Sunday, June 19, 2011

The making of handwrapped lace buttons

Handwrapped lace buttons is one of the design highlights in my new collection L'Amore. They can be found in my silk shirts, linen jackets and skirts. I was so obsessed with these little beauties that I was making these buttons even while watching television. Till i sleep with my fingers cramped. And my hand continue to ache when I wake up. Sometimes I have customers who ask me why are my things priced as such. And I told them we emphasize on fine workmanship. These 2 words will be better explained below.
The lace is measured to the right length before making the buttons.
Before making the buttons, the Lace and lining has to be cut with a circle template. If you do 10 buttons, you need to cut 10 lace pieces and the lining into a circle shape according to the template. That is only for 1 top. But the tops come in different sizes. At the end of the day, we begin to suffer hand cramps from cutting such small circles.
Black and white lace cut out into circles. We need to further discern the pattern. So those who are similar are grouped into 1 top/skirt to achiever a coherent look. These black and white lace is for the sultry siren white silk shirt.
Lace buttons are finally completed. These buttons are for the houndstooth check pencil skirt with furry details.
If we had used normal buttons, we would have saved an incredible amount of time. But fine touches like these differentiate a mass produced item from a luxurious designer piece that is handmade with time and pride. Some customers cannot tell the difference but those with a discerning eye can. And this better explains why our items are priced as such.