Mondo Knows Facts

Buttons with buttonholes changed how clothes fitted

Fasteners that actually closed a garment appeared in thirteenth century Germany Buttons existed in antiquity mainly as ornaments, sewn on but never passed through a slit. Around the thirteenth century, German tailors began cutting buttonholes, which allowed garments to be snug and adjustable. The innovation spread with fitted sleeves and doublets, and it made tailored clothing practical across Europe. It sits in Mondo's history collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Tags: buttons, clothing, medieval

Buttons with buttonholes changed how clothes fitted: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?
Fasteners that actually closed a garment appeared in thirteenth century Germany. The figure is taken from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a history fact?
Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?
The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.