The Tudor Revolution

Sixteenth century clothing has a multitude of closures. Sometimes garments were pinned in place such as ruffs or placards. Men would tie their hose to doublets to keep them up. Kirtles and doublets could be laced closed. But today we are discussing closures commonly used on doublets and jerkins, the thread covered button. Boy with a Greyhound by Paolo Veronese, 1570's. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York  There is documentation in, Janet Arnold's Pattern of Fashion 3, that these buttons could also be placed on garments as purely decorative pieces. A loose gown in Nurnberg is held closed by a series of these buttons with loops, but other buttons appear to have been added among the embroidery to create impact and flare. Italian Camica (called "Blouse") Detail, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York We know from pieces in our modern museums that many men across Europe used thread covered buttons as a relatively inexpensive way to close there outer g...