A frog (, also called () or () in China, or frog knots, frogs, Chinese frog closures and decorative toggles in English) is a type of ornamental braiding closure made out of cord, consisting of a button (oftentimes a Chinese button knot for a traditional oriental style) and a loop; it is used to fasten garments without creating an overlap. Its purpose is to act as a fastener as well as providing a decorative closure for the garment. It is especially used on the cheongsam, where the frog represents the cultural essence of the dress.
The frog originated from China and later spread beyond it. Western military uniforms adopted the decorative fastener, which then began to appear on the civilian clothes of both genders, such as overcoats, spencers, and pelisses.
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 is a detail of the overall design of the garment.
History
The frog is the end-product of thousands years of traditional Chinese knotting craft, which is itself rooted in the culture. As a form of fastener, the frog first appeared on Traditional Chinese clothing, and can be traced back to the Song dynasty when fabric was braided into braid buckles to create the loop and the button knot.
The braided buckles of the Song dynasty continued to be used in the Yuan dynasty. However, in the Ming dynasty, interlocking buckles known as (), which could be made out of gold and silver, first appeared and came in various shapes and styles. The also became one of the favourite fashion accessory items of the Ming dynasty Chinese women.
These interlocking buckles were not only functional as garments fasteners or as garment ornaments; they also expressed and symbolized the wishes and inspirations of its wearer, such as the longing of a better life; the wishes for a sweet and loving marital relationship through the theme of butterflies and flower (); the wishes for a rich and wealthy life with the use of double silver ingots (), and to express wishes for a long and healthy life with the theme of "Furong Flowers and " (), which uses Furong flowers and the Chinese character 《》, as it is a homonym for the Chinese characters 《》which can literally be translated as "prosperity and longevity".
The development of the of the Ming dynasty had a significant impact on the history of Chinese fashion as they did not only laid the foundation of the subsequent usage of a large number and variety of frog but also led to the emergence and the popularity of the Chinese high-standing collar (and its derivative, the Mandarin collar) along with a variety of (upper garment with central front closure) which uses the frog on the front over the succeeding centuries.
The frog, like its Ming dynasty predecessor, the , also come in all kind of styles and shapes and continue to retain traditional Chinese designs and cultural meanings rooted deeply in traditional Chinese culture; these designs include auspicious symbols, such as pomegranates which is represent fertility and the Chinese character 《》).
Use
Frogs are now key elements in cheongsam representing its "soul" and provide a distinctive Chinese character to the dress; they are typically sewed at the centre of the mandarin collar and along the diagonal slanted (S-shaped) opening. They are also used in other garments, such as , (jacket) including those used in the , and the , etc.
Design and construction
The frog is composed of a Chinese button knot is perceived as the male while its pair with the loop is considered as being the female.
The frog, which are used in the making of the cheongsam, are typically made out of silk or are made from the same materials as the dress. To create more elaborate shapes of buttons, a method called wiring is used to create the desired shape.
There are different types of frog which differ in shapes and elaboration:
The floral frog can further be divided into other categories based on its shape: