Designing Dance - All Buttoned Up

Delicate, engraved mother-of-pearl buttons adorn the Columbine costume from Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker while the over-the-top Punchinello suit from Coppélia has buttons of cut stone with angles that perfectly catch the light on stage. But are buttons really important on costumes viewed from a distance by audiences, and, if there are buttons on a costume, are they used as buttons?

The answer is yes! Almost all of the buttons on the Ballet’s costumes are practical, especially on jackets. They are not just there for decoration – though some may be decorative in themselves – except when there is a risk of buttons catching, most often in a pas de deux.

Buttons often complete a costume, helping the dancers get into character. Colin Peasley, a founding dancer with the company and current artist-in-residence, says that wearing a military jacket resplendent with shiny, gold buttons really makes one feel like a soldier on stage.

The buttons are sourced locally thanks to the wide variety available, even when recreating costumes from a ballet created overseas and being faithful to the original design is a must. Jenny Howard, wardrobe’s production coordinator, is a frequent visitor to Buttonmania in the Nicholas Building and Jimmy Buttons in Fitzroy (sounds like a great job, huh?).

As you can imagine, button replacements are needed so a supply is kept in house and the wardrobe staff backstage are always armed with spares. Shelves are packed with buttons made of Bakelite, pressed metal, shell, plastic, wood, leather and more.