A lot has changed during the time that people have walked the planet: we learned to make fire, invented the wheel, flew into space and invented the computer. But there are things that have lived with us literally since primitive times and practically do not change. For example, a button. This small item was invented a long time ago, but even today it is incredibly important for people.
In the broadest sense of the word, a button is a small solid object with holes or an eye for sewing it to fabric. This is both a convenient fastener and a decorative element.
The ancient Egyptians knew that any clothing becomes more comfortable if it is buttoned up. So they cut a hole in one end of their everyday outfit, through which they threaded a buckle. It is this element that is considered the first resemblance to a modern button.
The items made from shells found on the territory of modern India are interesting. People made them around 2000 BC. Such fasteners were quite simple and fragile, they broke quickly, and therefore they were used mainly as decorations.They were attached to clothes using special threads (not sewn, but tied).
Around 1500 BC, stone buttons were found on the territory of the ancient temple complex of Göbekli Tepe (southwest of modern Turkey). Outwardly, they resembled modern ones and were used for their intended purpose.
In the 13th century, buttons with loops appeared in Germany. People appreciated their convenience: the fame of such fasteners quickly spread throughout Europe. Then buttons began to be widely used when sewing tight, close-fitting clothes.
Quite quickly, these products turned from ordinary everyday items into luxurious decorations for outfits. For example, rich European men wore suits that were tightly buttoned from the waistline to the neck, and also from the wrist to the shoulder along the sleeves. Then it was considered normal to use one hundred or more buttons decorated with gold or silver for one outfit.
In Rus' they knew about buttons, but for a long time they were not used for their intended purpose. Our ancestors considered them magical attributes, and therefore used them in fortune telling and spells, and wore them as a talisman.
By the way! All fasteners on women's dresses are located on the left. This tradition came to us from our ancestors. Previously, it was believed that men could dress themselves, and women always needed the help of servants, for whom it was more convenient to fasten the buttons located on the left side.
Nowadays, buttons are made from metal, plastic, wood, leather, animal bones and horns, porcelain, and glass. In short, there is plenty of room for designers' imaginations to run wild.
Modern products perform two functions that are extremely important in terms of style:
There are many ways to divide buttons into groups. So, according to their structure they are:
According to their purpose, they are divided into coats, jackets, dress-blouses, shirts, trousers and underwear.
But the most interesting difference is in the design. So, today there are products for children, women and men, decorated with rhinestones or stones, gilded or very simple plain ones. There are also rare specimens that are made by hand and used as jewelry.