James Blogs: A Smother or Skeleton Suit.

The Pearly Kings and Queens wear their suits with pride with the place from where they are from across the back of the jacket. There are two suits known as a Smother Suit, Which is covered in Mother of Pearl buttons, or a Skeleton, One where the outline of the jacket is emphasized. The number of buttons on a suit can vary and depends on the wearer, whom add more buttons to the collection over time. This is often the case where the younger generation of the Pearly's tend to have less buttons on their jackets in comparison to the older generation of Pearlys. I think Arthur's jacket was the heaviest there with about 18500 buttons!!!! Weighing in at 22lbs, an example of a smother suit. I couldn't quite believe how many buttons were sewed onto these jackets, It must have taken ages! I asked them how they maintained their jackets, like washing them etc and they said the only way is the use a wet sponge and make the odd repair when they have time. I also asked them if the symbols used on their pearly coats jackets had a meaning. They said that each symbol had a meaning, often encompassing the Pearly philosophy, symbols which made them stand out. I asked them if there were any kind of technique they use to create the patterns and the only way possible would be to create a template and place the buttons over it, often experimenting with new patterns, some more intricate than others. Here are the meaning of the symbols found on the Pearly Suit: