General Chat

Be worn by a woman or any pinned on spray of flowers for that matter, is there a proper way please.

I think a spray is worn on the right. A bit like the leaf I think there is disagreement on where to wear the poppy.

On the BBC, they appear to prefer the left.

I was always told (not poppies) - men left side and flower pointing up, ladies on the right with flower pointing downwards

Google has various answers, including -
Ladies wear a button hole / corsage on their right
And this is the bit most people don't know. Ladies wear the flower differently to the men, on the opposite side. But it doesn't stop there – a lady should have the flowers pointing downwards. So the stem should be pointing towards her shoulder.

and
Ladies on the other hand quite often wear them the opposite way around to the men, they wear their corsage pinned on the right hand side of their outfit with the stem facing upwards towards the shoulder and the flower head pointing down. This is usually because the flower can be top heavy and because ladies are often wearing thinner, softer material the flower can end up pulling the material down and the flower will sit better on the bosom apparently!

(Why on the right - because they're always right !!)

Our poppies also don't have a definite up and down, and never a leaf. It swizzles around on the pin, so never put on the same way round.

I've always worn mine on the left because that is what I was taught back in the 50s in England.

Looking at the people in the Royal Box last night .............. Kate was wearing it on the left, so were the other women.

On the balcony today, Camilla, Kate and Countess of Wessex ............ all on the left!

The Queen was wearing her spray on the left in a small image I saw today

The men were also wearing the poppy on the left.

If that is what the Royals are doing, and they are sticklers for doing things "right", then I'll continue putting mine on the left.

I always understood that the poppy differed from a corsage because it was put over the heart.

I don't think it matters one iota how they're worn, mine is attached to my shoulder bag...

I've always worn one on the left because that is what I was taught in the 50s also.

So 2 of us were taught that, ZZzzz.

The Canadian Legion Poppy Manual says to wear on the left side .............

"The Poppy should be worn with respect on the left breast, close to the heart."

Our poppies also have black centres to better reflect the colour of the poppies in Flanders.

I can't remember what colour the British ones are.

G G I always understood that at a wedding the ladies' spray is inverted....because of "losing a sister"

As someone who was in the WRAF we wore the poppy on the left and I still do.

The left and right is also in dressing - how a jacket/coat buttons up. The men buttoned themselves up and on the right but a lady's maid dresses her so is opposite to the men :-S

Interesting but surely as sheila infers, the main thing is that they are bought (for the RBL) and worn in respect.

I always wear mine on the right with the leaf at the 11 o clock position

Some more views here:

https://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards/board/general_chat/thread/1388444