What does a Signal Orange hanky mean?
Anything Goes. Left pocket: Top / Open. Right pocket: Bottom / Open.


Where it sits in the story
Worn in San Francisco leather bars from 1972, signal orange in the left pocket told the room you were top or open; in the right, bottom or open. Recorded in the Damron charts of 1980 and Townsend’s Leatherman’s Handbook II in 1983. This colour belongs to the community that made it; the print is our specification of it.
Timeline stage: 1972 · Origins · SF & LA leather bars. Read the full history →
Own it
The Opening · Family early access Fri 18 Sep 2026 · opens Fri 18 Sep 2026 · closes Sun 1 Nov 2026.
Where it comes from. Documented in Larry Townsend’s The Leatherman’s Handbook II (1983) and the Bob Damron charts (1980). Worn in San Francisco leather bars from 1972.
Colours next to this one
The code was read across a room, so what sits next to a colour matters. Nearest by eye, from the Oranges & corals family and beyond.
LesbianORANGE/PINK GRADIENT · LESBIAN TOP / LESBIAN BOTTOM
High-Energy PlayVOLTAGE · HIGH ENERGY TOP / HIGH ENERGY SUB
Trickster EnergyMISCHIEF ORANGE · TRICKSTER TOP / TRICKSTER BOTTOM
Girlish / Playful FemmeCHERRY · GIRLISH / GIRLISH ADMIRERSame question, other answers
In the same cluster: The record.
Generated from the HankyCode Master v3 row HC-008 · checked by HankyFamily · last built 2026-09-20
PiercingPURPLE · PIERCER / PIERCED
DisciplineSTEEL GREY · DISCIPLINARIAN / DISCIPLINED
Small ToysLIGHT PINK · SMALL TOY USER / SMALL TOY SUB
Novice / BeginnerFIRST FLUSH · THE GUIDE / THE CURIOUS