Formal Wear Primer

[Edward]

Can someone remind me what the cone-shaped metal piece that a gentleman uses to hold a flower on his lapel is called?

It's a nosegay.

 

[dnjan]

It's a nosegay.

I thought that a nosegay is the flower(s) itself. I am talking about the silver-colored cone, about 2 inches long and about a half inch in diameter at the wide end, that the flower is put into.

 

[Edward]

I thought that a nosegay is the flower(s) itself. I am talking about the silver-colored cone, about 2 inches long and about a half inch in diameter at the wide end, that the flower is put into.

HMn. Digging around suggests that technically it is the flower itself is the nosegay (common usage in my circles has always been to refer to the whole thing or the vase as a nosegay). Can't find any alternative other than 'nosegay holder' or 'boutonniere vase', though. If what you're looking for is a keyword to hunt one out to buy, both of those have plenty of returns on Etsy.

 

[dnjan]

HMn. Digging around suggests that technically it is the flower itself is the nosegay (common usage in my circles has always been to refer to the whole thing or the vase as a nosegay). Can't find any alternative other than 'nosegay holder' or 'boutonniere vase', though. If what you're looking for is a keyword to hunt one out to buy, both of those have plenty of returns on Etsy.

Thanks! Searching for boutonniere vase worked.

 

[Edward]

Thanks! Searching for boutonniere vase worked.

Excellent. Look forward to seeing what you get. (As an aside, isn't it interesting how, owing to keywords being such a thing, the internet is pulling us in the direction of having defined terminology for so many things that haven't really had a strictly defined name or parameter before?)

 

[Faux Brummell]

A few more formal wear adventures from the relatively recent past.