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A Brief History:
From the outset, buttons have been valued more as a form of jewelry than as mere fasteners. Ancient Greeks used buttons to fasten their garments at the shoulder.
More modern buttons were introduced in the 14th century when crusaders brought back designs and innovations from the Far East. Flowing clothes gave way to close fitting garments, buttoned from chin to waist and from elbow to wrist. At this time the first guilds were formed in Paris and had become an established part of the economy. Buttons were typically crafted from costly materials such as ivory, horn, jewels, gold and silver. Not everyone could afford such expensive buttons. In the 15th and 16th centuries, cheaper materials were used to fashion buttons such as bone, wood, brass and pewter. This meant that more people were able to afford and wear buttons. In colonial America, simple and functional buttons were originally imported from Britain. As life became more luxurious, intricate buttons were imported from Europe. Fashionable in 17th century Europe were fabric and embroidered buttons. In France the buttons were made of silk by law, while in England they had to be made of metal. By the 18th century buttons became even more popular. Men wore large quantities in lines down narrow coats. (only 2 or 3 were actually fastened) Great advances were made in mechanical manufacturing and buttons were produced in great quantities. The methods developed to stamp, mold and cast metal buttons are the same as those used today. Where button wearing had been more of a male prerogative things slowly changed. Men's clothing became less flamboyant and gilt buttons led to pearl, pewter and jacquard fabric. Following the death of Prince Albert, jet and black glass buttons became more popular. China buttons were decorated to match calico prints for puritanical sect that preferred invisible buttons (over 300 calico patterns were made). Another interesting trend; As men's clothes became more sober, women's became more extravagant. It was not unusual to see huge jeweled buttons adorning women's coats. The 19th century was a phenomenal time for buttons. The mass production which began a century earlier did not lead to 'boring' buttons. In fact creative production techniques resulted in beautiful and artistic buttons. Although by this stage they were no longer 'unique'. But the 19th century was also a century characterised by war (and men like Napoleon) and military buttons were also produced in great quantities. Many of these are highly sought after by historians and button collectors alike. Civilian clothing and buttons were also changing. People no longer wore buttons from the 18th century. The more subdued styles of plain-faced gilts became more fashionable along with hard white pewter's, smaller steels and the Golden Age buttons. In the early 20th century, Art Nouveau's influence resulted in buttons with soft fluid lines. Art Deco, American Jazz and German Bauhaus brought about the clean square look of the 20's and 30's. All this changed with the onset of the Second World War as clothing became more functional and raw materials ever more scarce. Buttons became simply utilitarian. Quality was sadly sacrificed for quantity. Luckily this all changed in the 70's as clothing designers began using buttons for decoration again. Manufacturers began creating fine buttons as demand for quality returned. Handmade buttons are also gaining popularity as the world moves away from machine made plastic and as environmentally friendly products and production techniques become ever more important.
During the 60s the overcoat was
elevated from its pedestrian status to fashion statement with
the addition of oversized buttons, round collars, closer fit and
bracelet-length sleeves - this trend has been revived in 2006! | 
