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Buttons can be more than fasteners used to secure two sides of a piece of clothing.

They can be eye-popping accessories -- the bigger, the better -- on a coat, pair of boots, or trousers.

Big buttons add pizzazz by immediately drawing the eye, whether it is one large button in the middle or a coat or rows and rows of colorful buttons lining the entire front.

"We have some great things for fall and winter with big buttons on them," says Kate Foster, style expert for Ann Taylor. "From a grandpa cardigan to a jacket, big buttons add a little bit of an attitude to an outfit.

"I am obsessed with this one sweater we have with big buttons. Big buttons can really dress up an outfit or create a statement jacket. Big buttons also are very versatile."

Their versatility comes not only in size but also color and texture. Some are the same hue as the fabric on which they are sewn and blend in to the background. Others stand out in complementary colors to create a unique look, Foster says.

Buttons can add as much to an outfit as a piece of jewelry.

This fall and winter, you will see buttons in various sizes, such as the huge purple buttons on a violet raincoat by Kensie or a Miss Sixty white wool coat with large black buttons, both available at Macy's.

Nordstrom is showing a turquoise coat with one matching fat button in the middle, and a pearl coat with one oversized sparkly silver button at the top from the Beth Bowley collection.

Big buttons are a way to add flavor to a jacket or coat, says Natalie Marten, vice president of merchandising and design at Gallery, a New York-based clothing manufacturer. Some of the big trends she cites are buttons that are fabric covered or have a metallic finish, an accent color or interesting shapes, such as square edges or rounded with a raised middle.

Larger buttons with intricate patterns and detail are made of interesting materials so that when you look closely, you appreciate what it adds to the look, Foster says.

"Details -- such as big buttons -- make all the difference," says Carol Kinkela, owner of Carabella in Oakmont. "Saucer-like buttons, like the ones on a Ryan Roberts boiled wool coat, can add a touch of whimsy. Big buttons can make you smile because they are really fun embellishment."

This season's big-button trend is inspired from the nautical look of summer's fashions as well as the military influence of this fall into winter, says Heather Hannan, public relations manager for Macy's Central.

Many military-style jackets have big buttons, not only at the waist but on lapels and shoulders.

"Oversized buttons are not a new concept," Hannan says. "We have seen them give a nod back to the tradition of the nautical look and the military-inspired pea coat. We are seeing big buttons on everything from coats and jackets to footwear in a head-to-toe kind of trend."

High-quality and luxurious buttons give a sweater, coat or blazer some personality, Foster says.

One such look is a lime-green pea coat by Michael Kors with big gold buttons, available at Macy's, points out Clinton Kelly, host of TLC's "What Not to Wear."

"That coat is amazing because of the button detail. And the fact it is not the same color as the coat makes it fabulous," Kelly says. "Buttons also are an easy way to make a change by wearing the same coat -- but just adding different buttons. Big buttons are stylish."

Button history

Buttons have been used as decorative items of dress since the 14th century, although their prominence is entirely dependent on fashion trends.

By the early 19th century, machine-made fabric buttons and buttons made of ceramics, glass and papier-mache were in existence, but they were not strongly featured in fashions of the period.

From the mid-19th century, shell, mother of pearl, black glass, stamped steel and brass, and moulded horn often were used for buttons, which by this time had become integral parts of fashion design.

Dresses and blouses were made with many tiny buttons. In the 1880s, there was a revival in the use of enamel -- previously popular in the 18th century. Buttons also were made of glass or porcelain, or covered with embroidery.

These trends continued until World War I, when there was a marked decline in the number of buttons used.

The art deco movement of the 1920s brought buttons once more into fashion's focus, and this interest continued throughout the 1930s and stimulated the production of buttons made from wood, cork, plexiglass and synthetic plastics. Novelty buttons enjoyed a vogue in this decade. Used as strategic parts of clothing designs, they often resembled baskets of fruit or cigarette packets.

After World War II, buttons became less decorative and more functional.

Source: The Thames & Hudson Dictionary of Fashion and Fashion Designers

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