How to choose buttons for a shirt, blouse, blazer and coat

Buttons are as visible as the fabric: a good button makes a garment look more expensive, a poor one undoes good work. Here is how to choose buttons for a shirt, a blouse, a blazer and a coat by size, material and colour.

Three questions before you choose

1. What fabric? Light fabrics call for light, thin buttons; dense wool can carry large, heavy ones.
2. Does the button work or decorate? A closure that is opened all the time needs a strong button with clean holes or a shank. A decorative button can be any shape.
3. How will the garment be cared for? Shirts are washed and ironed often, so the buttons must stand both.

Holes or a shank

Two-hole buttons are the simplest and lightest: they go on shirts, blouses, pyjamas and children's clothes. Four-hole buttons hold more firmly because the load is spread over more threads, and they can be sewn with a cross or two parallel bars: a visible detail on shirts and jackets. Shank buttons have a loop on the back: the face stays smooth, with no thread, and the shank leaves room for thick fabric under the button. That is why they are chosen for coats, blazers and decorative buttons with relief or a metallic finish.

Material for the garment

• Plastic is universal: light, survives washing and ironing, comes in any colour, glossy, matte, pearlescent or metal-look. It suits almost everything.
• Shell gives a natural pearly sheen, and every button differs slightly in pattern. Lovely on linen shirts and blouses, but it does not like chlorine bleach.
• Coconut and wood look warm and go with linen, wool, tweed and knitwear. They do not like long soaking.
• Metal look dresses up coats, jackets and suits, but keep the coating away from abrasive cleaners.

More on the properties of each material, and why one button survives washing while another does not, in «What buttons are made of».

Shirts

The classic: flat four-hole buttons, 16-18 Ln (10-11.5 mm) on the placket, 14 Ln (9 mm) on the collar and cuffs. White or matching the fabric, glossy or with a pearl effect. Linen and casual shirts suit natural shell or coconut buttons; square shirt buttons add an accent.

• White square shirt button
• Wood-look square shirt button
• Natural shell button

Blouses and dresses

Here the button decorates more often: pearlescent, rimmed, patterned. Size 14-20 Ln; on thin silk and satin no more than 16-18 Ln so the fabric does not sag. If the closure is hidden, take a plain matching button and put decorative ones where they show: on cuffs, the back or the shoulder.

• White button with a pearlescent rim and centre

Blazers and suits

On the front 28-36 Ln (18-23 mm), on the sleeves 20-24 Ln (13-15 mm), of the same design. Colour matching the suit or a shade darker; matte buttons suit a classic, glossy or metal-detailed ones an evening suit. A shank button sits well on dense fabric and does not pull the front.

• Black shank button with a silver pattern, 36 Ln

Coats and outerwear

Large buttons of 40-54 Ln (25-34 mm), usually with a shank or a thread shank so the buttonhole sits freely under the button. On a coat strength matters: the button takes constant fastening and the weight of the fabric. Always sew a small backing button on the inside. If you need a rare colour, dyeable buttons will do.

• White matte patterned button for dyeing

Cardigans and knitwear

Knitted fabric stretches, so the button should be light, or it drags the front down and stretches the buttonholes. Plastic and wooden buttons of 20-28 Ln, flat or slightly domed, work well: a larger button does not slip through a stretched buttonhole. Back each button on the inside with a scrap of interfacing or a small flat button so the thread does not cut the knit loops.

Children's clothes

For children, reliability matters more than size or colour: the button must be sewn on firmly, with no sharp edges or small parts that can be torn off. For the youngest, snaps or hook-and-loop are often a better choice. More in «Buttons and snaps on children's clothes».

How to check button quality

• Smooth hole edges with no burrs: a sharp edge eventually cuts the thread, and the button comes off.
• Even finish without spots or scratches: the metallic coating on cheap buttons wears off quickly at the edges.
• The mould seam is barely visible or not at all: a rough seam on the edge looks cheap and catches the fabric.
• All buttons in a set match in shade and size, especially if they sit side by side on the front.

Colour: simple rules

• Discreet closure: a button matching the fabric or half a shade darker.
• Accent: a contrasting colour, but in tune with other details (trims, shoes, accessories).
• A white button on white fabric looks cleaner when slightly glossy: it shows without competing with the fabric.
• Match metal and metallic details with the garment's other hardware: buckles, zips, eyelets.

Common mistakes

• Heavy buttons on thin fabric. The front sags and the fabric puckers under the button.
• Small buttons on a coat. They get lost on a wide front and slip through the buttonhole in thick fabric.
• Buttons that cannot stand washing. The coating peels, wooden buttons swell. Check how the buttons cope with washing and ironing before you sew them on.
• Different designs on the front and sleeves. The blazer looks assembled from different garments.

Frequently asked questions

Can I mix different buttons on one garment?

Yes, if it is a deliberate choice: for example, each button on a cardigan in a different colour but the same size and shape. On classic blazers and coats the buttons should match.

What if the colour I need is not available?

Take a button a shade darker than the fabric, or buttons for dyeing: they are dyed to the colour you need. How to order is described on the dyeing page.

How do I choose a button from a photo online?

Go by the size in lignes or millimetres on the product page, not by the picture: in a close-up a button always looks bigger. Put a coin or an old button of the same diameter on the garment to see the proportion. On-screen colour may differ too, so for an exact match with the fabric buy one button to try: our buttons are sold by the piece.

How many to buy

Buy 1-2 more than you need: a spare is sewn on the inside or kept so you do not have to hunt for the same one a year later. For sizes in lignes and millimetres see our size chart, and to sew a button on properly, our step-by-step guide. All buttons are in the Buttons section, sold by the piece with a wholesale price from 144 or 200 pieces.

Read also

• What buttons are made of: plastic, shell, coconut, wood, metal look
• Refresh a coat or blazer by replacing the buttons
• Buttons and snaps on children's clothes: what is safe