Frog (fastening)

Common card · No. 271578

A frog or pankou (simplified Chinese: 盘扣; traditional Chinese: 盤扣; pinyin: pánkòu), also called Chinese frog closure and decorative toggle, 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) and a loop. Its purpose is to fasten garments while providing a decorative element on the clothing. It can be used to fasten openings edge-to-edge, avoiding an overlap. It is especially used on the cheongsam, where the pankou represents the cultural essence of the dress. The frog was first developed in China; the origin of its later spread, into Europe and beyond, is uncertain. 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 earlier Ottoman styles, or may have independently developed an...

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