Frog (fastening)

"Chinese frogs" redirects here. For amphibians found in the country of China, see Frogs of China.

Pankou (Frog)
Willi Parthaune, Leipzig-Leutzsch, Pelz-Konfektions-Artikel aller Art (Katalog) (Seite 08 Posamenten-Knebelverschluss, Ausschnitt)
TypeFastening made of fabric
MaterialDiverse, including silk
Place of originAt least the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD), China
Pankou
Floral pankou, typically used on cheongsam, China
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese盘扣
Simplified Chinese盤扣
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinPánkòu
Huaniu
Chinese花纽
Literal meaningFlower buttons
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinHuāniǔ
Panhuaniu
Chinese盘花纽
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinPánhuāniǔ
English name
EnglishFrogs/ Frog closures/ Frogging/ Decorative toggles

A frog, pankou (simplified Chinese: 盘扣; traditional Chinese: 盤扣; pinyin: pánkòu), Chinese frog closure or decorative toggle[a] is a type of ornamental garment closure. Made from braiding, cord, fabric, or covered wire, they consist of a decorative knot button (a Chinese button knot for a traditional Chinese style[6]) and a loop; it is used to fasten garments without creating an overlap.[1] Its purpose is to act as a fastener as well as providing a decorative closure for the garment.[1] It is especially used on the cheongsam, where the pankou represents the cultural essence of the dress.[7] The frog was first developed in China; the origin of its later spread, into Europe and beyond, is uncertain.[6]

Loop-and-knot fasteners may have developed independently in other cultures. In Western Europe, military uniforms adopted a similar decorative fastener from Hungarian Hussars (who possibly had adapted them from earlier Chinese or Ottoman styles,[8] or may have independently developed an analogous fastener) which then began to appear on the civilian clothing of both genders, such as overcoats, spencers, and pelisses.[1][9][10]

Frog fasteners are usual to garments of Asian design, such as a shirt or coat with a mandarin collar, which features frog fasteners at the shoulder and down the front of the garment. In the design of a garment, frogging is the use of braided frog fasteners as a detail of the overall design of the garment.[2]

  1. ^ a b c d Condra, Jill, ed. (2008). The Greenwood encyclopedia of clothing through world history. Vol. 3: 1801 to the present. Westport, Connecticut (US): Greenwood Press. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-313-33665-2. OCLC 156808055.
  2. ^ a b Condra, Jill, ed. (2008). The Greenwood encyclopedia of clothing through world history. Vol. 1: Prehistory to 1500CE. Westport, Connecticut (US): Greenwood Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-0-313-33663-8. OCLC 156808055.
  3. ^ "Evolution and revolution: Chinese dress 1700s–1990s - Cheungsam". archive.maas.museum. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  4. ^ Metzger, Sean (24 February 2015). "'La Cabine d'Essayage' ('The Fitting Room'): Cheryl Sim". Asian Diasporic Visual Cultures and the Americas. 1 (1–2): 214–218. doi:10.1163/23523085-00101018. ISSN 2352-3077.
  5. ^ "Most Beautiful Pankou Knots (Chinese Frog Closures) to Wear on a Qipao". East Meets Dress. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Frog Closures". 101 sewing secrets. Singer sewing reference library. Minnetonka, Minnesota (US): Cy DeCosse Inc. 1989. pp. 76–77. ISBN 0-86573-249-3. OCLC 19457860.
  7. ^ 刘冬. "The Beauty of Beijing-Style Cheongsam". China Today. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  8. ^ Yarwood, Doreen (1992). Fashion in the Western world 1500–1990. London: B. T. Batsford. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-7134-5685-1.
  9. ^ "Frogging". Fashion History Timeline. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  10. ^ Ballinger Fletcher, Zita (7 August 2023). Brian Walker (ed.). "How the Hungarian Hussars Started a Fashion Craze". HistoryNet. Retrieved 13 September 2024.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).