BUTTONS make or break a suit

[Marc Chevalier]

.

Well, they can.


Sometimes, the suit jacket or sportcoat you buy -- be it vintage or new -- has awful or missing buttons. Your recourse is to go to a store that has many button styles to choose from. Here in L.A., that store is International Silks & Woolens on Beverly Blvd. near La Cienega.


There's an art in choosing the best buttons for a suit jacket or sportcoat. Color, size, design, texture, shininess (or lack thereof) -- all of these have to be considered. Furthermore, you need the right color of thread for the buttons and the jacket. Choosing well takes time and a trained eye.


I have often replaced buttons on my suit jackets. I sew them on myself. Below you can see how the right buttons make all the difference:






BEFORE

AFTER

 

[jamespowers]

Wow! That before picture looks like a blind person chose the buttons. :eusa_doh: Were those original or a lousy replacement?

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Hard to tell. The caramel-colored "befores" are bakelite and '30s. Whether or not they were original to this suit is anyone's guess, though I doubt it. They'd look great on a '30s woman's suit.

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[jamespowers]

Hard to tell. The caramel-colored "befores" are bakelite and '30s. Whether or not they were original to this suit is anyone's guess, though I doubt it. They'd look great on a '30s woman's suit.

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On a 30s woman's brown shade suit.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Right! :eusa_clap

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[Tomasso]

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BUTTONS make or break a suit

You're preaching to the choir over here, brother. I've had a serious button fetish ever since walking through the threshold of Tender Buttons . Over the years I've spent over thirty hours (conservative estimate) in their NYC and Chicago stores. [huh]

 

[StanleyVanBuren]

Of course, conversely, this also shows how much better a suit can look with more than just air inside it.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Yes, Stanley, that's very true.


And I invite you to come over and take the trouble to put it, a dress shirt, and a tie on the mannequin.


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[StanleyVanBuren]

Haha, fair enough!

Buttons do look great. Big improvement.

 

[Tomasso]

Of course, conversely, this also shows how much better a suit can look with more than just air inside it.

That's assuming that the suit is well fitted, something that is relatively rare on the men's clothing message boards.


I doesn't bother me in the least to see an ensemble presented sans physique.

 

[slicedbread]

I very much like the way the clothes are presented in that pic! As long as it's tastefully done, I suppose almost anything could work...

 

[Jay]

Tomasso, I dig your way of displaying clothes. It may not be as great as you actually wearing them, as some say, but it clearly shows shirt, tie, jacket, pants, shoes and socks in a single, clear picture. Great for inspiration.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Agreed. It's creative and instructive at the same time.

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[Marc Chevalier]

What were we talking about? Oh yeah ... buttons.

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[Jay]

Sorry, Marc. The new buttons look fantastic compared to the old ones. Funny how almost everyone agrees that the old ones were terrible(on that jacket).

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Sorry, Marc.

No worries ... I go off topic all the time, even in my own threads.

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[Jay]

Staying on topic is harder than one would think...

 

[Baron Kurtz]

herringbonekid turned me on to Button Queen in London. Sounds like just the places you guys are talking about. They have quite a stock of vintage bakelite and corozo buttons. Sadly lacking in vintage sets of buttons though.

I liked the caramel better, Marc. (the colour, not those horrid buttons; a set of buttons just like the ones you chose, but in caramel, would have made this my fantasy jacket)

bk

 

[PADDY]

I like contrasting buttons.

As Baron said, the bakelite caramel button colour contrast (maybe not the button style) appeals to me. Actually, I'm looking at doing something similar with a dark blue/grey DB suit. Horses for Courses gents.

 

[Rooster]

I'll probably get rotten cabbages thrown at me but,...... I like the original buttons. Very unique and "quirky". The grey ones are OK too, I just like the originals a little better.
Nifty avatar there Marc, any story that goes with that one?