#How NYC’s Wing & Weft crafted Jill Biden’s inauguration gloves

From New York City with glove!

The eye-catching leather gloves that First Lady Jill Biden wore for the inauguration were made by Wing & Weft, the last remaining custom glovemaker in Manhattan’s Garment District.

“Historically, we have built custom gloves for many first ladies,” Wing & Weft owner Katie Sue Nicklos told The Post. “Dr. Biden is a new client to us, but we hope to be able to glove her for the rest of the time she serves as first lady and beyond.”

In all, Biden wore three Wing & Weft creations: the bold turquoise pair that perfectly matched her tweed coat by Markarian during the swearing-in ceremony, a lavender set for her visit to the COVID-19 memorial service on Tuesday and a creamy white duo on inauguration night. First Daughter Ashley Biden and her nieces also wore Wing & Weft for the presidential festivities.

To create the silk-lined, six-button (elbow-length) leather gloves, Nicklos matched fabric swatches provided by Biden’s styling team to soft Cabretta leather skins she hand-picked while on a trip to England two years ago.

“The Biden team knew exactly what they wanted. I have all of these beautiful colors. And I had a teal one that matched perfectly. We made a healthy handful [of pairs],” said Nicklos, who was waiting with anticipation to see which gloves the first lady would end up sporting on Wednesday.

“You never know what can happen. We could have woken up, and the weather could be too warm for gloves,” Nicklos said.

This was Nicklos’ first time working on inauguration fashion.

A former theatrical costumer, she bought the company in 2017 when it was known as LaCrasia Gloves, and she was one of its best clients.

It has been a stalwart in the industry for decades, furnishing fancy hand-coverings for every first lady since Laura Bush, as well as pop stars Madonna and Prince.

The old-school glovemakers also provided the delicate accessories for TV’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Godfather of Harlem” and Broadway’s “Moulin Rouge!”

Although her company is one of the last of its kind locally, New York was once the hub of glove-making in the country, centered around Gloversville, in Fulton County, at the turn of the last century.

“We have all of that knowledge that has been passed down, and we are masters,” said Nicklos, adding that her company, which first opened in the Garment District in 1973, is the go-to place for debutantes.

But all of that handiwork doesn’t come cheap.

Wing & Weft’s custom leather gloves start at $500, and the price tag can hit a whopping $5,000, depending on the materials used. However, seeing her company’s craftsmanship on the national stage was priceless.

“It was an incredibly proud moment for our entire team,” she said.

It was especially emotional after enduring months of uncertainty during the pandemic. Theatrical shops have been heavily affected by the stoppage in movie, stage and television production. Early on, Wing & Weft pivoted to mask-making and have stayed active in the Costume Industry Coalition, which was formed to help these master artisans stay in business.

“It has been the challenge of my lifetime to stay open. Things haven’t been as good as they were before the pandemic, but we are very hopeful,” said Nicklos. “I find value in learning from the past, so I have a lot of heart and passion to keep this going.”

Thankfully, the Bidens might have a hand in generating some new business.

“Some people have called to enquire about replicas of Jill’s teal inauguration gloves,” Niklos said.

However, they’re most likely out of luck if they’re looking for that exact hue.

“It was a one-of-a-kind skin that I happened to have in that color,” she said. “But we would be thrilled to get [more leather that looked] as close as possible.”

For now, though, just being a part of history is enough.

“We’re just enjoying this sense of pride,” she said.