Buttons are a subtle way to add personality to a suit, odd jacket or even overcoat. But it pays to keep them subtle.
It’s easy enough to sew on a suit button, though I recommend experimenting with something inexpensive first. Just make sure you secure the thread firmly – I normally sew twice in one direction on the same spot, then once at a right angle – and leave some slack so you can create a decent stalk. And tip the button to one side to pierce the cloth underneath without going all the way through. (The only time you really need to go right through is with the jigger button on a double-breasted, or with very heavy materials.)
The first time I sewed on my own buttons was with a navy overcoat from Hackett a couple of years ago. While I liked the cut and the herringbone cloth from Loro Piana, it needed something to give it character. So I replaced the navy buttons with cream horn ones – plenty of texture, lots of punch for the coat.
Now I am having more things made bespoke, I am selecting buttons rather than replacing them. With my past two suits and overcoat from Graham Browne, I have gone with plain navy or brown horn from the stock selection. With the latest commission (the ‘fishy’ suit) I decided to source my own.
For this I went to the excellent Duttons for Buttons in York, where I had also bought the cream ones for my Hackett overcoat. I am up there every couple of months visiting my in-laws so it is pretty convenient, and the selection is impressive.
The suit is a smart, single-button navy with jetted pockets and high-waisted trousers. The buttons therefore had to be smart as well without being showy. And as I needed two precise sizes for the waist button and the cuffs (30 and 24 line, or 15 and 19 millimetres in diameter) the choice came down to about eight or nine sets.
After a good hour of indecision, I went with black iridescent buttons that looked rather like dark mother-of-pearl. That was a mistake. Over Christmas I tried the buttons against several navy suits and decided they were too shiny, too silvery and too like blazer buttons in natural light.
So on December 28th, when Duttons opened again after Christmas, I went back and spent another 30 minutes examining dark, matte buttons, eventually picking some made from Mussel shells (pictured above). They are deeper and less shiny than my first choice, but actually have more surface interest and subtle variation between them.
So my (probably rather obvious) lessons from this experience are:
– Go for natural materials, shell or horn, where you can. Manmade textures are rarely as attractive and they’ll last better.
– Take the cloth or jacket with you. I thought I could picture the buttons easily against it in my head. I couldn’t.
– Be subtle, particularly on a suit. Or, as an alternative guideline, be as subtle as the item and its pattern. Overcoats and sports jackets, checks and tweeds can take more adventurous buttons.
4 Guest Comments »
1.
Hello Simon
Thank you for sharing, I’m an avid Men’s Flair reader and found it inspiring. Let me share this story that some readers might found usefull.
Recently I went to my tailor for a bespoke blazer with bronze or gold buttons, all the options available were to shinny or to cheap. The cloth, cut and the owner deserved something better.
Solution : Following the tailor’s advice, I took a walk to a nearby thrift shop and saw a very old blazer that had amazing buttons that could be used in my new blazer. The prize was USD 10.00, but I asked the salesclerk if I could only buy the buttons and I did so for only USD 3.00.
Regards
Comment by Juan Manuel — January 4, 2010 #
2.
My own personal preference is The utton Queen shop just behind Bond Street station on Oxford Street.
And they have a cabinet of antique and vintage buttons (if a little pricey).
http://www.thebuttonqueen.co.uk
Comment by Ray Frensham — January 4, 2010 #
3.
Place I sourced for bronze buttons for my taupe waistcoat
http://www.ascuteasabutton.com/
Comment by Fashion “style” of Leadership — January 4, 2010 #
4.
Other places in London to try;
– John Lewis haberdashery department (www.johnlewis.com)
– MacCulloch & Wallis (www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk) – don’t be fooled by the name, the staff are about as Scottish as borscht. Buttons are upstairs.
– Liberty of London (www.liberty.co.uk) Haberdashery is on the 3rd floor
Comment by Winston Chesterfield — January 5, 2010 #
Simon,
Those mussel shell buttons are fantastic. I would like to use something similar on a old double breasted blue blazer that I am trying to update.
Do you think Duttons would sen them to the States if I called them? Do you have an online button resource you have ever used?
Love you blog.
Many thanks.
Hello Simon,
Maybe a silly question. Do you think it’s a lack of sharpness when you see the threat of the buttons inside the front of the jacket? Or in order to secure them it should pass throught?
What do they do the great tailors you know?
Thanks a lot
Mirko
It needs to pass through really, and that’s what tailors do
Hi Simon,
I checked Dutton for Buttons shop and it doesn’t seem like they sell MOP buttons for blazers, I could be wrong though. What other shops do you recommend for sourcing buttons for bespoke suitmaking?
Hi Kevin,
Have you tried Bernstein & Banleys, as covered here?