gloves as a gift: why they make the perfect christmas present

a good pair of gloves is one of the few presents that gets used every single day from the moment it’s unwrapped until spring. it’s personal without being intimate, practical without being dull, and, if you choose well, it says that you’ve noticed how someone dresses. here’s how to choose a pair for someone else, and a little of the long history of gloves as a gift.

are gloves a good christmas present?

yes, for three reasons. they’re used daily for months, so the gift is felt long after christmas. they’re easy to get right, because the main decision is colour, not size, especially with size 7 gloves, which fit most women’s hands. and they’re a small luxury, the kind of thing people love to own but rarely buy for themselves.

what does giving gloves mean?

gloves have been a meaningful gift for centuries. in tudor and stuart england perfumed gloves were often given as presents and new year’s day gifts by aristocrats and courtiers; elizabeth i received twenty-three pairs at new year in 1603¹. in the 1600s gloves were popular gifts between wealthy families, and leeds museums and galleries suggests they were one of only a few gifts a man could give a woman who was not yet his wife². art uk’s history of gloves in painting notes that gloves were given as courtship gifts, as shakespeare alludes to in the winter’s tale, and that plain gloves were traditionally given as wedding favours³. a pair of gloves, in other words, has long said “i thought about you”.

is it bad luck to give gloves as a gift?

only if you believe old superstitions. one recorded by mental floss holds that giving a friend gloves means the two of you will fight⁴. it’s the kind of folklore that’s fun to know and easy to ignore, and the far longer tradition is of gloves as a gift of affection.

how do you choose gloves for someone else?

• look at their coat. the gloves will spend the winter next to it, so choose a colour that matches or flatters it; our guide to what colour gloves to wear with your coat goes coat by coat.
• look at their jewellery and bags. if they wear gold and tan, choose brown or plum; if silver and black, choose black or cream.
• look at their style. a minimalist will love plain black or a quiet detail; someone who wears colour will love a print or a fringe.
• if in doubt, black or brown nappa is the safe, beautiful choice.
• check the returns. if you’re not sure, it helps to know the pair can come back; paumier accepts returns within 14 days of delivery for unused pairs, including gifts.

which gloves suit which person?

when should you order gloves for christmas?

earlier than you think. interest in gloves peaks well before christmas: according to google trends, uk search interest in leather gloves peaked in the second half of november last year, the weeks around black friday⁵. paumier dispatches in-stock pairs the next business day, and delivery within the uk takes about 3 business days and is free. to the eu it usually takes 6–11 business days, and to the us, australia and new zealand 7–21 business days, and the last christmas order dates in the uk: thu 17 dec for in-stock pairs, and thu 3 dec for late-shipping styles, which leave us 14 days after you order (last days to order, not guaranteed arrival dates). outside the uk they're earlier: see delivery & returns for every date, rate and time.

can gloves be returned if they’re a gift?

yes. paumier accepts returns within 14 days of delivery for unused pairs in their original condition, and the refund goes back to the payment method used for the order. the details are in our faq and on delivery & returns.

why are size 7 gloves easy to give?

because the hardest part of giving clothes is guessing a size, and size 7 is a small-to-medium hand, the size many women wear. every paumier style is size 7, so the only decisions are the leather, the colour and the detail, and those are the fun ones.

what goes well with gloves as a gift?

something they’ll wear with them. a scarf in a colour that picks up the gloves, a ring to wear over them, or simply a card telling them which coat you pictured the gloves with. the gloves themselves are the main event, so keep anything else small.

what should you write in the card?

something about the person rather than the weather. “for walks in the park”, “to match your green coat”, or simply “so you stop losing the other ones” all say more than “stay warm”.