[F. = Sweden.] Orig. in suède gloves (= F. gants de Suède), gloves made of undressed kid-skin; hence suède is used for the material and the color of it. Also suède-colo(u)red adj.
1859. Habits of Gd. Society, iv. 178. Soft gloves of the kind termed gants de suède [misprinted gants de siècle].
1884. Health Exhib. Catal., 37. Kid and Suède gloves made in their manufactories at Paris, Grenoble and Brussels.
1888. Daily News, 23 April, 6/4. A girl in a well-made gown of pale suède silk, striped with openwork. Ibid. (1894), 22 Nov., 8/1. Now, suèdes and silk gloves are permitted, and in a couple of months are succeeded by French kid. Ibid. (1897), 17 April, 6/6. A visiting costume in suède-coloured cashmere.
