Searching the whole archive
Delicate and decorative buttons for dresses and blouses — pearls, florals, rhinestones and fine metals that finish a garment instead of just closing it.
Dress Buttons from the Archive
Dress buttons do double duty: they're closures, but they're also jewellery. This collection gathers the archive's dress-weight styles — pearlescent and rhinestone sets for occasion wear, floral and novelty shapes for day dresses, and refined small metals for shirt-dresses and blouses.
Dressmakers use these to finish new work; menders use them to bring vintage dresses back to original character. Either way, every listing is a matched set with exact millimetre sizing and macro photos, drawn from 1970s–90s deadstock you won't find in a chain store.
Dress Buttons — Questions, Answered
What size buttons work for dresses?
Dress fronts usually take 10–15 mm buttons; statement or coat-dress styles run larger. Each listing shows the exact mm size — measure your buttonholes before ordering.
Do you have matching small buttons for backs and cuffs?
Many sets include two sizes, and the archive holds thousands of unlisted small sizes. Email our Button Finding Service with your style and size and we'll check.
Are these washable?
Metal, nylon and pearlescent buttons handle gentle machine washing well. For rhinestone or delicate vintage pieces we recommend closing the garment before washing or washing inside out on cold.
Can I use these on a wedding or occasion dress?
Absolutely — the pearl and rhinestone sets in this collection are popular for bridal alterations. See the pearl buttons collection for the full bridal range.
