The history of buttons in Russia. The button is an amulet. Button as a business card

21.04.2019

In Tsvetaeva's Pied Piper, rats die on their way to the imaginary Himalayas, and several pages are devoted to ... a button! The brilliant poetess saw the button through the prism of symbolism as a kind of limiter of those states human body and spirit, which require freedom: movement, breathing, thought, choice, creativity. Freedom, which we ourselves or with outside help, intentionally or forcedly, drive into a cube of laws and loops of prejudice in order to get our own. square meters peace and comfort, defying all the horrors of the unpredictability of your tomorrow. The Hammeln button is the face of philistine decency and lubok housing construction, satiated conservatism and rooted monotony. Everything that exaggerates the weight of a grounded body and reduces the force of celestial gravity to zero. However, healthy practicality makes us continue to use the button, and even in the plural. So where did it come from, and what was its original purpose?

What does the word button mean?

puga – whip. Vitsa – whip, rod, rod. This is from ancient Sanskrit, according to information leaked on the Internet. Knutovitsa, pugohlyst, pugoprut. The version about the noble two thousand years of antiquity (BC) of the button whines softly from impotence. It's all about the semantics to which we are accustomed, and in the image to which this word was tied to us. Kruglyashok with holes or eyelet. Does he scare? What does he have in common with a whip-whip?

The button is an amulet

Go fantasy! Button prototype - amulet, which was worn around the neck or on the wrists, implies a magical object that contains some kind of power, energy that can be revived with the help of certain ritual actions and / or words spoken aloud. An amulet is also a piece of clothing designed to protect, secure, save. By touching open areas of the skin, it sort of frees us from potential danger and fears, taking responsibility for avoiding them, involuntarily forcing us to concentrate on more important goals and enter the right state of intention and action.

Drawings-signs, as well as the shape of the amulet, often symbolized the sun and were designed to scare away dark forces. The symbol of the sun is a circle with a dot inside (the Chinese later turned the circle into a square) or a spiral. Both are like a beam, with a beginning but no end. The spiral is like a whip that unwinds before being struck. The spiral, compressed by the spring of time and magic, is fraught with the power of the whip. Everything has a connection. Even in unconnected. It's much harder to find the truth. Maybe in those distant times, the whip-whip was the only weapon that was worth being afraid of in the absence of a carrot?

Buttons are decoration

later and modern titles buttons already carry a variety of meanings. The Latin "bud" means an unopened flower, which gives the right to imply that the priority in Western Europe was precisely the aesthetic function of the button, and not fastening. At the same time, in the Romance languages, the consonant “boton”, “botao”, “baton” with an emphasis on the first syllable also means “squeeze, pierce, pierce”, except for “knob, bulge, bud”. In Arabic, "button" sounds like "zarra" and is the homonym of the rose flower. Translated from the ancient Persian, the sound "zarra" meant "gold": perhaps the buttons were then cast exclusively from gold and symbolized the sun. Sun amulet!?

Where did the button come from in Europe

If we neglect the primitive prototypes of buttons in the form of bones, sticks, pebbles, as well as clay and metal shapeless balls with holes found at excavations related to Ancient Greece, it is believed that the button conquered Europe after the Crusades. Historians claim that it was from the Middle East that the first buttons were brought, which since the 13th century were considered an exquisite decoration on a man's dress. After all, women allowed buttons to their dress much later than men.

Note: men dressed themselves, and all the fasteners of clothing were in front, like their other virtues. Women, on the other hand, were dressed by maids, who, during this rather lengthy (in both senses) procedures, should not have flickered before their eyes. Therefore, lacing, pins and, later, buttons, when they ceased to be so precious, were located on the back. Well, who wears expensive jewelry on the back? Unless, noble horses!

Given the fact that during the Crusades in the Middle East they fought with the Turks and Arabs, the assertion that it was from their submission that the button came to Europe is debatable. Arab and Turkish fashion during the Crusades did not imply buttons at all as fasteners of clothing. More precisely, it will be possible to say only after the invention of the time machine, but for now, a glance at the existing exhibits and images of the clothes of that time is enough. Loose fit caftans, harem pants, dressing gowns are associated with belts, lacing, belts. Why are there buttons? Buttons are needed to connect the details of clothing that is tightly fitting the silhouette. Such clothes began to come into fashion in Muslim countries, rather, on the contrary, at the suggestion of Europe, from the 16th century. It was then that narrow sleeves and embroidered tight-fitting camisoles with buttons appeared in Turkish and Arabic costumes over a loose underdress.

More interesting is the assumption that the button fell into the hands of some noble knight during the Crusades, with the proviso that this is an artifact intended for one of the European rulers to heal or maintain power. It could be one of the amulets of Alexander the Great, lost in the lands of Persia, who visited India, in the places where the button appeared. This is just speculation, but who knows how far or close it is to historical reality!

The button is universal

The button is the most versatile item in its variety. This also applies appearance, and applications. The button can take the form of anything. It carries information through time. She serves us, and her work is humble and important. Buttons are never thrown away on their own, unless they are lost. They are kept as amulets of good memories. They are given a second life in needlework and art.

The most fashionable button salon was opened, of course, in France. It was there that they sold buttons imitating pearls and precious stones.

Interesting

The costume of the French king Francis can be considered the richest in buttoned clothes, as many as 13,600 of them were sewn on it.
The most expensive buttons are made of colored diamonds.
The most unreliable buttons were on the uniforms of the soldiers of the Napoleonic army. They were made of aluminum, which, in the Russian frost, turned into crumbs in just 130C, contributing to the defeat of the French troops.

And although the button has not revealed the secret of its exact origin, it is firmly entrenched in our everyday life. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the button served as an ornament, was expensive and changed to new generations of clothing. Only with the development of the chemical industry and the emergence of new synthetic materials the button became socially accessible. The most mysterious and unpredictable, it with dignity remains indispensable in our lives.

Afterword

Trends modern fashion and materials practically exclude the button from everyday use, giving preference to more unbridled and, at the same time, categorical buttons, zippers, Velcro and hook fasteners. A button is more reliable than a zipper. If only because it is easier to replace. Or move - in case of cowardice of the body before hunger or satiety. The new age has ceased to be ashamed of being naked. He was waiting for the vulgarity to disappear from our feelings and desires. But when opened, he lost the charm of mystery. Now he is looking for new secrets and treasures from the underside of endless veils. But the fingers remember this action, which places in the loop or frees from it the object that we ourselves, unknowingly, allow to dominate our freedoms. The colder and more uncomfortable the world is, the more trust we give to a button that helps to keep the warmth of the earthly receptacle of our souls.

How many buttons should business suits have?

There are several criteria for choosing business men's jackets, and one of them is the number of buttons. It would seem that such a trifle, but can significantly affect the status of clothing. For example, men's suits that have only one button as a fastener cannot be recognized as business suits. Such outfits, fastened with a single button, will suit representatives of show business and casino visitors. Basically, a one-button jacket is a kind of version of a single-breasted tuxedo.

But men's jackets, which have two buttons, of which only the top is buttoned, can already be considered business attire. Moreover, such business jackets are considered quite conservative. In particular, models with two buttons are loved by bankers and other workers in this field. These jackets became especially popular in the United States of America in the middle of the 20th century. And the specialists of the fashion house Brooks Brothers (New York) made such clothes a kind of business uniform. This model was especially common on the east coast of the United States. Then the fashion for business men's jackets with two buttons spread throughout the world.

For a business environment, three-button men's jackets are also suitable. Moreover, the top button is slightly covered by the lapel, and front side the upper loop is located almost on the fold of the lapel, on the wrong side of the side. This is done so that the jacket looks neat when various options its fastening. For example, the product can be fastened with the first (top) and second (middle) buttons. The bottom button does not fasten in any case. Another option is to fasten the jacket with only the middle button. Moreover, the top button, thanks to the features described above, will be completely invisible. A business jacket in this case becomes similar to a two-button one. But, by the way, the three-button option can also be used to design informal jackets.

But models with four buttons are used exclusively to create an informal style of clothing. In particular, men's sports jackets complement four buttons. Such unlined models are also called sweater jackets. For the design of business suits, such a number of buttons is not used.

Buttons on kaftans

Russian fashion designer Valentina Averyanova in her collections in the Russian style gives great attention I not only cut things and materials, but also finish. Russian embroidery, lace, braid, sewing with stones on traditional dresses are often used ...

But a button plays a special role in decorating the outfit. It is interesting to know that the history of the button in Russia does not begin with the usual round-eyed beauty, but often had various forms And different names. For example, the shape of a stick. Klyapyshek - a short wooden or metal stick, used as a fastener, instead of a button.
Buttons are like eyes on a dress, and often the style of the costume completely depends on the choice of the button. Interestingly, in Russia, not only buttons were often used, which were made with their own hands from wood, but also real masterpieces jewelry art from precious metals, decorated with stones, patterned filigree and later filigree. In the decoration of Russian costumes, even overseas buttons were used, with oriental or Byzantine motifs. And very often in museums and at exhibitions of Russian outfits, even in what seemed simple Russian folk costume, that is, on a peasant costume you can meet ancient coins neighboring states with which Russian merchants traded.

The name of the button, button, button - a circle or a ball, a hat with an eye, sewn to clothes, for fastening on a loop, on a loop. Pugva (f. church) bulge, hump. Puga, button - the blunt end of the egg, heel, tail. Button(s) master, or buttonmaker, button.
The word "button" sounds interesting different languages: In Japanese, this is “netsuke”, although this word is more familiar to refer to an art form. Italian - bottone, Spanish baton - bud, unblown bud. German - Knopf, in Dutch Knoop they mean "bump, bulge, top." (Compare with the word "button" for the type of clasp.)
The button has been a mysterious and surprising item throughout the history of its use. Some philologists believe that the words “button” and “scarecrow” have the same root, because the button also had a protective character, and the buttons protected the owner from an evil look.
In ancient times, people connected their clothes with buttons made of bone, wood, and other natural materials, but Russian archeologists find mostly buttons made of precious metals, not because in Ancient Russia did not use other materials, but because they have not been preserved and have not survived to this day. IN Ancient Egypt buckles were already used, or one piece of clothing was threaded through a hole made in another, or the ends were simply tied.

The most ancient buttons and button-like objects were used as decoration, not just for fastening, and were discovered in India. They were made about 5000 years ago. The ancestors of the Russian button date back to the 6th century. Old Russian buttons-weights
Buttons, as a rule, were decorated with a pattern. For example, concentric circles meant the sun. In Russia, buttons were often hollow, in the form of a ball into which a piece of metal was placed. When walking, such buttons made a melodic tinkle. Buttons were appreciated at their true worth only in the Middle Ages, when suits cut and sewn exactly to the figure came into fashion.

In Europe, the button was first used as a fastener in Germany around the 13th century. With the help of a special glaze, the artists painted the buttons with bright pictures.
Initially, ladies who preferred hairpins and pins turned their attention to buttons and gave them new life. Buttons have become not only functional and necessary thing, but also a work of art that adorned magnificent outfits. Buttons have become a wonderful detail that adds beauty to a thing or can ruin it hopelessly.
The history of buttons in Russia.

Clothing in Russia was loose, long and extraordinarily beautiful. Clothing made of red fabric was considered the most elegant. Festive and everyday clothes had a complex decoration, where important role played embroidery and lace trim. Therefore, according to custom, a girl from an early age began to be taught these difficult, but fascinating types of creativity. Jewelry has been passed down from generation to generation. Each element of the ornament had its own meaning and meaning. Sometimes the most expensive fashionable thing there was a button in the suit. In Russia, they made the largest buttons the size of egg. Buttons were made of gold, silver, pearls, crystal, metal and woven from gimp. Each button has its own name. Sometimes buttons cost more than the dress itself, because they were made of precious metals and stones.
In Russia, buttons showed the status of the owner. Their number, shape, patterns and signs on them could tell about the position of a person and his prosperity. Each type of dress had its own number of buttons, for example, 3, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 or 19 buttons were sewn to a boyar caftan; for a fur coat - 8, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, etc. Most of the buttons were supposed to be worn by warriors on a quilted caftan - a tigil.
And today, buttons can tell a lot about the owner, the uniform buttons of ambassadors, military men, professors and students tell about the wearer's belongings.

A jacket is always an actual part of the wardrobe, regardless of whether it is worn as an element of a business suit or as an independent item. A jacket makes its wearer confident and eye-catching, but it is important to know certain rules when wearing it. Are there really rules on how to fasten a jacket, you ask? It seems logical to fasten as many buttons as it is sewn on, but this is not true. There are established unspoken rules etiquette in this regard, which you need to know.

Jacket with two buttons

How to fasten Man's jacket, depends on its type and the number of available buttons. The most common single-breasted jackets with two buttons. This is the most popular jacket, its owner looks attractive in any situation. It is important to remember only one rule here - the bottom button is never fastened.

This rule has no exceptions, and its history goes far into the past. The founder of the tradition is the English king Edward VII, who lived in the 17th century. But why did this tradition take root in our time, and why should it be observed:

Firstly, an unbuttoned button will emphasize that the owner of the jacket knows the intricacies business etiquette and take care of your appearance. Also business partners may conclude that you often wear a suit and, in particular, a jacket, which means that you always look neat and stylish, doing business with such a partner is a pleasure.
Secondly, for external attractiveness hides the convenience of this method. With the lower button unbuttoned in the jacket, it is more convenient to move and sit.

Now let's look at examples of other jackets, because they have different rules.

Single button jacket

Single-breasted jackets come with one button. They are usually intended for solemn events, but there are everyday models. Here, too, everything is simple - one button should always be fastened, you can unfasten it only when you sit down, if the jacket restricts movement.

Three-button jacket

In this case, the middle button is always fastened, the bottom button is always unbuttoned, and the middle one, depending on the desire and situation. During business meeting it is better to fasten it, in a more relaxed atmosphere - you can leave it unbuttoned.

Three-button jackets should be treated more carefully, as there are three-roll-two jackets among them. They differ from classic jacket the fact that the top button on them has only a decorative role and may not have the possibility of fastening at all. Often it is on the lapel or at the beginning of the lapel, while on classic models The lapel starts just above the button. In the case of a three-roll-two jacket, the top button does not need to be fastened in any case.

So, the first three rules for single-breasted jackets can be summed up with this reminder:

Double-breasted jacket

Now consider the double-breasted jacket. Buttons are sewn on it in two rows, the number of buttons can be different, 1, 2, rarely 3 or more in a row. It is customary to fasten such jackets with all buttons, even when you are sitting, but there are no clear rules for them. IN Lately designers are increasingly showing fashion shows in which the bottom right button is left undone, and this trend is becoming more and more popular.

The top buttons, as a rule, remain unbuttoned, since in most cases they play a decorative role and are sewn in such places that it is inconvenient to fasten them.

Women's jacket

The jacket has long been firmly established not only in the men's, but also in the women's wardrobe. How are women's jackets fastened? It all depends on the chosen model. IN women's wardrobe when wearing a jacket, there are no rules established by time, but there are certain recommendations that will help you decide:

Classical women's jacket usually choose active girls. Often they are worn with a turtleneck and skinny jeans or trousers, in which case it is better not to fasten the jacket, which will emphasize the active life position. Of course, when it comes to business suit for a formal event, the jacket is fully buttoned.
Military-style jackets are very popular now. They have broad shoulders and stand-up collars, buttons are often arranged in two rows. Such models suggest that you need to fasten all the buttons. At the same time, buttons most often stand out and are the main element of the decor of the model.
Cropped models are suitable for everyday wear and fasten with one button. Most often, designers emphasize this by deliberately leaving one functional button under the bust in the model, the rest have only a decorative function or are completely absent.

So, simple rules, which are easy to remember, will allow you to always look elegant and educated, because only versatile erudite people can know the intricacies of the rules of etiquette. Pick a jacket that fits your figure well, fasten it properly and feel confident!

The simplest button is a disk with two through holes in the middle, but there are buttons of other types and shapes (for example, square, triangular, cylindrical or spherical). The number of buttonholes may vary.

History of buttons

According to clarification from the comments here in the photo - to the right of the coat of arms uniform button - an element of decoration of horse harness 18 - 20 centuries.

In ancient times, instead of buttons, people connected pieces of their clothes with thorns from plants, animal bones and sticks. In ancient Egypt, buckles were already used, or one piece of clothing was threaded through a hole made in another, or the ends were simply tied.

The oldest buttons (as well as button-like items) used as decoration rather than fastening were discovered in India in the Indus Valley. They belong to the era 2800-2600 BC. Similar objects from the Bronze Age have been found in China (circa 2000-1500 BC), as well as in the territories of the former ancient rome and Ancient Greece.

Buttons made from shells were used in the Indus civilization for decorative purposes around 2000 BC. Some buttons were correct geometric shapes and holes so that they can be tied to clothes with a thread. These buttons were originally used more as decoration than fasteners. The earliest of them were found in Mohenjo-Daro, in the Indus Valley. They have a curvilinear shape, they were made about 5000 years ago.

Buttons on kaftans, circa 10th century

Functional buttons made of stone found in southeastern Turkey date back to 1500 BC. Functional buttons with loops for fastening clothes first appeared in Germany in the 13th century. They quickly became widespread in Europe for the manufacture of tight-fitting clothing.

For a long time the button served decorative ornament. Buttons were made from precious metals, corals, amber, pearls. The shape, size, decoration of buttons and their number on clothes spoke of the wealth of a person and his social status. Often, some garments had more than a hundred buttons. A fur coat could cost less than the buttons placed on it. Centuries ago, buttons were not just expensive - they were precious. They were inherited and described in literature and wills.

Button as a charm. Buttons in Russia

Old Russian buttons-weights (according to clarification from the comments, these are lead weapon bullets of the 16th - 17th centuries).

In the past, the button was one of the important magical amulets designed to scare off hostile forces. In Russia, this button function long time remained the main. Dictionary of Vladimir Dahl writes that. The button was a type of amulet, scare away hostile forces. A pellet, a piece of tin or a pebble was placed in hollow buttons, which, when moving, made a muffled sound, reminiscent of the sound of a bell. The button was a charm. Such buttons were sewn to clothes without a loop, were not fastened, and did not have a utilitarian function. magical nature it was determined in two ways - by drawings (patterns, etc.) on a button and by a shape (for example, the shape of an egg or an acorn was considered a symbol of fertility).

Button. Silver, enamel. 16th-17th century

Our ancestors considered the collar of their clothes to be very important detail in a mystical way: the most vulnerable, the most defenseless in relation to the evil spirits were the most exposed parts of the body - the neck and face. Therefore, the first buttons were placed on the collar and sleeves and were decorated with charmed patterns, designed to drive away, scare away evil spirits from the wearers. Frequent archaeological finds are Old Russian buttons "weights" that adorned the collars of peasant shirts. Almost all of them have a pronounced magical meaning. The most common symbol of the sun is a spiral or circle with a dot in the middle. This is understandable: sunlight drives away the forces of Darkness. The signs of the earth and the sown field are less common.

The magic function of buttons is mentioned by Academician B.A. Rybakov in his book "Paganism of Ancient Russia". He quotes the Onega epic "About Duke Stepanovich and Churil Plenkovich":

And the young boyar Dyuk Stepanovich
Became a whip on the buttons to respect,
Call button on button.
How from a button it was yes to a button,
Birds flew here pecking,
Roaring animals jumped here ...

Researchers of the Russian epic epic have always paid attention to these magic buttons trying to somehow interpret their meaning. The answer to this riddle was unexpectedly given by archaeologists: in one of the ancient Russian princely treasures of the 10th-13th centuries. four massive golden buttons were found with magical images of those same “pecking birds” and “roaring animals”. Rybakov defines these buttons as "spell buttons": apparently they were used for magical actions.

It can be concluded that among the Western peoples, the main functions of the button have always been utilitarian and decorative, while among the Slavs, the function of the amulet was put in the first place.

The principle of weaving buttons

During the excavations in Novgorod, a shirt of a young merchant was found, on the collar of which there was a large woven red button, which did not fasten anything and was unlikely to serve as an ornament. Taking into account the fact that the red color among the Slavs was endowed with the ability to scare away evil spirits (and therefore was very popular), it can be argued that the red button served as a talisman. The very principle of weaving buttons has survived to this day; Chinese buttons in the form of a "monkey fist" and similar "Josephine" braided knots in France are nothing more than an echo of ancient magical motifs.

Buttons in men's and women's suits

Buttons, with the invention in the 13th century of a cut that allowed them to wear tight clothes, turned from utilitarian items into luxury items. Men's suit of that era, from the chin to the waist and from the elbow to the hand, it was fastened with frequently planted buttons, sometimes more than a hundred in number. Buttons showed the wealth of their owner, as they were exquisite and expensive. Made of gold, silver and ivory, they symbolized wealth and high position in society.

It's interesting that until the 19th century, the button remained the privilege of men. Only a third of all buttons went to women's clothing. And only by the middle of the century, along with Haute Couture, the realization came to France that the button in women's dress can be not only functional, but also decorative. An explosion followed immediately. As one aptly remarked fashion magazine 1877, "button madness seized the women." At that time, shiny metal buttons made up most of the accessories, and poor fashionistas needed to almost every day to clean to a shine all your abundance of buttons on your dress. Perhaps it was this circumstance that prompted the move to buttons covered with fabric, similar or exactly the same as on the dress. For the first time, buttons appeared on nightgowns.

What are buttons made of?

The "progenitors" of the plastic button were the so-called gallinite (gallinite) buttons, which were made from compacted casein - a milk coagulant that was produced at dairy plants in Argentina, dried and delivered to France. After appropriate processing, he took the form of agate, the true origin of which no one guessed.

In the 17th century there were buttons made of copper and wood, and in the XVIII - of mother-of-pearl and leather. In the 19th century buttons were also made from horn, ebonite, "vulcanized fiber", porcelain, glass and other materials. IN Russia XVIII century, buttons made from various semi precious stones- jasper, agate, malachite.

The ancestor of a real ordinary plastic button can be considered a Parisian Elsa Schiaparelli, a legislator women's fashion Paris in the 1930s In partnership with a certain Jean Clément, who was well educated in the field of chemistry. Oi made a huge number of previously unseen buttons various forms and colors, including phosphorescent ones. Among them were buttons in the form of fruits - lemons, oranges, grapefruits, in the form of figurines of ballerinas, spoons, Christmas bells, horses, shoelaces, paper clips. The Madame Schiap salon opened by Elsa was a huge success. It was said that women of fashion gave the same pleasure to wear buttons bought there, as the authors themselves came up with them.

Unique button works made of precious stones and buttons embroidered from the most valuable varieties of silk began to coexist with mass-produced items.

There are four main functions of a button:

utilitarian (button as a fastener);
decorative and aesthetic (button as decoration);
magical (button - a talisman or talisman);
semiotic or informative (a button as an identification mark).

Russian proverbs about buttons (from Dahl's dictionary):

The buttons are gilded, but they haven't eaten for three days.
A smart smart girl is like a bright button.
Buttons are not molded, loops are not twisted, nothing is done.
Don't sew a button on someone else's mouth.
You can't rip a button off a soldier.
Stop, battalion: I found a button! March, march - no ear!

Photos of buttons and where to buy

Some of the photos are from the craftsmen's fair, where you can buy or order buttons.