J.Crew Talks About Buttons

Every once in awhile, J.Crew's 770 blog offers really interesting insight into their inner workings. Their "Behind the Seams: All Buttoned Up" post is one of them:

we talked to our trimmings expert, Danielle,
to get the backstory on our beautiful buttons

The process: Our designers bring me their inspiration (usually vintage buttons) and I study their markings and materials to determine which details we can incorporate into our own designs. I’ve been doing this for 20 years, so I can usually figure out right off the bat which manufacturers will be able to put a modern spin on the look we’re going for.

A great resource: Waterbury is among the oldest—if not the oldest—button companies around; they’re actually able to reproduce one-of-a-kind designs they made back in the 1800s, which is pretty amazing. The pieces start out as sheets of brass that are then tooled and molded into the company’s signature items. We use their buttons on all of our peacoats (and the U.S. military just happens to use them for their uniforms too). And, funnily enough, Waterbury is also one of the largest manufacturers of jingle bells. (How’s that for seasonally appropriate?)

Objects of desire: Along with Waterbury’s brass, one of the other materials I love is Corozo. It comes from the tagua nut, which grows in South America (the kind we use comes from Ecuador). It’s typically called vegetable ivory because it looks just like the real thing except it’s more durable, not to mention animal friendly, which we love. And even though the natural finish is beautiful on its own, it also holds other colors wonderfully.

Favorite haunts: I collect buttons myself, and some of my go-to spots around the area are Junk and Jems in Connecticut and various flea markets in upstate New York. Tender Buttons in New York City also has tons of unique options made of everything from glass to horn. They let you buy by the button instead of having to buy in bulk, which is great for mixing and matching buttons on a jacket or a cardigan.

This mini-interview had a lot of fascinating tidbits. However, I could not help thinking the entire time that J.Crew should also go back and check out their own buttons from 2007!

In the "J.Crew Jackets & Blazers... Still The Same?" post, I briefly talk about how the buttons from the latest collections look a bit cheap compared to similar styles from earlier. For example, the current Double-Cloth Townhouse Trench (Item 49612; $350.00) has gold buttons that are "meh" up close (and feel cheap to the touch). While the Lexington Blazer from 2007 has the most beautiful hand-painted Italian enamel buttons that were custom-colored. {sigh}

Now with all that said, I can see that J.Crew is already getting back on track to including amazing buttons. The Hacking Jacket in Double-Serge Wool (Item 51884; review here) is a great example. The jacket includes adorable pineapple designed enamel buttons. {love!}

What are your thoughts on J.Crew's buttons? Do you think their current button line stands up to its predecessors? If so, please share! :)