Earlier this week I described two easy ways to get an extra season out of boots (toughen them up with boot straps or even skinny belts) and lightweight jackets (stitch in some shoulder pads).

For this post, I’m trying out a third way of extending the wardrobe into Autumn/Winter 09: switch up the buttons on your winter coats.

For my first foray into button swapping, I’m using a grey wool Banana Republic coat. I bought it two seasons ago but have only worn it a dozen or so times, so it’s still in very good condition.

As you can see, it’s a fairly low-key topper: slightly cropped sleeves, hits athe high hip, minimal detailing, and just the four plain dark buttons. This coat needs an update if it’s going to get any wear this season.

One of the big trends in outerwear in A/W 09 is a structured, military look. There’s a bit of a Michael Jackson influence afoot, methinks – in fact, Harper’s Bazaar thinks so too. You can see it in this Chanel ad and on the Luella Bartley runway show (centre photograph).

Runway trends tend to get toned down on the way to the high street. There’s a slightly softened military look at work in this A/W 09 ready-to-wear dress. Designer Sonia Rykiel has also worked with this look this season in a really interesting two-tone coat.

Whilst I can’t re-shape my coat or add a fabric contrast  to give it the full makeover (my sewing skills preclude any major structural alterations, and I don’t want it to look home-made), I should be able to freshen it up with some new buttons. Something silver and slightly antiquey/ornamental should do perfectly.

To market I go

I headed to Portobello Road for my buttons. I think with something as infinitely varied as buttons, you can probably find exactly what you’re looking for if you’re willing to put in the time and money. However, I adhered to the OolaMoola code and turned down a few possibilities, including some gorgeous domed buttons priced at, alas, £4.49 each, and some antique military buttons priced at an astonishing £6.50 each – not very oola, indeed.

In the end I came home with these buttons, for just £1.99 each:

Silver buttons to update my old coat

How to do it

It took all of two minutes to cut the old buttons off the coat (tip: be sure to only cut the thread and not the fabric) and another ten minutes to sew the new buttons on. I used everyday black cotton/poly thread and I made sure to position the new buttons exactly where the old ones had sat, thus ensuring a smooth finish to a buttoned-up look.

Here’s the coat with new buttons in place:

New buttons on an old coat -- job done

The verdict

I’m pleased enough with the results, but I don’t feel like I have a NEW coat – more like I have a slightly more interesting version of the old coat. I suspect a silver brooch or even a chain brooch might finish the look, but the buttons are a good start.

If you have a more detailed coat, ideally with more buttons, the great button-swap experiment will probably yield punchier results. But that said, £7.96 is a pretty reasonable price for a (moderately) new look.

Spent: £7.96

Saved: the cost of a new winter coat – at least £80