Restyling with custom buttons
What if you are so into details that you think that a few, seemingly unnoticeable, buttons can completely change your T-shirt and give it a fresh look?
Well, I never liked like the buttons on this top. I wanted to change them and give the overall outfit a more “sophisticated casual look”. After making up my mind, the next step was deciding about the buttons’ actual type and colour. They had to be a good choice that wouldn’t limit me too much when combining the top with other clothes and accessories. In the end, the best was to make changeable ones. And that’s what I did.
You can try this on different articles of clothing by using the buttons to make shapes or in the form of letters. You can even accessorize the edges or necklines. Depending on the size of the button you use, you can also attach it to some of your jeans that have those metal pieces around the pockets (just like I did on the denim skirt I’m wearing below). I encourage you to try and experiment, and achieve more with what you already have. I´d like to see your versions.
I took off the original buttons and I got a few press buttons along with some leather leftovers that I had from my previous projects. Then, I sew on one part of the press button to the t-shirt. This is the part of the button that will remain on the t-shirt when I wash it and the other part is the removable one. Using different colours and press buttons with gold and silver edges allows me to match them nicely to different accessories.
I cut circles of leather with a diameter similar to the button itself. Then, I pushed the leather circle into the press button to dress it. I thought I would need to fix it using glue, but I tried one and I realized that there’s no need for that if you cut the perfect size. Start with a circle similar to the button and try it. If necessary, cut it a little bit smaller until it fits perfectly. Notice that if it’s too small it will fall out and if it’s too big the leather lining will be wrinkled and not very neat. Check out the gallery below to see the process.
All photos by Mili