What can koumpounophobics (fear of buttons) wear to a professional job interview?

If you can find a friend to help you with the sewing task, you can replace the buttons on a dress shirt with hidden bits of velcro. As long as you wear a tie with a tie-pin to keep it in place, no-one will notice. As for the suit jacket, get a single-breasted one, remove the buttons and wear it open. I really doubt that anyone will check your jacket to see if your buttons are intact. (Interviewers look mainly at your face, hands and shoes).

ETA: cuff buttons can be replaced with cufflinks.

A string with a clasp… The guy from Texas In the Simpsons television wears one.

Bolo tie.

Amish women, in most sects, or in the one I visited near Lancaster, PA. are forbidden to use buttons on their clothes.

Clothing is fastened with straight pins or snaps.

When I was at the home of an Amish couple, picking up a quilt I had ordered, the wife went into labor. Her husband clattered off to fetch her mother (no phones), my husband was banished to the kitchen, and I stayed with the woman.

She was in heavy labor and asked me to help her undress. She was held together with a dozen or so heavy- duty straight pins. Her stockings were rolled above her knees.

I think this sort of Nehru inspired jacket is very attractive on men and the one button can be replaced with a knot clasp

What an amazing place this can be.

Depending on the office environment, a simple turtleneck sweater, with no jacket at all, might be acceptable. Matched with tailored slacks, the entire ensemble would appear entirely professional. And if you carry a button-less jacket casually over your shoulder, then I doubt that anyone would or even could notice that the jacket has no buttons.

VELCRO! May replace any fastener. Sew buttons on the fabric above the velcro so it looks like you have buttons, if it matters. Use a long strip to close things around your waist so it wont come apart accidentally.
You can also buy clothes that use zippers for closure. Some people have physical conditions that make it impossible to use the more difficult to use fasteners.

Zippers everywhere!

Interesting. I’ve never heard of this particular phobia before.

Looks like the other posters have pretty much covered it.

I’m curious though, is it a fear of the sight of buttons in general? Or is it a fear of having to wear them and use them?

@Katniss , it’s both. And for some reason the fear extends to bolo ties and other shiny bumpy things on a person’s outfit. But wearing such things is far, far worse than seeing it on others. (Although yeah…. seeing an overabundance anywhere is kinda gross).