The Pointless Button

Last year I bought this mohair wrap cardigan in an op shop. I particularly loved the colour and texture (it looks like cotton candy), and also the bishop sleeves that bell at the cuff. The label is Ted Baker. It wasn’t until I was actually wearing it out and saw my reflection in the bathroom at work.

Something was wrong, I saw. My eye instantly went to a dot above my hip. What is that useless button? I asked myself. I loathe buttons that have no function (with some few exceptions on jackets such as on double-breasted jackets, or those on the cuff of a sleeve) … I particularly abominate buttons as jewellery.

The pretty mother-of-pearl button embossed with the designer’s name was purely decorative, and it was an unnecessary detail at that. It somehow threw off the balance of the wrap and tie. This was a design flaw that was easily remedied however.

When I got home, I immediately came to the rescue with a seam ripper and removed the offending item with pleasure*. Doesn’t it look much better without it there? It’s quite remarkable that such a tiny detail could have such visual impact!

*Of course this is poetic licence – I waited to rip off the pointless button until I was able to photograph the momentous event properly.

Photos: July 2016