Rita Hayworth in Gilda [Photo/Columbia Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images]

On the length of gloves, connoisseurs advise you in unison: the shorter the sleeve, the longer the glove. Indeed, gloves are basically made to extend the sleeve length. The most famous long ones are the opera gloves. Covering the elbow and usually made of silk or satin, they're perfect for accessorising sleeveless or short-sleeved evening gowns – and they're sexy when worn with a strapless dress. Have fun and play it like Rita Hayworth in Gilda while you glamorously peel one off...

If you want to go further, there are even longer gloves. "The longest ones come up to the armpit and are called the 18 buttons," explains Causse. "It refers to the number of buttons sewn along the glove, which was used as a unit of measure – 18 was the maximum possible length." You may want to note, however, that these gloves are heavily embedded in the fetish world and probably not suitable for the first encounter with your future mother-in-law.