The Malaysian actress graced the red carpet wearing this year’s most royal fashion trend: opera gloves
Michelle Yeoh is settling well into her status as cinema royalty. On May 21, the Malaysian actress arrived to the Cannes Film Festival 2023 with all the appearances of a queen, wearing a draped silk taffeta Balenciaga Couture gown in emerald green with a matching stole that added drama and volume to her look. Yeoh’s flair for red carpet dressing—established at both the historic Oscars night and the Met Gala this year—is nothing new. What really caught our attention, however, were her opera gloves.
Yeoh chose a black pair—also by Balenciaga—to contrast her elegant ensemble. The Everything, Everywhere, All at Once star also slipped on a diamond ring and a black Richard Mille watch over her gloves, but they proved unnecessary. It was the opera gloves that added to the dignified air of Yeoh’s presence on the red carpet, and for good reason.
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Historically, gloves and aristocracy went together like, well, hand and glove. Queen Elizabeth I had a penchant for gauntlet gloves—which were were short in length, wide at the opening, and often crafted from leather with elaborate embroidery—and amassed a vast collection throughout the 16th century. It was during this period that it became a trend for royals to gift (and be gifted) gloves, especially perfumed pairs, turning them into signifiers of status and wealth. But perhaps the earliest incarnation of opera gloves, or evening gloves, can be traced to a 1690 portrait of Queen Mary II. The royal, who ruled over England in the latter part of the 17th century, is depicted wearing a pair of white elbow-length gloves that peek out from under her lace sleeves.
As Jane Austen screen adaptations and Netflix’s Bridgerton show us, the Regency era took gloves to new lengths, introducing styles that stretched well past the elbow. The accessories continued to prove popular among the upper class during the Victorian period, but the necessity to wear them all but faded by the dawn of the 20th century. Today, royals reserve their opera gloves for formal occasions like coronation ceremonies, balls and weddings.
Princess Kate Middleton notably wore a pair to the Bafta Awards this year, and she may well have inspired Yeoh’s second look for the Cannes Film Festival. Following her red carpet appearance, the actress attended Kering’s Women In Motion dinner, where she was honoured with the Women In Motion Award for her contributions to cinema. (Former recipients include esteemed actresses like Jane Fonda, Isabelle Huppert and Gong Li.)
