Buttons maketh the outfit

It’s incredible how different an item of clothing can look if you change its buttons. I am forever swapping fastenings on favourite coats and cardigans to update or transform them into something new. Buttons in bright, contrasting colours will draw attention and can make boring high street clothes look far more expensive than they really are. Get rid of chipped or tarnished metallic buttons and replace dull plastic with vintage pearl, bone, shell or horn as I’ve done here.

Some of my favourite places for new buttons: All Buttons Great & Small, Bird Textiles and Ici et La. For cheap-as-chips tins of miscellaneous buttons, try your local charity store or flea market. And don’t despair if you can’t find a full set:  who says they have to match?