There has to be something better than buttons when it comes to keeping your shirt closed, right? At some point or other – usually when one of our buttons goes missing and we can’t find (or attach) a suitable replacement – we’ve all had this thought. Throughout history people have thought up clever button substitutes; whether or not they are actually “better” though is another story.
Probably the most common non-button shirt closure is the traditional knotted loop-and-ball fastening system seen on kung fu and Tai Chi shirts. These buttons haven’t left much of an impact on men’s fashion in the West – aside from occasional use on chef’s uniforms – and even in China they aren’t exactly the height of fashion for people who aren’t waiters or under the age of 70.
Probably the real reason these knotted/embroidered button alternatives never caught on is that they just look too soft, and too obviously decorative; almost like the “frog clasps” you might see on one of your grandmother’s cardigans. If used subtly, without ornate scrolling embellishments, on cuffs or casual shirts as a tailor’s signature they can look at least half-way respectable. Full kung fu style clasps should not be worn by any Western guy, unless he happens to be a shao lin apprentice.
A far more formal stand-in for buttons would probably be shirt studs. As we mentioned briefly in a previous article, shirt studs are common accessories for tuxedo shirts. The stiff piqued bibs and ruffles of tuxedo shirts make buttons too difficult to fasten; thus for practical reasons, thin studs just make more sense.
So should you pop off all your buttons and just go with studs? Probably not. For one thing, most conventional button holes are too big for collar studs and loosing them could set you back a pretty penny – antique studs have been known to sell at auction for thousands of dollars. Furthermore, studs look way too formal to be worn outside of wedding or a state function.
Looking ahead at the horizon for a moment though, there are still several creative fastening systems which could be making their way to shirts near you some day soon. For example, take “button snaps”, which were just patented last June by Arthur Graham III, an inventor from Virginia. While they look like regular buttons, these snaps are basically like the kind you would see on a denim jacket.
According to documents from the US patent office, these snaps could be especially useful for the elderly or people with disabilities who struggle with getting dressed. Presumably anyone who dislikes, or often finds themselves fumbling with, buttons could also benefit from this new innovation (see patent number 2010054096A1 for details) – although our guess is that sartorial purists will still want to stick with conventional buttons when it comes to their tailored threads.
While buttons may be a hassle at times, especially when they come loose or fall off, it may be a while before we stop using them. For the time being button manufacturers have nothing to worry about.
Tags: Buttons, Casual Wear, Details, Formal Wear
