When you think about Amish clothing, you might picture simple dresses and plain shirts without a single button in sight. This isn’t just a random fashion choice or some outdated tradition that stuck around. The Amish relationship with buttons is actually more complicated than most people realize. While some Amish communities strictly avoid buttons, others use them selectively, and the reasons behind these choices reveal a lot about how different Amish groups balance tradition with practical needs. The answer to why buttons are avoided goes back centuries and connects to deeper beliefs about humility, equality, and staying separate from mainstream society.
Buttons were once symbols of military rank and wealth
Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, buttons weren’t just practical fasteners. They served as status symbols that separated the wealthy from everyone else. Military officers wore elaborate buttons to show their rank, with the fanciest designs reserved for those at the top. European aristocrats took things even further, decorating their clothing with buttons made from precious metals and adorned with intricate designs. Wearing these buttons was essentially a way to broadcast your wealth and social standing to everyone you encountered.
The Amish community rejected this entire concept. Their religious beliefs emphasized that all people are equal before God, and clothing should reflect humility rather than pride. When buttons became associated with military hierarchies and social class distinctions, many Amish communities decided to avoid them altogether. This wasn’t about being anti-fashion in a modern sense. It was about refusing to participate in a system where people used clothing accessories to claim superiority over others. The decision to skip buttons became one way the Amish maintained their commitment to equality and simplicity in a world that was increasingly focused on outward appearances and social climbing.
Different Amish groups have different rules about buttons
If you’re expecting a simple yes-or-no answer about Amish and buttons, you’re going to be disappointed. The Amish aren’t one unified group with identical rules everywhere. Old Order Amish communities tend to be the strictest, avoiding buttons almost entirely and using straight pins, hooks and eyes, or snaps instead. Meanwhile, New Order Amish groups and other more progressive communities often allow buttons, especially if they match the fabric color and don’t draw attention. The rules can even vary from one settlement to another within the same general group.
Geographic location plays a role too. An Amish community in Pennsylvania might have different clothing standards than one in Ohio or Indiana. These differences come down to something called the ordnung, which is essentially a set of unwritten rules that govern daily life in each community. The ordnung gets passed down through generations and adjusted by church leaders based on local traditions and practical considerations. So while one Amish community might view buttons as completely acceptable for everyday wear, another might reserve them only for work clothes or children’s clothing. This variation shows that Amish culture isn’t frozen in time but adapts in different ways depending on the community’s interpretation of their values.
Hooks and eyes are the most common button alternative
When Amish communities avoid buttons, they need practical alternatives to keep their clothes fastened. Hooks and eyes have become the most popular solution. These small metal fasteners consist of a hook on one side that catches into a corresponding eye or loop on the other side. They’re discreet, functional, and don’t draw any attention to themselves. You’ll find them on Amish dresses, pants, and shirts in communities that maintain traditional clothing practices. The fasteners work reliably and can last for years when sewn properly into garments.
Straight pins are another option, though they’re less comfortable and more hazardous than hooks and eyes. Some conservative Amish still use them, carefully pinning their clothing closed each morning. Metal snaps also appear on jackets and work clothes in many communities. These fasteners require traditional sewing skills that get passed down through generations. Amish women often use treadle sewing machines or hand-sewing methods to attach these fasteners to homemade clothing. The process takes more time than simply sewing on buttons, but it aligns with their values. Each fastener choice represents a balance between practicality and tradition, showing how the Amish adapt while maintaining their commitment to modest, simple clothing that doesn’t emphasize individual appearance.
Work clothes sometimes get an exception for buttons
Even in communities that typically avoid buttons, work situations can change the rules. Amish men and women who do physically demanding jobs like farming, carpentry, or construction need clothing that can withstand constant movement and stress. In these cases, buttons and even zippers might be permitted because they’re more durable and secure than traditional alternatives. A farmer can’t afford to have his pants come unfastened while working with machinery, and a carpenter needs clothes that won’t get caught on tools or materials.
Safety requirements also force adaptations. When Amish workers need to wear specialized safety gear or work in environments with specific clothing regulations, the community recognizes that practical needs must be met. This might mean wearing buttoned work jackets or pants that meet industry standards. These work clothes are typically kept separate from everyday or church clothing, creating a distinction between what’s worn for labor and what’s worn in other contexts. The acceptance of buttons for work purposes shows how Amish communities think through their rules practically rather than following them blindly. They’re willing to make exceptions when safety and livelihood are at stake, while still maintaining their traditional standards in other areas of life.
Children’s clothing often includes buttons for practical reasons
Raising young children presents unique challenges that sometimes override strict clothing rules. Amish parents recognize that dressing infants and toddlers with hooks and eyes or straight pins can be difficult and time-consuming. Buttons make the process much simpler, especially when you’re dealing with a squirming baby or a tired toddler who won’t hold still. For this reason, many Amish communities allow buttons on children’s clothing, at least until the child reaches a certain age. The buttons used are typically simple and functional, without decorative elements.
This practical exception demonstrates how Amish communities prioritize family needs alongside their values. Parents already face enough challenges without making every diaper change or clothing swap more complicated than necessary. As children grow older and can dress themselves, they gradually transition to clothing that matches adult standards in their community. Some groups might switch kids to traditional fasteners around age five or six, while others maintain more flexibility. The willingness to adapt clothing rules for children shows that Amish culture isn’t rigidly inflexible. Communities make thoughtful decisions about when to maintain strict traditions and when to allow practical modifications that make daily life more manageable for families.
Velcro is generally more acceptable than zippers
When modern fasteners entered the market, Amish communities had to decide whether these new options aligned with their values. Velcro has gained wider acceptance than zippers in many Amish settlements. The hook-and-loop fastener is practical, easy to use, and doesn’t carry the same associations with fancy clothing that zippers do. You’ll find Velcro on various Amish garments, from children’s clothes to work wear, particularly in more progressive communities. It solves many of the same problems that buttons address without the historical baggage.
Zippers face more resistance in Amish communities. They’re often associated with fashionable, worldly clothing and are generally frowned upon, though some communities make exceptions for work boots or specialized outerwear. The distinction between accepting Velcro while rejecting zippers might seem arbitrary to outsiders, but it makes sense within Amish thinking. Velcro is purely functional and doesn’t really show, while zippers can be decorative and are more closely associated with mainstream fashion trends. As one source notes, these customs have more to do with tradition than theology. The choices reflect how each community interprets what counts as simple, modest, and separate from worldly influences. Different settlements reach different conclusions based on their local traditions and leadership decisions.
Matching button colors make them less flashy
In Amish communities that do allow buttons, there’s usually an important requirement. The buttons must match the fabric color as closely as possible. This practice serves a specific purpose beyond just looking coordinated. When buttons blend into the fabric, they become purely functional rather than decorative. A mint green dress with matching mint green buttons or a blue shirt with blue buttons eliminates the flashy, attention-grabbing quality that concerned earlier Amish generations. The buttons essentially disappear into the garment, serving their purpose without becoming a focal point.
This compromise allows Amish communities to benefit from the convenience of buttons while maintaining their commitment to modest, plain clothing. New Order Amish groups particularly favor this approach, using color-matched buttons on everyday wear and even formal occasions. You might see wedding clothing with buttons that perfectly match the fabric, making them functional without being ornamental. This solution represents how Amish culture evolves over time. Rather than completely abandoning buttons or fully embracing them with all their decorative potential, these communities found a middle ground. The buttons exist, but they’re rendered invisible through careful color matching. It’s a practical adaptation that respects tradition while acknowledging that buttons simply work better than some alternatives for certain types of clothing.
Ceremonial clothing sometimes includes simple buttons
Weddings, funerals, and religious ceremonies hold special significance in Amish life. These occasions bring the community together and require appropriate attire that reflects the event’s importance. Even in conservative communities, ceremonial clothing might include buttons that wouldn’t appear on everyday wear. The key is that these buttons remain simple and functional rather than decorative. A groom’s suit or a bride’s dress might feature plain buttons that serve a clear purpose without drawing undue attention or signifying wealth or status.
The use of buttons for formal events doesn’t contradict Amish values when handled carefully. The buttons are chosen specifically to avoid any appearance of vanity or showiness. They’re typically small, match the fabric color, and lack any decorative elements like engravings or unusual shapes. This approach allows ceremonial clothing to be slightly more formal without crossing the line into worldliness. The garments still emphasize the spiritual and communal importance of the event rather than individual appearance. By maintaining strict standards even for special occasions, Amish communities ensure that their clothing practices consistently reflect their values. The focus remains on the gathering’s purpose rather than on impressing others with fancy attire or accessories.
Button rules will likely continue evolving gradually
Amish culture isn’t static, despite the common perception that these communities never change. Over generations, many Amish settlements have gradually adopted practices that earlier generations rejected. The shift toward accepting buttons in some communities represents part of this ongoing evolution. More progressive Amish groups have increasingly embraced color-matched buttons for their practicality and convenience. As older generations pass and younger ones take leadership roles, attitudes toward certain traditions can shift, though always within the framework of maintaining core values like humility, simplicity, and separation from worldly influences.
The most conservative Amish communities will likely continue avoiding buttons indefinitely, preferring hooks and eyes or straight pins as their ancestors did. But many observers expect that middle-ground communities will gradually move toward accepting simple, functional buttons as standard practice. This prediction isn’t about Amish communities abandoning their traditions or becoming more like mainstream society. Rather, it reflects how these communities thoughtfully reassess practices over time, distinguishing between rules that serve important spiritual purposes and those that persist mainly out of habit. The button question will continue to be answered differently across various Amish settlements, with each community making decisions based on their interpretation of what truly matters for maintaining their distinctive way of life in a changing world.
The Amish approach to buttons reveals much more than just clothing preferences. It shows how communities maintain identity through seemingly small choices while adapting to practical realities. Whether avoiding buttons entirely, using them selectively, or accepting them with specific limitations, each Amish community makes decisions rooted in their values of humility, simplicity, and equality. These choices remind us that what might look like arbitrary rules from the outside actually represent thoughtful attempts to live according to deeply held beliefs in an ever-changing world.
