Dua Lipa has once again pushed the boundaries of going-out dressing, stepping out in London wearing a striking couture top assembled from 740 vintage buttons.
The singer's unusual Lou de Bètoly halter top caught attention because its surface is covered with buttons in different sizes, shapes and colours. Rather than relying on conventional fabric, the piece combines the vintage fastenings with navy yarn, creating a textured, sculptural finish that sits somewhere between jewellery and clothing.
A Barely-There Top
According to W Magazine, which examined the look on Thursday, 24 September, the buttons were collected by Lou de Bètoly designer Odély Teboul over many years. Teboul began accumulating the trinkets during her childhood in the 1990s, eventually turning her personal collection into raw material for couture designs.
The 740 buttons used for Lipa's top came from that collection. They include grey, blue and purple tones, with the different pieces arranged across the halter design rather than matching like conventional buttons on a shirt or coat.
The top is part of a wider design philosophy for Lou de Bètoly. In January, the label presented a 37-look collection at Berlin Fashion Week built around objects Teboul had collected throughout her life. W Magazine reported that tens of thousands of buttons from the designer's personal archive were washed, sorted and crocheted into sculptural garments for the presentation.
The collection also incorporated other unusual vintage materials. Some pieces featured bags and vintage undergarments described as centuries old, reinforcing the designer's interest in transforming old or overlooked objects into contemporary fashion.
Lipa's choice of the button-covered top therefore fits neatly into the singer's increasingly experimental fashion wardrobe. She has frequently embraced eye-catching silhouettes and unexpected materials, whether attending events, travelling or appearing during fashion month.
Traditional Glamour and Craftsmanship
The look places Lipa in a growing group of celebrities wearing designs that blur the line between fashion and art. Lou de Bètoly has previously created custom pieces for other high-profile names, including Beyoncé and Charli xcx. Beyoncé has worn a gilded bodysuit incorporating old mobile phones and charger cords, while Charli xcx previously wore a cardigan and pencil skirt made from scraps of black yarn.
Lipa's latest outfit is less about traditional glamour and more about the craftsmanship hiding in plain sight. From a distance, the top may resemble a colourful crocheted or beaded halter. Up close, however, the hundreds of individually collected buttons reveal the amount of material and labour behind the design.
The unusual construction has also prompted online reactions, with some social media users joking about what might happen if one of the buttons came loose. Others questioned whether the look was genuinely daring, while some simply appreciated its unconventional appearance.
Still, the top demonstrates why Lipa's fashion choices regularly generate conversation. Its appeal is not simply that it reveals plenty of skin, but that an everyday object normally destined for a sewing box has been transformed into a statement-making couture piece.
For Lipa, the result is a reminder that memorable fashion does not always depend on precious stones or elaborate embellishment. Sometimes, the most unexpected materials can create the strongest visual impact, particularly when craftsmanship turns something familiar into something unexpected and new.
With 740 vintage buttons doing much of the visual heavy lifting, Dua Lipa's latest London look proves that even the smallest discarded fashion detail can become the centrepiece of an outfit.
