The appropriate length of the evening gloves is determined by the length of the sleeves of the dress. The shorter the sleeves of the dress, the longer the gloves should be. Evening gloves for formal(white tie) and semi-formal(black tie) wear come in three lengths for women: wrist, elbow, and opera. The opera reaches over the elbow, usually reaching to the biceps but sometimes to the full length of the arm. The "elbow-length or longer" part is the key; gloves which cover a substantial portion of the forearm, up to just below the elbow, can legitimately be called "long gloves" or "evening gloves", but never "Opera Gloves". In this case, the term "opera" is the same as "opera length necklace" or "opera length stockings" and refers to the length of the object rather than the type of party.