Thursday 22 September 2016

The function of the small loops at the back of men’s shirt

Before hangers and wardrobes were invented, people used to hang their clothes on hooks or pegs so that they don’t get crushed or wrinkled. They used to hang the shirt on the hooks using those little loops. The East Coast sailors were the first ones to think of this. They started hanging their shirts on the hooks of the ship while changing clothes or storing them for future use. This small detail soon found its way to the streets. Finally in the 1960s, the trend was adopted by the US when they started making Oxford button-down shirts. The makers also gave this loop a name and called it locker loop. However, it had a few other names as well, such as fag tag, fruit loop, and fairy loop.



The locker loop soon became popular and also formed a part of the Ivy League date culture. They were used to denote the relationship status of the boys. Young girls would rip the locker loop from the shirt of the boys whom they found cute or whom they were interested in. And if there was no locker loop on a boy’s shirt, it meant that he has already been taken. Ripping the loop often led to ripping off the entire shirt, but this was the process that they followed!

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