Nailhead





Oftentimes, style terms that seem like they should have a pretty simple explanation, well… they don’t.

There are those lucky instances, though, where the name and the reasoning behind it are pretty easy to trace.

Take nailhead, a grid-like weave marked by a series of repeated squares or other shapes that can most readily be defined as tiny, modified T’s or L’s.

You might not recognize that connection from looking at the pattern after a trip to your local hardware store, seeing as the squared-off geometric motif doesn’t bear much resemblance to the heads of any nails you’re likely to come across. But then, times change. The now-standard wire nail—and it’s rounded top—didn’t come into being until 1910, when the mechanical process for creating it was perfected. Before that, nails were (you guessed it!) square, hence the moniker. And here you were thinking that the history of construction fasteners had nothing to do with menswear.