Vintage buttons

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For 44-year-old single mother of one Jenny Westrup, buttons are not merely a device to keep her blouse from falling open. For her, each button she holds in her hand tells a story of a by-gone era.

With a collection that includes thousands of vintage buttons, spanning more than three decades of collecting, it’s easy to see why the Sydney-based vintage trader has been so successful in her chosen career path – she has a true passion for all things antiquated and has a sentimental attachment to every piece that comes her way.

Jenny explains: “I first started collecting in my late teens; not only buttons but also fabrics and trims, as well as china and glassware. I still love fabrics today – especially vintage – the 1920s to the 1950s and ‘60s would be my favourites. I love the colours and textures of old fabrics. The way they look tells a story about their history; where they have been and how they have been used.”

This love of fabrics initially took Jenny to study fashion design, but her true vocation was still to be discovered. “I knew I wasn’t going to be a fashion designer; I was more interested in the fabrics than actually designing clothes. I started working as a window-dresser and loved it. I got to play with beautiful things all day and learned how to display merchandise and put my creative talents to use. We used to build and decorate our own sets and props. Many of the guys I worked with had the most theatrical way of doing things, which was a tremendous learning ground.”

Meanwhile, Jenny continued to covet and add both old and new fabrics to her collection. It wasn’t long before buttons caught her attention and became a natural addition to her treasures.

“It made sense – buttons just went hand-in-hand with the fabrics. I am attracted to their colour, texture and shape. I love the way vintage buttons can mellow out in colour or fade and then take on a whole new dimension. The shapes and textures of some of the old ones are amazing – they are like works of art.

Setting up shop
Jenny soon realised there were many others like her – people with a passion for older items that told a story. This realisation saw her trading her wares at local antique markets. “I have my own shop these days, Très Fabu! in Sydney. I’ve had the shop for three years. Prior to that I had a stall within the Woollahra Antiques Gallery.”

Although she is clearly passionate about her collection, Jenny doesn’t mind passing on beloved items to others who share her obsessions. “I love it when

I sell something that I consider a special piece to one of my favourite customers, because I know they will treasure it as much as I did,” she says with a broad smile. “Most of the people who come to the shop really love it and those that buy something say they have found themselves a real treasure.

“People often ask how I can bear to part with pieces, but the greatest thing about having the shop is that I can enjoy having a piece there until it finds a new home. I can no longer fit everything I love in my own home so I get to love an item, then see it loved by others. A friend used to tell me that these things find you and not the other way around.”  

Buried treasures
When asked about her most exciting finds, Jenny becomes animated with excitement as she discloses details of her most recent purchase. “I came across and bought an amazing collection of buttons made in the Depression era.

I met a lovely lady at a country market and she invited me to see a collection of buttons. She told me she had bought them from a Sydney button factory when it closed in the 1960s.”

Jenny was in awe when she laid eyes on the collection. “I couldn’t believe it... in her garage sat sixteen packing crates overflowing with buttons in their original cardboard boxes. She had acquired them in the 1960s, but they were all from the 1920s and ‘30s and most of the boxes had not been opened since then!”

While Jenny does buy and sell often, there are a few treasured pieces she hopes to hand down to her ten-year-old son Thomas. “I hope I can pass on my love of precious things to Thomas; things that have a history and a story. This doesn’t just apply to buttons but to everything I collect. There is something very special about old things.

Visit the shop
Jenny’s store, Trés Fabu!, is located at 50 Sailors Bay Road, Northbridge, Sydney.

Words: Shonagh Walker. Photography: Andrew Lehmann. Styling: Lisa Hilton