Buttons Forever!

I love buttons! I'll say that again - I love buttons! Ever since I was small, buttons meant hours of happiness. One of the best and kindest people I know is also called Button.... Did you know that buttons were stitched on soldiers coat sleeves to stop them being used as nose-wipes? Ouch!

So here you can see a few precious samplers from the ten million button collection of Mr Button - alias Milanese Franco Jacassi. In the 1980s Franco bought up an old boutique showroom. It turned out to be a treasure trove. In the basement he found thousands of buttons - some from the 19th century. It became a craze for him.

He supplied buttons to the top end of the Italian and French couture houses. Though now he says because of the recession sales are not what they used to be. Not everyone is willing to spend £30,000 on 70 rare Italian hand made buttons that belonged to a 17th century aristocrat.

His wife tells him she is not interested in the collection. But his 5 year-old niece, Eva, adores them all. She takes her uncle's hand everytime she visits and demands a story for every button he shows her.

And here you can see a sampler made of buttons - maybe it is something you would like to try? The video below is a great insight into Mr Buttons collection - sorry about the trailer though, it seems to be a sign of the times!