Buttons are the daily clothing items that humans often accompany. Its use has a history of over 6000 years. As early as 4000 years ago, the ancestors of Iran, the Persians, had used stones to make buttons. During the Zhou Dynasty in China, the upper and lower garment system was adopted, with both men and women wearing two pieces of clothing. There are officials in charge of making formal attire in the court, and all civil and military officials must wear formal attire during grand ceremonies. At that time, the use of clothing was relatively standardized, and the clothing system was also quite complete. The word "button" appears in books such as "Zhou Li" and "Li Ji" that reflect the etiquette of the Zhou Dynasty. "button" is a knot that intersects with each other, that is, a knot. According to the bronze inscribed buttons of the Western Zhou Dynasty in my collection and the archaeological discoveries in China, buttons were used during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period. Among the Warring States cultural relics unearthed in Shizhaishan, Jinning, Yunnan, there are round, oval, animal head shaped and non-standard buttons made of blue, apple green and light gray Turquoise. Each one has one or two small holes. Some are engraved with patterns, with unique and colorful designs, with a wonderful waxy luster. In the collection of buttons, there are still simple buttons made of small stones, seashells, animal horns, walnuts, and coconut shells. This shows that our Chinese people used buttons in the Zhou Dynasty, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States period. In the middle of the Kofun period, unearthed in Japan, the patterns on the circle made of human figures show that men's clothing is composed of clothes and skirts, the clothes are narrow sleeved tops, and the front of the chest is connected by buttons. It can be seen that the Japanese had already used buttons before the ancient tomb period. In the 16th century, Chinese people introduced buttons to Europe. At that time, only men used them, and women used them less. Most people only used them for clothing. Some high-ranking officials and nobles, in order to show their wealth, use precious materials such as gold and silver, pearls, gemstones, diamonds, rhinoceros horns, antelope horns, and ivory to make buttons and use them. In France, King Louis XIV used 13000 precious buttons to make a royal robe. In my collection, there are precious buttons made of precious materials such as ox horns, antelope horns, ivory, and gold and silver.
Why is the button on the right for men and on the left for women?
Because modern clothing is based on Western clothing. Westerners generally wear shirts and suits, and the button on the right side is in line with people's habit of buttoning.
However, some time ago, in the West, young ladies generally did not button themselves, and were usually buttoned by maids who served them. In order to make it convenient for maids to button, the buttons on women's clothing were the opposite to those on men's clothing.
The meaning of the second button
This is a legend from Japan. The second button is the best gift for couples, and the second button, located above the heart, is for the person to whom the heart is attached. That is to give it to the person you like the most. Because the second button is leaning towards the heart position, the second button represents the heart relatively!