I didn’t expect to encounter trouble so soon in my a-to-z, but I really couldn’t think of a type of accessory that begins with the letter D… so I’ve gone for a brand name instead. I hope you don’t think it’s cheating because there will be a few of these dotted throughout the alphabet! Hopefully I have chosen brands that are both relevant and interesting, but do let me know in the comments if you think I’ve missed something obvious though.
The wonderful Dents have been manufacturing for over 235 years and are still well known for the quality of their fine leather gloves, although they now produce a range of other accessories. Split into three categories – men’s, women’s and heritage – the Dents range now includes handbags, belts, cufflinks, wallets, scarves and even iPad cases. They’ve certainly not lost their attention to detail though:
Since 1777 Dents craftsmen have been making the world’s finest leather gloves in England. Their unique expression of the glovemaker’s craft can be seen by the care and attention to detail lavished on our most exclusive English made gloves. Each glove is individually bench cut, and made with features and materials rarely seen today.
One example is quirks, small diamond shaped pieces of leather sewn at the base of the fingers, where they are attached to the hand of the glove to improve the fit. They are found only on the most expensive handsewn gloves. Another example is hand felling, a method of invisibly stitching the cuff of the glove to its lining which helps the glove keep its shape, and adds to its comfort. Dents only uses top quality peccary skins, the world’s rarest and most luxurious gloving leather, as well as the best available North American deerskin, and fine aniline Ethiopian hairsheep leathers, in its Heritage Collection.
Their beautiful gloves are still made by hand in Wiltshire from the finest materials. They’ve made gloves for ITV drama Mr Selfridge, James Bond, and even for the Queen’s coronation. Every time I walk past the Dents gloves in Selfridges or House of Fraser, I can’t help but try a pair on in a stunning bright colour. The fit is always fantastic, which is somewhat tricky on my small hands! The softest leathers and a dedication to sizes other than small/medium/large means that Dents will remain on many wish lists for years to come.
Image scanned from the September 1970 issue of Vogue by Miss Peelpants.
