineteenth century.
After the French Revolution, when the classical empire look came
into fashion, white or pastel gloves that extended past the
elbow were paired with the