My Wardrobe: Bouttonieres

I mentioned my fondness for wearing bouttonieres in a post on the movie Worth Winning last year. Here in Wisconsin, I typically start wearing them in May, as soon as we are past topcoat weather and there are some decently priced flowers to be had. Carnations are the sturdiest lapel flowers; I buy a bunch to keep in a vase at home for four to ten days, and snip off one flower for my outfit each day. A carnation can last all day without water, which few cut flowers can; with other species, it's best to think in terms of separate bouttonieres for morning, afternoon, and evening. I like the variety of colors that carnations are available in; today I bought a bunch of pink carnations which will look smashing with my blue suits. I've thought of getting into cultivating carnations (or at least mini-carnations) in pots on my second-floor balcony, and I may give that a try.

If I purchase a mixed bunch of flowers, I tend to try wearing all the blooms to see which work best; some drop petals quickly, which is a no-no. As a guide I look to a charming book, The Bouttoniere: Style in One's Lapel, by Umberto Angeloni of the renowned Italian suit-maker Brioni. One British journalist quoted in the book is very fond of picking wildflowers for his bouttonieres; I'll have to see what's growing around here and give that a try.

Men classically wear their bouttonieres in the buttonhole in the left lapel, but I defy tradition by wearing them on the right, held in place by a safety pin. My reason for this is that I always wear a pocket square in the left breast pocket of my jacket -- it is one of my few invariables -- and I don't want to load up competing points of visual interest on one side of the outfit. To my eye, the pocket square on the left and the bouttoniere on the right balance each other nicely.

Among my wardrobe accessories, only hats generate as much comment as the flowers do. Seeing a bouttoniere, people usually think I'm going to a wedding! -- and when I tell them I'm just celebrating the season or the nice weather, they seem to find that a very pleasant impulse. Bouttonieres inherently convey a good mood; they're jolly as well as spiffy. For that alone I would like them; and the colors and textures they add to an outfit are richly rewarding as well.