Aiguillette

Commissioned officers of the Household Cavalry in full dress wearing aiguillettes
Bundle of 20 braided gold and silver laces with stamped brass tags or aiglets, first half of the 17th century

An aiguillette, also spelled aguillette, aiglet or aglet (from French "aiguille", needle), is a cord with metal tips or lace tags, or the decorative tip itself.[1][2]

Functional or purely decorative fasteners of silk cord with metal tips popular in the 16th and early 17th centuries, sometimes of gold set with gemstones or enameled, are generally called "aiglets", "aglets" or "points".[2][3]

In modern usage, an "aiguillette" is an ornamental braided cord with decorative metal tips worn on uniforms or as part of other costumes such as academic dress,[1] where it will denote an honour. This usage of "aiguillette" derives from lacing used to fasten plate armor together. As such, a knot or loop arrangement was used which sometimes hung from the shoulder.

These aiguillettes should not be confused with lanyards, which are cords also worn from the shoulder (or around the neck), but do not have the pointed aiguillette tips and are usually of fibre rather than gold or silver wire, and often not braided.

The modern aglet or shoelace tip and the decorative tips on bolo ties are types of aiguillettes.

History

Two crystal aiglets
Ribbon tie with aiglets
Pair of crystal, gold, and enamel aiglets, late 16th or early 17th century

Portraits of the 16th and 17th centuries show that aiglets or metal tips could be functional or purely decorative, though many were used to "close" seams and slashes that are not always apparent on dark garments in portraits. They were made in matched sets, might be of silver, silver-gilt, or gold, and were worn in masses.[3]

A 1547 inventory of Henry VIII of England's wardrobe includes one coat with 12 pairs of aiglets, and 11 gowns with a total of 367 pairs.[2] The Day Book of the Wardrobe of Robes of Elizabeth I records items given and received into storage, including details of buttons and aiglets lost from the Queen's clothing. This entry suggests the huge numbers of matching aiglets fashionable forty years later:

Lost the 2 of February ... [1582] 1 bunsh of small gold tagges or aglettes from a gowne of black satten at Sittingbourne parcell [part] of uppon the same gowne 193 bunshes[4]

Elizabeth's aiglets were variously enameled with white, red, black, blue, and purple details or set with diamonds, garnets, rubies, and pearls;[3][5] those of Anne of Denmark in the early years of the 17th century were larger, shaped in triangles and pyramids. One set of 24 were made three-sided, with "27 diamonds in the sides and one in the top", for a total of 642 diamonds in the set.[3]

Military usage

Lord High Admiral Clinton in an arming doublet of 1562, showing the decorative points or laces with metal tips for securing armour.

The modern aiguillette derives from the laces used to secure plates of armor together—the breast- and back-plates would be attached on one side with short loops of cord acting as a hinge, and on the other by a longer and more ornate tied one,to support the arm defences.[6] The ensuing knots would hang down the shoulder. (As with combat boots, the longer the lace, the less the need to undo the entire lace.) As armour became more ornamental and less practical, so too did the ties. This would also explain the aiguillettes of varying levels of complexity in the uniforms of the Household Cavalry (see picture above), as opposed to other "unarmored" troops.

A version that says that aiguillettes originated in aides-de-camp and adjutants wearing a pencil at the end of a cord hanging from the shoulder has no historical base.

Argentina

Aiguillettes are worn on the right shoulder by armed forces officers serving in specific positions, such as aide-de-camp to the President, the Minister of Defense, each service's chief of staff and unit commanding officers, and by military attachés to Argentinian embassies abroad. The color of the aiguillette may be golden, silver or tan, depending the nature of the assignment.

Olive green aiguillettes are worn with the combat uniform in very special circumstances, such as ceremonies and inspections. Otherwise, aiguillettes are not worn with the combat uniform. A special red aiguillette is worn by the adjutants to the commanding officers of the Horse Grenadiers Regiment (the presidential guard) and the Military Academy. Also, a red aiguillette is worn on the left shoulder by the senior NCO of each Army unit. A thinner, yellow aiguillette is worn on the right shoulder by NCOs who have completed the instructor course.

In the Navy, adjutants to very senior officers wear golden aiguillettes on the left shoulder.

Australia

Aiguillettes distinguish officers of Flag, General and Air rank in specific command appointments, Military Attachés and Aides-de-camp. Most senior officers and aides-de-camp to the Governor-General or state governors wear the Aiguillette on the right shoulder, whilst Military Attachés and staff aides-de-camp wear the Aiguillette on the left. Royal Aiguillettes are of plain gold, naval aiguillettes are of blue and gold, army aiguillettes are of red and gold, air force aiguillettes of light blue and gold.

The Governor-General of Australia, as the Commander in Chief of the Australian Defence Force, is entitled to wear a uniform on which an Aiguillette made of platinum is worn.[7]

Canada

Aiguillettes with shoulder boards are worn by military aides-de-camp to the Governor General. The aiguillette is gold with brass tags and worn on the right shoulder. Aides-de-camp to the provincial lieutenant governors wear the same gold-pattern aiguilette on the right shoulder, but do not wear shoulder boards. Aiguillettes are worn on the left shoulder by aides-de-camp to generals, flag officers and diplomats. Aides-de-camp assigned to the Sovereign or officers holding a royal appointment wear the aiguillette on the right shoulder. Obsolete-style gold-braid aiguilettes mixed with army crimson, navy blue, or air force blue may also still be worn by aides-de-camp to lieutenant governors, flag and general officers and diplomats who still have them.

France

Republican Guard wearing a gold-wire aiguillette on the left shoulder

The aiguillettes are worn only with the dress uniform. There are several types of aiguillettes in the French military:

Aiguillettes should not be confused with fourragères, which can be worn in the same way on the left shoulder in parade dress.

Ghana

In Ghana, aiguillettes form part of the ceremonial uniforms of commissioned officers in the army and other security services including the police, Prisons service, Fire service ,customs and immigration. Senior police officers wear white aiguillettes with dark-blue uniforms, prison officers also wear yellow aiguillettes over the official ceremonial number one uniform while customs and immigration officials wear red aiguillettes with olive-green outfits. When worn, the aigullettes denote on-duty status.

Ireland

Aiguillettes are worn by the aides-de-camp to the President and Taoiseach. The President's ADC wears it on the right shoulder, the Taoiseach's ADC on the left.

Civil Defence (Cosaint Sibhialta) personnel wear a white aiguillette on their dress uniform.

Gold aiguillettes are also worn by officers in the Defence Forces with their Mess Dress uniform. They are worn on the left hand shoulder.

Israel

In the IDF, soldiers who wear an aiguillette are mostly instructors.
List of aiguillette's colors and roles in the IDF:

IDF uniforms with azure & yellow aiguillette of the casualties & City Officers administration

In the Israeli Police, policemen mainly wear a black aiguillette, and Israeli Border Police policemen wear a dark green aiguillette.

Russian Federation

Soldiers of Prezidentskiy polk (The Presidential Regiment), Alexander Garden, Moscow

Aiguillettes are worn by honor guard personnel. A single silver aiguillette is worn on enlisted cut uniforms of minor detachments. A single gold aiguillette is worn on officer cut uniforms of minor detachments. A double gold aiguillette is worn on officer cut uniforms of major detachments. All personnel of major detachments wear officer cut uniforms. Also, dembels (demobilized soldiers) often decorate their uniforms with makeshift aiguillettes.

Singapore

Aiguillettes are worn on the right shoulder by officers of certain appointments only. They include the:

Aiguillettes are also worn on the left shoulder by musicians of the Singapore Armed Forces Band and the Singapore Police Force Band.[8]

In Singapore, ADCs who are officers of the Singapore Armed Forces and the Singapore Civil Defence Force wear gold aiguillettes and police officers wear silver aiguillettes.

Sri Lanka

Aiguillettes of gold-wire cord are worn on the right shoulder by;

Aiguillettes of gold are worn on the right shoulder by;

Aiguillettes of black are worn on the right shoulder by;

United Kingdom

Royal Aiguillette worn by the Chief of Defence Staff and Staff Aiguillettes worn by ADCs

There are four types of aiguillette worn by the British Armed Forces.

United States

US Army Service Aiguillette worn on the left arm by aides-de-camp, Army attaches, assistant Army attaches and on the right arm by aides assigned to the President, White House, First Family, foreign heads of state with the Class A Uniform and Army Service Uniform
U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard Dress Aiguillette (White Uniform): One dark blue braided loop and two single loops.

The aiguillette is worn on the right shoulder by military aides to the President and the Vice President. It is worn on the left shoulder by military assistants to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security, aides to the Service Secretaries (Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy & Secretary of the Air Force), aide to the NOAA Administrator, military attachés, General Staff Corps officers, and aides to flag officers. The cord colors are gold for the Marine Corps and Army, gold and blue for the Coast Guard, Navy and NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps, and silver for the Air Force. The gold cord aiguillette is worn by the directors of the United States Marine Band, while the enlisted personnel wear aiguillettes of white cord.

A red aiguillette is worn on the left shoulder by United States Navy Recruit Division commanders, whereas a blue aiguillette is worn by Recruit Division commanders in training, Recruit Division commanders wearing these are referred colloquially as "red ropes" and "blue ropes" respectively. The U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard in Washington, D.C. wears a blue aiguillette on summer white uniforms and a white one on winter blue uniforms.

A blue aiguillette is worn on the left shoulder by cadets in charge of quarters at the United States Air Force Academy, as well as by military training leaders at technical training bases. Student airmen leaders at technical training bases (sometimes called "ropes" in reference to the aiguillette) also wear aiguillettes, with green representing the lowest level of student leadership, yellow representing the intermediate level of student leadership, and red representing the highest level of student leadership. Students wearing a white rope are commonly referred to as chapel guides, and are charged with providing social or moral support to their fellow airmen. Airmen who wear the black rope are experts in drill, choir, or ceremonies, and pride themselves on appearance and uniform wear. Airmen who wear a blue and white rope are members of the drum & bugle corps for their base. In the United States Air Force, honor guard members wear a silver aiguillette on the left shoulder.

Other military cords

The aiguillette should not be confused with the fourragère, which is worn by soldiers and Marines who are assigned to units that were awarded certain decorations by the French and Belgian governments for valorous conduct in the First and Second World Wars.

Nor should it be confused with the Schützenschnur, a multi-weapon marksmanship decoration awarded by Germany to qualifying soldiers of NATO countries serving in Germany.

A similar, albeit thicker, device, the Infantry Blue Cord, is worn on the right shoulder by all enlisted soldiers and officers in the United States Army whose primary military occupational speciality is infantry.

Many military units wear dress lanyards.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Picken, Mary Brooks: The Fashion Dictionary, "Aglet" and "Aiguillette", p.4
  2. 1 2 3
  3. 1 2 3 4 Scarisbrick, Diana, Tudor and Jacobean Jewellery, London, Tate Publishing, 1995, p. 97
  4. ↑ Arnold, Janet, Lost from Her Majesties Back, p.74
  5. ↑ Arnold, Janet, Lost from Her Majesties Back
  6. ↑ "Origin of Aiguillettes", All Hands 615 (April 1968): 34-35, Naval Department Library, Australia
  7. ↑ Aiguillettes - Australian Army
  8. ↑ Singapore Police Force Band

References

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