Have you forgotten about buttonholes, my stylish men?
Can we take a moment to admire the long-forgotten buttonhole?
What exactly is it? And why don’t we do this anymore?
According to Google, the definition of a buttonhole is…
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A boutonnière (French) or buttonhole (British English) is a floral decoration, typically a single flower or bud, worn on the lapel of a tuxedo or suit jacket.
It is said that the origin of the 'lapel flower', or boutonniere, or buttonhole originated with Prince Albert, upon receiving a bouquet of flowers from Victoria as a token of her love, removed one flower from the bouquet, cut a hole in his jacket's lapel, and placed the flower in it. Thus, creating a fashion trend and a formalwear tradition began. Usually, men wore flowers in their lapels while attending formal events, and usually when going on dates, too. Read more about this in this article written in the Gentleman's Gazette.
Remember the 1957 hit song by Marty Robbins "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation”? Well, the idea of dressing up your jacket to look dapper continued throughout the 60's, but by the 70's had gone out of fashion.
And here he is, the man himself in his white sport coat with a pink carnation~
I say we need to bring this back! Why not? Just look at some of these buttonholes and boutonnieres I've done throughout my career. And trust me, I have done many! These are a few of my favorites~
And check these out---so simple, yet they add such a savvy look to the dinner jacket, don't you think?
I have to admit; I did not know this until I stumbled upon the below guide on how the anatomy of a boutonniere and how to wear it. Who knew? There is a buttonhole 'latch' stitched into the back of the lapel of dinner jackets!
Let's think about this. Wouldn't you want to go on a date with a guy that plucks a rose, carnation, or some other flower and tucked it into his jacket? It's like...you did that for ME? Wow. I love it!
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