What that shoulder button on your coat is really meant for

Plenty of people have owned coats and jackets over the years that feature a simple fold of material with a button to clip it in place on the shoulder, but while many believed it was just there for decoration it turns out there’s a very practical reason for its existence.  

Taking to social media recently, one woman has claimed the buttons are placed in that specific spot to help handbags stay in place and stop them from slipping off shoulders.

Using a photo as proof, the surprised Twitter user showed how the strap of the handbag can be placed firmly on the shoulder with the button holding it in place so it doesn’t move anywhere. 

“Taken me 18 years to find out that the weird shoulder buttons on jackets is [sic] to hold your bag in place so it doesn’t fall off who knew,” she wrote.

👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/v4hSEUvSOQ

— Nick Stay☠ (@NickStay) October 31, 2018

Apparently the nifty idea was first born for military shirts and jackets to keep backpacks and ammunition pouches from slipping off the shoulder. The shoulder straps are also used by military personnel to display shoulder marks that bears their rank or other insignia.

The post has sent the internet into meltdown with over 1,400 comments and 160,000 likes at the time of publication. 

Most were completely gobsmacked to learn about the button’s real use and said they couldn’t believe they hadn’t thought of it before now.

“Was shocked but makes so much sense, I just thought they were there for decoration,” one person commented. 

A second simply wrote: “Game changer”. 

While others, claimed they have been using the button in that way for some time. 

“I actually do this all the time… thought I was a weirdo but I feel better about it now,” someone wrote. 

This isn’t the only strange creation in clothing that has baffled young and old over the years. In 2016, the world was surprised the learn the real use for that tiny pocket on the front of most pairs of jeans, with American jeans brand Levi Strauss confirming its origin.  

According to the brand’s website, the tiny pocket, inside a larger pocket, was originally created for cowboys in the 1800s to protect their pocket watches. 

While pocket watches aren’t commonly used items these days, the little pocket is now sometimes used to hold coins, or other small items. 

Did you know about the use of the shoulder button? Have you ever used it to hold your handbag?