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Stretching leather gloves?

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I am going through my cold weather accessories, and in the process I'm reacquainting myself with the huge collection of vintage gloves that we're handed down from my grandmother (she was a glove buyer for Hutzler's department store long ago). These gloves are older than I am, and a number of them fit me (my sister has half of the collection as well), but many are size 6. I can get them on my hands with some work, but that doesn't make for practical wear.

Has anyone had any success with stretching leather gloves, particularly vintage ones? I might end up selling some, but there are others I would love to wear.

Just for fun, I attached pics of two tight pairs. As you can see, some of the pairs are still attached and most have never been worn!

ETA: out of curiosity, I just counted up the collection. I have about 10 pairs of my own, non-vintage. The vintage collection totals 55 pairs (which means my sister took about the same number)! About half of them are white, some are really cute and delicate. Not all my style, but really fun. I'll have to take some good pics and share.

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27 replies

Latest reply was from MsMary

ironkurtin

Veteran

Oh, they are lovely! I think just wearing them once or twice will work (unless they're cutting off the circulations to your fingers, and really I'd just pass on those as simply too small).

catgirl

Veteran

Oooooh, how fun. I think you just have to wear them! If not, they are my size and I am happy to line up for a pair.

Gaylene

Veteran

I remember getting a lesson on how to put a new glove when I purchased my first pair of expensive, unlined leather gloves back in the 60s. A new glove should fit tightly (like a second skin) because it will stretch and mold to your hand as it's worn. The gloves in your pictures look about right if the glove is right out of the box. The first time takes a bit of work, but, after a couple of times, the glove will have stretched and molded enough to make the process quite a bit faster. If you'd like, a bit of power can help the first couple of times if your hands are damp or moisturized.

I remember my leather gloves lasting for over a decade of fairly constant wear. They got so buttery soft that sales people would comment on them if I took them off in a store. Unfortunately, I took them off once too many times and must have left them on the counter--such a sad moment because I loved those gloves so much.

The more you wear the glove, the better it will get, so take them out of their boxes and enjoy them!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Thanks, Gaylene! I think my mom may have told me about that technique at some point. There are only a couple of pairs that I simply cannot fit on my hand, but most of them go on either smoothly or with some work. I can feel them stretching even after only about 10 minutes of wear.

There are some really cool white long gloves with pearl buttons or asymmetrical edge details or embroidered accents (cobalt blue dots on one!). I wonder if I can launch a revival of white glove style.

Caro in Oz

Veteran

They look like beautiful gloves. I know there used to be a gadget called a glove stretcher (my grandmother had one). They looked a little like tongs, you slid them into the gloves & "opened" them gently.

Thistle

Veteran

So beautiful! I really hope you can wear them!

Irene

Veteran

I was wondering about this as well the other day. We found a couple of my grandma's old leather gloves. A pair is actually part leather part crochet (a bit like these http://www.polyvore.com/dents_.....d=13084890)

I have big hands with slim fingers and the gloves feel quite snug, but since I already have them I think I could give them a chance

Gaylene

Veteran

Wow, this thread is giving me flashbacks. I had a pair of gloves that were almost identical to the ones the Irene linked to, and another pair of "driving" gloves that had the cutouts for the back of your hand and your knuckles. A very popular style in the late 60s.

And, everyone wore elbow-length evening gloves in the mid-sixties with their formal gowns. I remember my first year at university involved several "balls" that required women to wear long gowns and men to wear dark suits. The events included going through a receiving line, dance cards (a bit archaic, even then, but kind of fun), and, of course, the ubiquitous elbow-length white gloves with the little pearl buttons at the wrist so you could remove the hand part and tuck it up in the arm portion while eating. My favorite formal for the winter balls was a long, emerald-green velvet sheath dress that I wore with a short, white-wool cape. Very elegant dressing for an 18-year-old.

Diana

Veteran

Hmm, I think they will stretch a bit width-wise just from wearing (like shoes) especially if they are not lined. However, I'm pretty sure if the fingers are too short, they will stay that way and there's nothing to be done about it.

Gaylene

Veteran

Diana, that depended on the construction of the gloves. The more expensive, unlined gloves had a gusset insert between the fingers that could stretch and mold to the length of your fingers. The less expensive gloves, which had seams that ran continuously from fingertip to fingertip, still could stretch a bit, but, obviously, not as much.

Diana

Veteran

Gaylene, that's really interesting! I don't think I've ever had a pair with gussets. I guess it's true that they don't make em like they used to! I wear a small glove size but the fingers are often too short for me.

shiny

Veteran

I can't weigh in because I've never had this problem; all gloves are way too big for me. Except for the occasional vintage pair.

And if I *did* give you advice here, it'd be totally partial and biased... I'd tell you to give those gloves up to someone like, ahem, me, who has tiny hands and short fingers and who can't find gloves that fit!!

Seriously, this made me google. I found a glove sizing chart. According to it, I should fit in a small. Your gloves are extra small.

http://www.walkabout.com/shop/size_glove.asp

My problem is less about the width of my hand, and more about the length (or lack thereof) of my fingers. Vast majority of gloves may fit my hand, but are an inch too long and flopping unattractively in the fingers. When I do find the rare glove that fits, I hold on to it and don't lose it on the counter!! GAYLENE! Gasp...

shiny

Veteran

With that said, and realizing I may be totally biased here, I think those gloves look too small. Yes they may stretch. But how much? I think they look too small.

rae

(website)

Veteran

I vote for a vintage glove museum! Ooh, or a photo series and installation.

Unless they are lined, I think they should stretch, as others have already mentioned.

Parsley

Veteran

How cool to have all those fabulous gloves! I hope they'll stretch so that you can enjoy them.

I'm going to show my age here, but when I was a young teenager, many of us went to a ballroom dancing school one evening a week to learn social graces as well as dancing.
The girls were all required to wear white gloves. My father had attended the same school when he was young, and at that time even the BOYS were required to wear white gloves!!

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I think technically I'm a size 9 in gloves. I have found one pair in my life in that size. Even when I went to a dedicated glove store in Rome, Italy. I just buy a size 8 and stretch it.

Ioana

(website)

Nice

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

No idea about stretching, but my word Janet - fifty five pairs of gloves scream for some professional photoshoot!

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Well, the glove review ended up being a large project! (I also pulled out all my hats and scarves, purged some unworn things, cleaned the bottom of the closet where they were stored, and reorganized everything.

In the process, I decided that such a collection of gloves deserves a nicer home than the plastic Sterilite drawers that I use to keep hats and gloves dust free in the closet. I used the glove compartment for "gear" cold weather accessories so they stopped getting mixed in with hubby's.

I then decided to repurpose a nice little tansu chest that previously help a huge number of candles, most of which we haven't touched since we moved into this house 6+ years ago. I cleaned it all out (put a lot of the candles in a bag to Freecycle), lined the drawers with liner paper, and arranged the gloves in them so that now they're not all in a pile -- I can now easily see and access them, so they'll get used more.

I love the photo shoot idea. I took an iPhone snap of all the gloves laid out on my dining room table, but I'll have to do something a bit more creative soon!

Craig79

Member

Leather gloves look sexy on women if they don't fit sell them

Craig79

Member

They keep you warm I find lamb skin unlined warm in winter

Craig79

Member

I wear mine in bed in really cold weather

K. Period.

Veteran

Janet, with the darker ones, after you put them on, try rubbing some leather conditioner (like Lexol or Coach's leather conditioner) into them, like hand lotion. It will condition and soften the gloves as well as helping them have the flexibility to stretch to fit you without tearing. They are probably parched after all these years! Unfortunately, leather conditioners can darken lighter leather sometimes, so I would investigate a bit before using it on the light ones.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Wow, this is an old thread revived, but as fall and winter are coming, that is really good info, K.P.! Thank you! Yes, I still have this whole collection.

MsMary

Veteran

I've stretched leather shoes by spraying with rubbing alcohol and wearing them. It doesn't stain at all.

K. Period.

Veteran

Good golly! I'm a rube with the old posts! I hate it when I don't think to check to see how old a post is! But, on the plus side, timely for breaking them out this year, so at least I get to feel like a helpful rube!

ETA: Mary, it wasn't me! I responded to it after the other post revived it. In other words, I didn't create the zombie post, I just talked to it!!!

MsMary

Veteran

LOL, K. Period. You got me...