“Although some of the assortments of buttons appear to be mismatched pieces scattered randomly throughout Kelly’s dresses, his most famous designs feature carefully crafted patterns of matching buttons.”

“Many of Kelly’s contemporaries were inspired by his designs to incorporate buttons, as well as zippers and snaps, as decorative items in their work.” 

“Kelly’s grandmother, who would repair clothing when he was a child, frequently added mismatched buttons to the clothes to draw attention away from any flaws in the garments.”

“Kelly was destined to be a designer from a young age: he learned how to sew clothing from his aunt Bertha, and his love of drawing was developed by his mother.”

English

PASSAGE: American fashion designer Patrick Kelly was known for his love of colorful buttons. Many of his signature dresses feature bold assortments of buttons throughout the garment. In a paper, a fashion design student claims that Kelly’s use of buttons as decoration was inspired by his childhood observations of the styles and actions of the women in his family.

 QUESTION: Which quotation from a work by a historian would be the most effective evidence for the student to include in support of this claim?

