The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-07-28
What Should Be Worn in Button
Hole Bouquets.
ORIGIN OF A PRETTY CUSTOM
The Proper Thing For Afternoon
Calls, The Theater. Dinner Par
ties and the Dance.

There are fashions in everything. /.
even in the wearing OF buttonhole bou-
quets. or "button-holes." as they are
called for short. and curiously enough
the fashions in button-holes come
from the same city in which originates
everything artistic and beautiful
that relates to the attire of either of
the sexes, to-wit, Paris. In that most
fashionable of all cities the man about
town would no more think of appear
ing in public without his button-hole
than he would like To be seen without
his boots or shirt collar. The same
may be said of other cities on the Con-
tinent, and especially is it true Of
Buenos Ayres, the Paris of South
America, that great city on the River
Platte which is nothing if not a close
second TO the original. In London also
the custom of wearing button-holes
| has been followed for hundreds of
years. Everyone remembers Charles
| Dickens, but can anyone recall a por-
trait of him without the boutonniere?
| Z In the matter of wearing button
| holes Honolulu is advancing almost rs
rapidly as in other matters. Ten years
ago very few were to be seen; now
nearly every other man has from one
flower To a whole bunch in the lapel
| of his coat. Two or three years ago
button-holes were placed on sale in one
of our drug stores; now they may be
obtained at half a dozen places. or are
supplied to order at others.
4 .NF &c Av,I 80
TO some men. Take Bert Peterson or
Lionel Hart, for instance. Does any
one suppose for a minute that those
two young society favorites would feel
at their ease without a button-hole and
the best that could be got for money,
either? Fred Whitney would be lost
without one, and DIR. High would go
into spasms. Deputy Marshal Chilling
worth is never without one, nor Is
Chester Doyle If he can help ii. Il. ID.
Kellett and George Lucas of the Judi
ciary Office are never satisfied unless
they have button-holes in their coats
and bouquets on their tables. Even
stockholders think of their button
holes before getting ready for another
assault on Kihei, as witness L. +. Lam
sing and Willard Brown. Princes Gu
pid and David always wear button
holes and so does Capitalist John G..
Walker Others whose rondness for
the button-hole makes them prominent
are c. II. w. Norton, George ID. Gear,
A. S. Humphreys. DR.. Murray, Leslie
Scott, Charles Bon, w. G.. Ashley and
| last but not least by any means Attor-
ney General Cooper. 1t has been said
that the love of flowers betokens purity
| of the soul but il will not be too much
to say that there is never anything
radically bad in a man who loves flow
| erS.
But fashions DEGREES are all-power-
full: they must be obeyed in Honolulu
as in Paris. This being so. it is well
that Honolulu florists, as we'll as So
ciety young men. should be careful TO
wear only the right flowers at the right
times. Hence the button-hole brigade
should take notice that fashion has de-
creed in Paris for the season of 1899
that the following is the proper order
in which flowers are to be worn by
men:
1. For the early constitutional-Rus-
sian violets.
. For afternoon calls-Dark red car
nation.
8. At the theater-White carnation.
1. At dinner parties-Orchid.
;. At the dance-Gardenia.
\ word as TO the origin of this pref
~ custom. OF all those who wear them
how many in Honolulu could tell fom
what country il was derived or in
what age? 1t could have originated
only in France, and consequently in
Paris. for Paris is France. One
day in a careless mood Louis
NV. of France while in the gar
dens of beautiful Versailles. picked the
pretty star of potato flower and stuck
it in his button-hole. His Courtiers
Immediately did the same and IL be
came the fashion. and has remained so
ever since.