Koumpounophobia

Special prize for you if you know what the above phobia is!
(disclaimer - there is no prize, sorry! But you have my respect!!)

When it came to the buttons for my coats, there was only one place to go - All Buttons Great and Small in Newtown, an inner suburb of Sydney.  Normally this would be a two and a half hour drive just to buy buttons, but thankfully I was already going to Sydney for a sexy photoshoot:

Phwoar!!!!!

Photo by Jessica Eisner 

And to catch up with a girlfriend of mine, Miss Sasha.  Miss Sasha was happy to go to the button shop with me as long as I was happy to go to Spotlight with her (I can't believe she thought she had to ask!).

So, once the shoot was done, I picked up Miss Sasha from the Sherbet Birdie studio and headed off to the button store - or as I like to call it, Button Heaven.

Even their door handle is a giant button!

Here is the inside of the store.  Its not a big store, but it doesn't have to be.  On the right is the counter, and behind the counter are the more expensive buttons, and buckles and things... and in the counter are the most expensive buttons.  I never look in there!

I chose my buttons and while Sasha and I were at the counter chatting to the owner while she served me, a young couple walked in.  And by young I mean late-teens, 20 at most.  Anyway, she had a blindfold on, and he lead her into the store and positioned her in front of one of the bays of buttons.  Sasha and I were thinking 'Aww, she must love buttons like we do!  What a nice thing to do for her!!'

Now, this is where the title of this post comes in.  Koumpounophobia is a fear of buttons.

He whipped off her blindfold and she started screaming and turned to run, and he wouldnt let her leave.  She was hysterical and hyperventilating by the time she managed to get past him and get out the door.  We were all a bit stunned... I commented to the store in general that she best dump that guy quick smart.

But back to the buttons!  I bought these!!

These buttons are for the black coat.  I know they look grey in this photo, but they are textured black.

 These buttons are for the lilac coat.  As mentioned previously, this fabric is IMPOSSIBLE to photograph and get the colour right.  The same goes for the buttons.  They coordinate beautifully, trust me!

 

These 'french blue' buttons have a semi matte finish so they look silver, but they aren't.  They are for a future project.  I was trying to buy all the buttons I thought I would need so I didn't have to go back.

And this beauty is also for a future project, but how gorgeous!

Once I'd paid (don't ask how much!) the store owner was telling me that koumpounophobia is quite common and she has people telling her all the time about someone they know that has a fear of buttons.  I've never met anyone!  She also told me about this video, so I thought I'd share it:

If you want to watch this direct on Youtube, click here

So I'm curious, do any of you know someone with a fear of buttons???

Beccie
xxx