A Leather Glove Dilemma

[William Colman]

With the weather getting chillier and gloves becoming a necessity I have decided that it is high time for me to invest in some proper MAN gloves; in previous years I have only worn cheap woolen black ones but these are no longer appropriate. Leather is the direction in which I want to go but I have encountered something of a problem - the colour.

The pair that I currently have my eye on are these:

0106349002_11_0.jpg

Jolly nice they are to, quilted, nappa leather (very soft), exceedingly well fitting and a lovely colour, but I am in two minds as to their suitability when taken into consideration with the rest of my wardrobe, I only really ever wear brown/tan shoes, my bag is brown leather, my belt is brown leather and even my wallet is brown leather; my biggest concern being that with so many brown accessories, I am committing something of a sartorial faux pax by wearing oxblood gloves, on the other hand however I fear that I may be going for brown overload if I wear brown gloves, brown messenger bag, brown shoes, brown belt and use my brown wallet, it just seems a little too much.

Perhaps one saving grace is that I've been eyeing up a burgundy cashmere scarf, also from COS, which would provide a degree of colour matching but I wonder weather it would be enough.

Black is out of the question I feel, my coat is a very rich navy with a slight hint of purple (in the right light) and I know they would look completely out of place (especially with my love of brown.) I have also identified a pair of Barbour gloves that are a very deep almost reddish brown that I was quite taken with which would help to break up the the browns into differing shades.

I like the subtle, yet clear statement the oxblood gloves make but I would still like some second opinions (my girlfriend likes them if that is any help.) would oxblood stand out too much or would I be safer with brown if I varied the tone?

[Sam]

Hi Will,
Those are quite a rich red - I think they'd sit absolutely fine. In my opinion you can mismatch leather gloves, they're a good statement.
However, perhaps a tan pair would be a better choice? They'd compliment your browns perfectly, and as you mention you wear tan shoes sometimes I'd suggest they'd work wonderfully there as well.
I contributed an article on co-ordinating leatherwear to the site recently, and I did briefly mention gloves; my general conclusion was do whatever the hell you want, and I'd stand by that
I'd been eyeing up those Cos gloves - but they sold out in my size! So I ended up getting a pair by Dents, which is no bad compromise
Hope that helps!

[Sam]

This would be my article - How To: Co-ordinate Leathers | Fashionbeans.com

And this is the sort of thing I'd reccomend:
http://www.asos.com/French-Connection/French-Connection-Leather-Gloves/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=1806420&cid=4210&Rf900=1482&sh =0&pge=0&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Brown

[Jay]

Always match your metals and your leathers. Or you'll die a horrible, lonely death. Or something.

[Pin Money]

I'd go for the oxblood. The tan will be too matchy-matchy, and tan gloves are unremarkable. I think in Men's fashion, it is important to remember that sometimes the inherent beauty of an item can outweigh the need for matching. Men shouldn't look overly considered imo.

People will notice those gloves. Do you have a link to them? I'm interested too tbh.

Oh, and Nappa leather is the balls, I am lucky enough to own a jacket made of it.

[William Colman]

I did see that bit on the article which definitely makes me feel more inclined to just go for them, but there is still that niggling doubt, I'll have to go and have another look at the brown ones I've seen. Thank you for your opinion though, Its nice to hear other people saying that colour doesn't matter, shows I'm not completely alone in that respect.

[Black Sheep Boy]

I'm in almost the exact same situation as you; currently my winter wardrobe is packed with brown leather and I'm in love with those COS oxblood gloves. I came to the conclusion that dark brown gloves would be too much matching and the oxblood would complement my other accessories nicely. Just waiting for sales/being back in proximity to a COS at uni before I buy them.

[William Colman]

I'd go for the oxblood. The tan will be too matchy-matchy, and tan gloves are unremarkable. I think in Men's fashion, it is important to remember that sometimes the inherent beauty of an item can outweigh the need for matching. Men shouldn't look overly considered imo.

People will notice those gloves. Do you have a link to them? I'm interested too tbh.

Oh, and Nappa leather is the balls, I am lucky enough to own a jacket made of it.

There you go, very reasonable price as well.

Quilted leather gloves

[William Colman]

Always match your metals and your leathers. Or you'll die a horrible, lonely death. Or something.

For the most part I would fully agree, but I just can't quite get round the idea of brown overload.

[Jay]

For the most part I would fully agree, but I just can't quite get round the idea of brown overload.

There's matching and matching though. If exactly the same shade then it might be too much for some (although I personally think it's fine), but the differing shades of the same palette will look awesome. I think the oxbloods will work if the rest of the brown's a darker, but if they are nuttier browns veering on tan then it will just look out of place.