Its a Boutonnière type of day!!

IT'S CALLED A BOUTONNIERE!!

 

Keeping in line with the menswear theme I’ve got going on today, I thought to write a little about boutonnieres!

 First, if you’re probably thinking; what on earth is a buttonier……bottoner…..buttiniini , hold on, for I shall tell you!

A boutonnière is a floral decoration, usually a single flower that is worn on the lapel of a jacket. The word boutonniere itself is a French word which is gotten from the word button hole.

 

Traditionally, the flower itself is a white gardenia or carnation but you can alternate with a red rose, however, there are no hard and fast rules these days as you are free to coordinate the color with your outfit.  A boutonniere no longer has to be an actual flower, I mean to be honest in Lagos how many people have time for real life flowers? Not to mention the sun that will wil it the minute you step out. Thank goodness nowadays they come in fabric form, metal, knit, feathers and other materials.

 

I have to say that until recently, boutinnieres weren’t really considered part of fashion for men in general and Naija men when they are throwing together an outfit, unless its their weddings and they manage to stick some awkward “flower” on the lapel of their jackets. That’s just too bad because I feel it adds a bit of debonair to an outfit and  it definitely gives an otherwise boring jacket some life.

 

Test of Quality

All you fellas out there feeling like you have the best tailored jacket in all the land, come closer. First check that you have a button hole on your left lapel, a well stitched one with room for a flower’s stem to fit through.

Second, look behind the lapel and check if it has a buttonhole latch or a small band to hold your stem in place. If your jacket has these two things, you have got yourself a good jacket or better still, a very knowledgeable tailor.

In the event that your jacket is lacking in this, it’s still ok, you can still wear a boutonniere, its just that you’ll have to keep pinning through the lapel fabric causing wear and tear to that particular part of the garment.

And if you want to go all the way and stand out from fellow boutonniere wearers, you can get yourself a boutonniere vase and rock the look to the maximum. The truth is, it takes a certain kind of confidence to war a boutonniere; its definitely for that guy that doesn’t mind standing out and having all eyes on him.

 

***word of advice, please refrain from wearing green boutonnieres as it is usually worn proudly by homosexuals. I don’t really see why an entire color has been cordoned off for them but that’s just the way it is apparently. But if you’re good with the color green, then please by all means go hard!!