Epaulettes are fastened to the shoulder by a shoulder strap or passenten, a small strap parallel to the shoulder seam, and the button near the collar.
History: Louis XIV wore shoulder ribbons, an early type of epaulette of the late 17th century. From the 18th century on, epaulettes were used in the French and other armies to indicate rank. Epaulettes were made in silver or gold for officers and in cloth of various colors for the enlisted men of various arms.
Flexible metal epaulettes were quite popular among certain armies in the 19th century but were rarely worn on the field. Referred to as shoulder scales, they were an accoutrement of the US Cavalry, US Infantry and the US Artillery, from 1854 to 1872.
By the early 18th century, epaulettes had become the distinguishing feature of commissioned rank. This led officers of military units still without epaulettes to petition for the right to wear epaulettes to ensure their status would be recognized. During the Napoleonic Wars and subsequently through the 19th century, grenadiers, light infantry, voltigeurs (French military skirmish units) and other specialist categories of infantry in many European armies wore cloth epaulettes with wool fringes in various colors to distinguish them from ordinary line infantry.
A shoulder mark, also called rank slide, or slip-on, is a flat cloth sleeve worn on the shoulder strap of a uniform. It may bear rank or other insignia. In the Canadian Forces, slip-ons displaying rank insignia and shoulder titles are worn on the shoulder straps of the No. 3 Service Dress shirt, overcoat, raincoat, and sweater. These shoulder ranks are affixed to the epaulette.