How to Replace Practically Anything

Buttons

What to know: Make sure you haven’t overlooked the spare buttons that come with most new clothes. They were probably in a small bag attached to the price tag. No luck? “Tailors will try to find something close,” says New York City tailor Ramon Diaz. “But in most cases we’ll just replace all the buttons.”

Where to go: A good tailor with a bountiful spare-button stash. If you want to do your own legwork, visit eBay and search for “buttons” in the Crafts category (subcategory: Sewing Notions & Tools). At both ascuteasabutton.com and M&J Trimming (mjtrim.com), you can search through hundreds of available button styles. Tender Buttons, a New York City store, has thousands of buttons to search through; if you can’t visit, mail in a sample of the button you’re trying to match and the staff will conduct a search for you at no cost. Call first: 212-758-7004.