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Sunday 20 May 2012

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!

6 comments:

  1. That was fascinating, thank you. I found you via button floozies. What a fantAstic amount of buttons! I would be in there for HOURS, just oohing and aahing. Nirvana! :0)

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  2. I wish I could just see and maybe even hold a couple of them...what a historical find...hopefully he will keep them together and use them for inspirations in his Milano studios. Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

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  3. WOW! I came over from http://buttonfloozies.blogspot.com and I am drooling and daydreaming over this!

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  4. I too popped in from Button Floozies and I so want to be in that room with all those button boxes.
    Lynn One I Made Earlier Today

    www.doodlybird.co.uk

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  5. Very interesting and the pictures are awesome! Stopped by from buttonfloozies.That will be a great memory for his neice.

    http://cathywhatisoldisnew.blogspot.com

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  6. Wow, wow, wow! What a dream it would be to go through that place! Thanks for sharing with us. ; )
    ~Michele

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