Why is there a buttonhole on the lapel?

Ever wonder why there's a buttonhole on the left of your left lapel? There's no button at the bottom or on the right side that goes with this buttonhole. So what is it for?

One explanation is it's for holding flowers. Inspired by Prince Albert, he cut a hole in his lapel to hold the flowers presented to him by Queen Victoria on her wedding day.

Another popular saying is it's designed to fasten the button attached at the end of the elastic cord of the hat. There was a time where dress hats used to have elastic cords with buttons attached at the end. Under windy conditions, hats could be secured with the buttonhole on the lapels.

Nowadays, this buttonhole could be used to hold flowers or lapel pins. A quality tailored suit has hand-sewn buttonholes. When you have your suit tailored at The Lancelot, you can even customise the colour of your lapel buttonhole to add a touch of your style.

📌Check out our Suit Resources page for more information about bespoke tailoring. (Including the choice of materials, how to style and care for your suit)