Sacramento Region, CA (MPG) | Story and photo by Susan Maxwell Skinner Share this pic with friends! Rancho Cordova button collector Barbara Alfidi (right) and Dawn Healy were among enthusiasts at the 2019 Button Bazaar in Carmichael.
Rancho Cordova button collector Barbara Alfidi (right) and Dawn Healy were among enthusiasts at the 2019 Button Bazaar in Carmichael.
CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - For the first time since the pandemic, the Californian Button Society brings its potpourri expo back to Carmichael on March 11.
West Coast dealers will demonstrate that many antiques can slip easily through buttonholes.
Enthusiasts might snag a Civil War uniform fastener for $50. Those who crave exquisite 18th century pieces should be prepared to unbutton the billfold.
Snipped from long-ago rotted garments, many are thumb-nail masterpieces. “We often look at old buttons and imagine the stories they could tell,” says Button Club treasurer Susan Rhoades. “They were traded, stolen and inherited. Lives were lost in making them; pearl dust and mercury (for gold plating) killed many. You learn so much about history, art and manufacturing from buttons. They reflect the culture of fashion and the art that celebrates it.”
Historically, no material has been too grand for button artisans. In Versailles, the court of Louis XIV cinched bodices with diamonds. Aristocrats commissioned hand-painted miniatures – sometimes of pets – to fasten vests. When the widowed Queen Victoria took to wearing jet specimens, society followed.
Though zippers and Velcro have revolutionized modern fastening, nifty little buttons have never been completely undone. “People visit our shows seeking that one perfect item,” says Sacramento collector Faye Wolfe. “One lady brought a vest she’d sewn: she wanted buttons for it. In the end, she chose four, each different. Who says they have to match? Our button world is full of eccentricity.”
The Button Bazaar runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, at the La Sierra Center, 5325 Engle Rd, Carmichael. The show offers a free service for valuing buttons. Admission is by $2 donation. For information, contact carolelamb841@gmail.com
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