Runway Retrospective - Unknown

Unfortunately I don't know the name of the designer for this interesting take on the button-back closure. If anyone recognizes these, please comment.

Celebrity Sighting: Britney Spears

It's rare to catch celebrities in something that buttons up the back, but in these candid shots from 2006, Britney Spears is sporting a white button-back top. Photos are courtesy of BritneyZone.

Vintage French Ad

A scan from an old French magazine showing a stylish back-buttoned dress in tweed.

Isaac Mizrahi Dresses at Target

A couple of special occasion dresses from the Isaac Mizrahi collection at Target. Notice the functional back buttons, as opposed to the faux buttons covering a zipper closure that are seen on so many modern occasion dresses these days (a topic for another post) - and these are even fairly affordable.

Strapless Sheath Dress

Taffeta Retro Sheath Dress

Wings Creative Studio

This image, featuring a back-buttoned top, was done by Bulgaria's Wings Creative Studio. You can check out the full-size version at DeviantArt.

Old Fashioned Girl

If you're a fan of Gibson Girl blouses and white lawn dresses of early 1900s, check out Old-Fashioned Girl for custom-made reproductions of Victorian/Edwardian fashions. There you can request designs like these two below, or submit a completely custom inquiry.

Cotton 1900s Waist

Early 1900s Lingerie Dress

A Quick Pair

First, the Rose Hips Sweater from Anthropologie:

And, the Daisy Embroidered Blouse by Jovovich Hawk, available at Ron Herman:

Runway Restrospective - Proenza Shouler

A back-buttoned top from the Spring 2004 collection by Proenza Schouler.

Saks Fifth Avenue

A couple more items from Saks Fifth Avenue:

Moschino Cheap and Chic Ladybug-Print Silk Dress

Nicole Miller Silk Print Tunic Dress

Runway Restrospective

Another couple of designs from past collections. One the left is a classically-inspired gown by (I believe?) Vivienne Westwood; on the right is a reverse denim top by an unidentified (so far) designer.

Vintage Fashion Collection of Lori Knowles

If your interests run into vintage Victorian and Edwardian fashions, be sure to check out the collection of Lori Knowles. You'll see some wonderful examples, including of course some items relevant to this blog, such as these two bodices from the early 1900s.

David Rodriguez Button Back Jacket

When David Rodriguez launched his more affordable Red Label line for Fall 2006, one of the best-selling pieces was this button-back jacket.

Vintage Martini

For actual vintage pieces from earlier 19th century (and even some Victorian pieces), swing by Vintage Martini. As it was a much more common closure method then, you'll find several items that button up the back, such as these:

Edwardian Gown


1940s Dress


1930s Ivory Wedding Gown