Buttons have played a leading role in the history of the Chanel house, so no one was surprised when in 1985 the company acquired the Desrues artisan workshop, with which it had been collaborating for several decades. The button manufacturer thus became the first satellite atelier of what would later become Paraffection, a subsidiary business that has given a second life to historic manufacturers such as Goossens, Lemarié or Lesage. Desrues today is responsible, among others, for the themed buttons of Chanel’s Métiers d’art collections.
In the wardrobe of baroque royalty there were buttons that were actually true jewels made with precious stones, while over the centuries they evolved into small pieces of craftsmanship: embroidered, illustrated, woven or carved. Today they can be a discreet brooch or the absolute protagonists of a garment. “Buttons are essential. Search, find charming little buttons,” said Gabrielle Chanel. In their brand they have never been simply a closure. A couple of recent examples? The button served as the starting point for the French maison’s spring-summer 2024 haute couture collection and was the basis on which the Mademoiselle Privé-Boutón high jewelry collection was built in 2020. This fall, all that rich tradition serves as a guide for four limited-edition eyeshadow palettes for its beauty division, dubbed Les 4 Ombres Boutons. Created in 1982, the Les 4 Ombres palette itself is another recognizable icon that has even served as inspiration for works of art such as those of pop artist Sylvie Fleury.
In the image, the four shades available from the limited edition Boutons, from the Les 4 Ombres shadow palette. From left, to right and from top to bottom, Baroque, Mademoiselle, Stellaire and Couture. Everything from CHANEL.
