Placket
Encyclopedia
A placket is an opening in the upper part of trousers
or skirt
s, or at the neck or sleeve
of a garment. Plackets are almost always used to allow clothing to be put on or removed easily, but are sometimes used purely as a design element. Modern plackets often contain fabric facings
or attached bands to surrounds and reinforce fastener
s such as button
s, snaps
, or zipper
s.
In modern usage, the term placket often refers to the double layers of fabric that hold the buttons and buttonholes in a shirt
. Plackets can also be found at the neckline of a shirt, the cuff
of a sleeve, or at the waist of a skirt
or pair of trousers
.
Plackets are almost always made of more than one layer of fabric, and often have interfacing
in between the fabric layers. This is done to give support and strength to the placket fabric because the placket and the fasteners on it are often subjected to stress when the garment is worn. The two sides of the placket often overlap. This is done to protect the wearer from fasteners rubbing against their skin and to hide underlying clothing or undergarments.
A button front shirt without a separate pieced placket is called a "French placket." The fabric is simply folded over and the buttonhole stitching secures the two layers (or three layers if there is an interlining). This method affords a very clean finish, especially if heavily patterned fabrics are being used. This method is normally only used in stiff-fronted formal evening ("white-tie") shirts. However, the normal, separate placket on a shirt gives a more symmetrical appearance.
If the buttons are concealed by a separate flange or flap of the shirting fabric running the length of the placket, it is called a "fly front." The inner placket of a fly front shirt can be made as a less constructed French placket or as a fully constructed regular placket.
Historically, a placket may also be:
Trousers
Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
or skirt
Skirt
A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped garment that hangs from the waist and covers all or part of the legs.In the western world, skirts are usually considered women's clothing. However, there are exceptions...
s, or at the neck or sleeve
Sleeve
Sleeve is that part of a garment which covers the arm, or through which the arm passes or slips. The pattern of the sleeve is one of the characteristics of fashion in dress, varying in every country and period...
of a garment. Plackets are almost always used to allow clothing to be put on or removed easily, but are sometimes used purely as a design element. Modern plackets often contain fabric facings
Facing (sewing)
In sewing and tailoring, facing is fabric applied to a garment edge, on the inside. Shaped facings are cut to match the outside shape of the piece to provide a neat finish, and are often cut from the same pattern pieces. Shaped facings are typically made of the same fabric as the garment, but may...
or attached bands to surrounds and reinforce fastener
Fastener
A fastener is a hardware device that mechanically joins or affixes two or more objects together.Fasteners can also be used to close a container such as a bag, a box, or an envelope; or they may involve keeping together the sides of an opening of flexible material, attaching a lid to a container,...
s such as button
Button
In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, most commonly made of plastic, but also frequently of seashell, which secures two pieces of fabric together. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact. In the applied arts and in craft, a button can be an example of...
s, snaps
Snap fastener
A snap fastener is a pair of interlocking discs commonly used in place of buttons to fasten clothing. A circular lip under one disc fits into a groove on the top of the other, holding them fast until a certain amount of force is applied...
, or zipper
Zipper
A zipper is a commonly used device for temporarily joining two edges of fabric...
s.
In modern usage, the term placket often refers to the double layers of fabric that hold the buttons and buttonholes in a shirt
Shirt
A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body. Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for almost any garment other than outerwear such as sweaters, coats, jackets, or undergarments such as bras, vests or base layers...
. Plackets can also be found at the neckline of a shirt, the cuff
Cuff
A cuff is an extra layer of fabric at the lower edge of the sleeve of a garment covering the arms. In US usage the word may also refer to the end of the leg of a pair of trousers...
of a sleeve, or at the waist of a skirt
Skirt
A skirt is a tube- or cone-shaped garment that hangs from the waist and covers all or part of the legs.In the western world, skirts are usually considered women's clothing. However, there are exceptions...
or pair of trousers
Trousers
Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
.
Plackets are almost always made of more than one layer of fabric, and often have interfacing
Interfacing
Interfacing is a textile used on the unseen or "wrong" side of fabrics to make an area of a garment more rigid.Interfacings can be used to:*stiffen or add body to fabric, such as the interfacing used in shirt collars...
in between the fabric layers. This is done to give support and strength to the placket fabric because the placket and the fasteners on it are often subjected to stress when the garment is worn. The two sides of the placket often overlap. This is done to protect the wearer from fasteners rubbing against their skin and to hide underlying clothing or undergarments.
A button front shirt without a separate pieced placket is called a "French placket." The fabric is simply folded over and the buttonhole stitching secures the two layers (or three layers if there is an interlining). This method affords a very clean finish, especially if heavily patterned fabrics are being used. This method is normally only used in stiff-fronted formal evening ("white-tie") shirts. However, the normal, separate placket on a shirt gives a more symmetrical appearance.
If the buttons are concealed by a separate flange or flap of the shirting fabric running the length of the placket, it is called a "fly front." The inner placket of a fly front shirt can be made as a less constructed French placket or as a fully constructed regular placket.
Historically, a placket may also be:
- A decorative front-panel used to fill in the opening of a doubletDoublet (clothing)A doublet is a man's snug-fitting buttoned jacket that is fitted and shaped to the man's body which was worn in Western Europe from the Middle Ages through to the mid-17th century. The doublet was hip length or waist length and worn over the shirt or drawers. Until the end of the 15th century the...
or gownGownA gown is a loose outer garment from knee- to full-length worn by men and women in Europe from the early Middle Ages to the 17th century ; later, gown was applied to any woman's garment consisting of a bodice and attached skirt.A long, loosely-fitted gown called a Banyan was worn by men in the 18th...
(later called a stomacherStomacherA stomacher is a decorated triangular panel that fills in the front opening of a woman's gown or bodice. The stomacher may be boned, as part of a corset, or may cover the triangular front of a corset...
). Also spelled placard. - A decorative panel or "forepart" (see 1500–1550 in Fashion) attached to a woman's petticoatPetticoatA petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt or a dress. The petticoat is a separate garment hanging from the waist ....
. - An opening or slit in a skirt or petticoat to access a separate hanging pocketPocketA pocket is a bag- or envelope-like receptacle either fastened to or inserted in an article of clothing to hold small items. Pockets may also be attached to luggage, backpacks, and similar items...
. - A petticoat or skirt pocket.