The chic list Why the gloves are back on - YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Sign in Welcome!Log into your account Forgot your password? Password recovery Recover your password Search Sign in Welcome! Log into your account Forgot your password? Get help Password recovery Recover your password A password will be e-mailed to you. YOU Magazine Fashion Beauty Celebrity Health Life Relationships Horoscopes Food Interiors Travel Home Fashion The chic list Why the gloves are back on By Joanne Hegarty - May 15, 2022 Fashion columnist and influencer Joanne Hegarty on the appeal of the opera glove. All the period pomp and salacious soirées that made Bridgerton one of Netflix’s biggest shows have given us an unexpected fashion trend. Suddenly hundreds of arms, including my own, are itching for an opera glove, that elbow-length finishing touch invariably worn to dressy affairs. At the forefront of this revival is Genevieve James, design director at royal glove makers Cornelia James, whose bespoke designs have not only adorned the cast of Bridgerton but The Crown and Downton Abbey, too. LET’S DRESS UP: HERMIONE OPERA GLOVES BY CORNELIA JAMES, FEATHER DRESS BY CHRISTOPHER KANE In fact, Bridgerton ladies are rarely seen swooning about without Genevieve’s gloves on– from her traditional Lucrezias to her satin Hermiones – while her white Desdemonas took centre stage during one of Daphne’s (Phoebe Dynevor) dalliances with the Duke. And it’s not just on-screen that Genevieve’s gloves area hit– her clients include the Queen, the Duchess of Cambridge and, once upona time, Princess Diana. With the likes of Madonna, Lady Gaga and Rihanna fans, too, she certainly has her own hands full. ‘Bridgerton and The Crown have definitely made opera gloves more popular – the costumes were such talking points with viewers,’ she says. ‘Since the second Bridgerton series, there’s been such a surge in demand we’ve had to hire a new machinist to keep up.’ BRIDGERTON’S LADY KATE (SIMONE ASHLEY) Genevieve adds that another big factor behind the gloves’ revival is people ‘wanting to live a little’ since Covid. Blake Lively wore rose-gold opera gloves to this month’s Met Ball, while brides are now ordering bespoke pairs for their big day. The Queen did the very same thing when she married Prince Philip – only her gloves were designed by Genevieve’s mother Cornelia, who founded the company after arriving in the UK from Vienna as a Jewish refugee in 1939. After the war, the world was drab with rationing, and the bright leather gloves she made became such a hit that Vogue dubbed her ‘the colour Queen of England’. I ask Genevieve for her advice on pulling off (stylewise, that is) opera gloves. Always follow the less-is-more rule, she says. So if your dress has a busy pattern, opt for a simple pair. But if you’re wearing a simple dress, then go for it: choose opera gloves with ostrich feathers and make them your fashion statement. Right, I’m off to practise my swooning. A TIMELESS TREND Meet summer’s It-sandal – the wraparound shoe. Designers and the high street have all adopted this ancient Greek style which you can wear without ending up in a puddle of laces. I’m forever in awe. Shoes, £470, Aquazzura, harveynichols.com THE NEW BLING Heavy on style and, well, heavy, too: give your ears a workout with these exotic-looking gemstone hits. Earrings, £60, wolfandbadger.com THE LOOK WE LOVE One of the most googled ‘where to get’ wardrobes of late? Sienna Miller’s flawless outfits on Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal, from labels including Victoria Beckham and CeFinn. But you know that – you’ve googled it, too. MOST WANTED A sellout when it hit the rails 12 months ago, this dark denim zip-up jumpsuit from Anyday at John Lewis has just been restocked – not a bad way to celebrate its first birthday. Buy before it flies! Jumpsuit, £48, johnlewis.com Follow me on Instagram @thestylistandthewardrobe RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Rochelle Humes has launched a gorgeous new edit with Next Shop the YOU Magazine Instagram YOU picks the best new-in buys from M& S Popular in Fashion Laura Jackson has teamed up with Next for the chicest knitwear January 22, 2020 Holly Willoughby’ s birthday dress is another Zara bargain February 10, 2020 The Instagram-famous & Other Stories wool blazer is back in stock August 31, 2022 Lorraine just wore Emma Willis’ Next collection from head to toe March 17, 2020 The prettiest spring dresses under £100 March 1, 2022 Everyone is buying Holly’ s gorgeous gingham Oasis dress May 14, 2020 13 bargain dresses to buy in ASOS’ s extra 20 per cent June 10, 2020 This £20 H& M dress is set to be the social media June 26, 2020 Stacey Solomon x Primark is back for a third collection with July 20, 2020 Searches for this perfect heatwave summer top style are up 5000% August 10, 2020 Popular CategoriesFood2704Life2496Fashion2240Beauty1738Celebrity1261Interiors684 Sign up for YOUMail Thanks for subscribing Please check your email to confirm (If you don't see the email, check the spam box) Fashion Beauty Celebrity Life Food Privacy & Cookies T&C Copyright 2022 - YOU Magazine. 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