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Why Do People Wear Corsages and Boutonnieres?

The prom season staples have surprisingly long histories.
ByCaLea Johnson|
Corsages and boutonnieres are still popular. It‘s about time you learned their origins.
Corsages and boutonnieres are still popular. It‘s about time you learned their origins. | angela auclair/GettyImages

It’s prom season, and high schoolers are celebrating the iconic event with fancy dresses, gorgeous hairstyles, and high-class limousines. It’s common for girls to wear corsages on their wrists, while boys sport boutonnieres on their suits. But how did these trends come to be? Both accessories have a history that runs deeper than you may think. 

  1. A Short History of the Corsage
  2. A Brief History of the Boutonniere

A Short History of the Corsage

Before corsages were known as a flower arrangement for the wrist, they had a different purpose. People first used them during ancient times to ward off bad spirits. The accessory became a staple during celebratory occasions, especially wedding ceremonies. The bouquets were pinned to dresses, and were believed to protect people from evil. After all, corsage is a French word that initially referred to the bodice of a dress, per Online Athens. It was known as the bouquet de corsage before being shortened.

According to The Covington News, corsages were attached to the shoulder area of dresses by the 1900s. Many historians believe the trend of young men giving corsages to young women likely didn't arise until the 20th century in the U.S. On prom night, gentlemen would bring a bouquet for their date‘s parents, pluck a flower from the set, and pin it to a young lady‘s dress.

A Brief History of the Boutonniere

Some historians believe that boutonnieres were initially worn by ancient Egyptian sports fans; the tiny flower bouquets represented a person’s favorite team or player. Similar to women who wore corsages, men also wore the floral accessory for the same reasons: to protect themselves from evil entities and disease.

The boutonnieres we know today were already popping up during the 18th century. In 1771, British artist Thomas Gainsborough painted William Wade, the master of ceremonies at a fancy entertainment venue in Bath, England, wearing the accessory in the top buttonhole of his coat. Such usage is likely the reason why boutonniere translates to “little buttonhole.“ The little flower bouquet continued to gain traction in the 19th century when men sported coats with turned-out lapels that revealed buttonholes; boutonnieres served as a fashionable cover-up.

Speaking of bouquets, you might want to learn why brides started carrying them.

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