Leather buttons - how our memories influence our tastes in style and fashion as we age

A sense of style, fashion or taste is inevitably bound up with childhood memories.  I remember being fascinated as a small child by the leather buttons on adults' tweed coats and jackets.  This memory has stayed with me and has no doubt influenced my taste in clothes as I've moved into middle age.

Grey Fox photo

I have always wondered how such buttons are made and was about to get out my Swiss Army knife to take one apart (in true boyish style) when I thought it might be less destructive to use Google to find the answer.  It appears that the genuine articles are braided from leather thongs.  Here a link to some instructions should you wish to make your own!  Unfortunately many are now made from moulded or braided plastic.

My love of of tweed is enhanced by these wonderful buttons, sometimes called football buttons because they resemble an old-fashioned stitched leather football.  I have seldom seen them used with any  fabric other than tweed, although they are used on Aran knitted woollen clothing.

I recently bought a vintage Harris Tweed coat with huge leather buttons about 3cm in diameter with leather shanks, similar to those on the coat below containing both Audrey Hepburn AND Mel Ferrer.  The buttons are thick and generously domed, unlike newer buttons which have thin metal shanks and are much slimmer in profile.  

Grey Fox photo