[net.women] Shirt buttons - Cuff buttons on men's suitcoats

jmsellens@watmath.UUCP (John M Sellens) (04/23/85)

In article <xxx> an innocent person writes:
>> do you know why men's suitcoats have buttons on the sleeves?
>
>My understanding is that Napoleon invented that design  to  discourage  his
>officers from wiping their noses on their sleeves.

Go to closet.  Put on suitcoat.  Put wrist to nose.  Notice that the buttons
are on the far side of your arm.  (Optional: wipe nose on sleeve.)  Think
to yourself: "Self, Napolean sure didn't design these buttons"

John

trz@drume.UUCP (ZehrbachT) (04/24/85)

     I have also heard that Napolean (sp?) used buttons-on-the-sleeves
as a way to keep his officers from wiping their noses on their sleeves,
but the (many) buttons were sewn on to the FRONT of the sleeves. 
     I presume the reason there are buttons on men's suitcoats today
is because they used to be functional and now they are kept for            
ornamentation.


                                 Tom Zehrbach

rkl@ahuta.UUCP (k.laux) (04/24/85)

REFERENCES:  <14068@watmath.UUCP>

	My understanding is that the number of buttons on one's
suitcoat indicates the quality of the suit - the more buttons,
the higher the quality (and, of course, more expensive).

				R. Kevin Laux
				Software Vendor Tech Support
				ATTIS Lincroft
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