He laughed and said, “These are micro-vases for your jacket pocket. For your buttonhole!”

Imagine: a little water inside, and in it – a living flower. The vase was slipped into the pocket of the jacket, and the boutonniere remained fresh throughout the evening. It was not just decoration – it was a gesture of taste and romance.

Men chose flowers for the occasion: a carnation for a wedding, a rose for a date, an orchid for an evening at the theater. Such details spoke louder than words.

Today, when style increasingly means only functionality, this find reminded me that once appearance reflected interior. People valued gestures, symbols, and even a single flower in a buttonhole had meaning.

Now these mini vases stand on my shelf — as a memento of the times when even a trifle was art. Sometimes I wish I could go back to that era, even in my thoughts, and take a bit of warmth from there to our busy world.

And you — would you wear a vase like this today? Just for beauty?