A corsage is a small bouquet of flowers worn on a woman's dress or worn around her wrist on a formal occasion, traditionally purchased by the woman's date, spouse, or fiancé. Corsages are now most commonly seen at homecomings, proms, or similar events.
- In some countries, corsages are worn by the mothers and grandmothers of the bride and groom at a wedding ceremony.
- The corsage is worn on a young woman's clothing or wrist for a homecoming celebration or other formal occasions such as prom in some schools around the world.
- Father-daughter dances are now becoming more popular and encourage the young girl to wear a small wrist corsage while the father has an option of using a boutonnière.
Sometimes incorrectly called corsages, flowers worn by men are traditionally known as buttonholes or boutonnieres. At school events the couple would traditionally try to coordinate with each other; this signifies that the couple is paired together, separating themselves from other guests or groups.
Video Corsage
History
In the 1900s, corsages could be seen pinned on the bodice of a dress and were known as bouquet de corsage, a French word meaning "a bouquet of the bodice". With time this phrase transitioned just to corsage, with corsages being made into wristlets because of the new styles of dresses being made. The name is used to represent any small bouquet of flowers that a woman wears. In the 1950s, some were made with fruit and would be seen on hats for decoration. Originally named after the French word for the bodice of a dress to which it was attached, they were originally thought to be lucky or ward off evil spirits. This explains why flowers are seen at special events or occasions such as weddings and sacred rituals during religious practices. It has become a customary practice and a demonstration of affection from a date. Originally the gentleman would bring a gift of flowers for his date's parents, and would select one of the flowers to give to his date, which would then be carried or attached to her clothing. With time this idea became outdated and was transitioned to be more of a luxury to complement the dress or signify the couple is paired at events. After events, some people like to keep the flowers as mementos even after the flowers are dried and browning.
Maps Corsage
Homecoming and prom
When attending a school formal or prom, providing a corsage for a prom date signifies consideration and generosity, as the corsage is meant to symbolize and honor the person wearing it. Corsages are usually worn around a prom date's wrist; alternatively, they may be pinned on her dress or a modified nosegay can be carried in her hand. The colors of the flowers are usually designed to complement the dress or to add color to the couple, tying the whole look together. Prom couples may wish to go together to choose the flowers for a custom-made corsage or boutonniere. As time progressed, the tradition became that the male would present a corsage or nosegay to the female as a gift, while the female would get the boutonniere and pin it on the shirt or jacket. Typically for homecoming the corsage is used because it is a much smaller event compared to prom. For prom events the more modern choice is nosegays because they are more appealing in pictures.
Types
There are many different flowers that can be used to create a corsage. It can be a small bunch or just a single flower. The following table shows some of the main flowers and accents used to create a custom-made corsage and that can be included in a nosegay and boutonnière.
Tools
A corsage's style and design may vary depending on the event. The younger generation tends to use wrist corsages, which themselves may vary in style and size depending on the wearer. The more traditional option is the pin-on corsage. This style often gets confused with a boutonniere; the main difference is the overall size and the number of flowers used.
Corsages have not changed much since the 1900s, although they used to be three times the size of the ones being made in the 2000s. If a wrist corsage is chosen for an event, the designer can make it using wires and floral tape or floral glue-- this is left to personal preference. When making a pin-on, the wire method is recommended because it is similar to making a boutonniere and will support the stems or flower bulbs. Glue can be added to hold the flowers together if the wire and tape are not sufficient.
See also
- Boutonnière
- Floristry
- Nosegay
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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