Shirt-studs

Shirt studs are small, usually metal objects used to fasten the front of pleated or stiff-front shirts in lieu of buttons. They often have inlays of pearl, onyx or similar materials. While originally both daywear and eveningwear, they are now only worn with (semi-)formal evening dress.

Historical Overview

Shirt studs were first used around the middle of the nineteenth century, when shirt fronts became too stiff to close with buttons. This is rarely the case any more, since they are usually worn with soft shirts with black tie. However, on the heavily starched full dress shirts worn with white tie, the fronts are still too inflexible for buttons.