Why do suit sleeves have buttons

While doing so recently I noticed, as if for the first time, the buttons sewn on the bottom side of the coat sleeves. They had always been there, I suppose, but never before had they seemed so conspicuously useless.

The salesman couldn't tell my why the buttons were there; neither could the tailor. Now I'm becoming obsessed. What's the scoop, Cecil? At one time, supposedly, coat sleeve buttons had an eminently practical function. It seems that Frederick the Great, ruler of Prussia from to , used to enjoy nothing more than the sight of his troops neatly decked out in uniforms and lined up in rows.

Only one thing spoiled the scene: the soldiers insisted on sweating, getting dirty, catching diseases, and bleeding profusely. Since no one had the foresight to provide the troops with Kleenex with which to mop their brows, the soldiers made do as best they could with their coat sleeves. Naturally this was unacceptable.

Mostly, no more than four buttons are used for making-up tweed jackets. There are different hypotheses about the appearance of this element of the item. It is known, for example, that clothes with overhung metallic sleeve buttons were established by Napoleon Bonaparte to make soldiers use handkerchiefs and not to wipe noses with a sleeve as commoners.

There is also another version: tweed jackets were worn with buttons on sleeves, in order to wash hands without taking off outer garments. It was extremely important for doctors, who often needed to give first aid urgently.

Gradually buttons as fashion item lost functional use and became a design element. Question Asked by Lenny. Last updated May 16 Your Email Address:. Index Newest Popular Best. New Player Log In. Newest Questions Post a Question Search All Questions Please cite any factual claims with citation links or references from authoritative sources.

Editors continuously recheck submissions and claims. Archived Questions Goto Qn. Why do men's suits have buttons on the sleeve? During the Napoleonic wars Gen.