Brooches Are Back! How to Style the Accessory for Modern Times

Brooches Are Back! How to Style Brooches for Modern Times

Whether they’re worn on a hat or belt, on a jacket or the strap of a dress, brooches are back on runways and in your favorite fashion tastemakers’ social posts. “We’re seeing an interest in them because more and more, the movie stars and the influencers are wearing brooches on the red carpets,” observes Gayla Moores, owner of Southern Gem Fine Jewelry in Burleson, Texas.

If you’re like the vast majority of folks, though, brooches aren’t the first thing you pick out of your jewelry box, and you may not be 100% sure how to style them.

Here are six tips for styling brooches for today’s fashion, plus what to look for when shopping

1. Wear Multiple Brooches at Once

Maximalism is definitely en vogue, so don’t feel like you’re limited to wearing just one brooch at a time. Combine multiple brooches into one look, picking pieces with complementary colors, textures, and themes. Add them all to an oversized sweater or lapel, and you have a great look that shows off your individual style.

2. Wear Your Brooches Somewhere Unexpected

Brooches aren’t just for lapels and collars; you can pin them to a range of clothing items and accessories. Pin them to a scarf. Pin them to your shoulder bag’s strap. Pin them anywhere pinnable!

Most expect brooches to be worn around the shoulder or breast area, so picking a less common spot makes for a more unique look. The center of your collar is a good option, but you can also pin them to cover buttons on a shirt or place them somewhere unexpected, like on the back of your outfit.

“We’re seeing them worn with a tie or on a scarf,” Moores says. “I think it’s so pretty pinned on the cuff of your jacket or the cuff of your blouse.”

If you’re wearing a blouse or dress that reveals a bit of back or has straps, you can pin a brooch right over your shoulder blade or at the small of your back. Wearing a high-waisted skirt or pair of trousers? Put the brooch at your waistline. Feeling a little quirkier? Attach a brooch to your shoes!

3. Use a Brooch as a Pendant

Along these lines, you can use a brooch as a pendant on a chain necklace if you don’t really want to pin a brooch to your clothing. “I have a couple here now that you can wear as a pin or you can fasten the pin on the back of them,” Moores says, “and then they have a bail that flips up. And you can run your chain through that.”

You can even attach multiple brooches to a chain necklace, for a true maximalist look that gives off ‘charm bracelet’ energy.

4. Pin a Brooch to a Phone Holder or Lanyard

Phone charms and bag charms are becoming more popular (or, rather, seeing a resurgence), but you don’t need to purchase brand-new items just to hop on the trend. If you’ve got a brooch that you feel deserves a spot in the limelight, pin it to a phone pouch or loop your lanyard’s straps through the pin.

5. Add Brooches to a Tote

Humans love adding little pieces of our personalities to various items. That’s why we add stickers to our laptops and tumblers, and why we slap bumper stickers on our cars. You can do the same by pinning a variety of brooches to your favorite canvas tote bag for a design of your own creation.

Once you’ve amassed a nice little collection of brooches, show them off by arranging them in a tasteful (or whimsical!) display.

6. Add a Brooch Up Top

You aren’t just limited to wearing brooches on your body or bags, either. If you’re feeling creative and want to go for a truly unique look, you can wear them on your hats or even in your hair.

Pin a brooch to a hat, a fabric hairband, or a headscarf for an instant touch of unexpected bling. If you’re willing to get a little crafty, you can also attach it to a hair clip or barrette.

“We saw a few of them pinned on hats at the Kentucky Derby. It’s iconic — you wear a hat or fascinator, and then if you pin a diamond pin on it, it looks amazing,” Moores says. “We put a vintage Art Deco brooch on a veil for a bridal shoot that was absolutely beautiful. It looked perfect.”

How to Pick the Best Brooches for Modern Styles

If you want to pick out the best brooches for modern wear and versatility, you’ll want to shop based on the following standards:

• How lightweight is the material? While brooches that are heavier and clearly made of higher-quality materials may seem desirable at first, keep in mind that they can weigh down whatever you attach them to. This means that they could stretch out knits or become uncomfortably heavy on a necklace if used as pendants.
• How sturdy is the pinning mechanism? If you’re shopping for antique or vintage brooches, it’s extra important to ensure that the pinning mechanism works well and is durable, so that you don’t accidentally lose the brooch while wearing it. Older pieces can be beautiful, but pinning mechanisms can degrade with age. Make sure you’re not at risk of your brooch falling off!

• Is the brooch the real deal? If you’re specifically shopping for antique or vintage brooches, make sure that you brush up on the various tell-tale signs of an authentic vintage piece, so you can make your purchase with confidence.

Basic Tips for Wearing a Brooch

• Always test your brooch before leaving the house. Check that it’s not stretching out the fabric you’ve pinned it to, and that it’s properly secured.
• Don’t pin heavy brooches to delicate fabrics such as chiffon or silk, as they could ultimately damage the fabric. “The lighter ones can go on silks, or nylons or rayons, that sort of thing,” Moores says. “Wool works great for heavy brooches or bigger diamond brooches.”
• Take off the brooch as soon as you get home so that you don’t damage your outfit when you’re taking it off or snag the brooch on something else in the laundry.
• Don’t wear the same brooch on the same piece of clothing, in the same place, all the time; instead, rotate where you wear the brooch to prevent fabric damage.
• Ideally, wear your brooch on sturdy fabrics such as wool, denim, or tweed.

It’s worth noting that you can also purchase magnetic brooches, which cause less damage to fabrics than the typical pinned brooches. You can likewise place a small piece of extra, sturdy fabric between the pinned brooch and your clothing for additional support.

Protect Your Favorite Pieces with Comprehensive Jewelry Insurance

Whether you’re shopping for fashion brooches or any other piece of jewelry, new or vintage, you’ll want to get jewelry insurance to make sure that your entire collection is protected from loss, accidental damage, and theft.

You can purchase jewelry insurance for about 1-2% of the total value of your jewelry collection, and then rest assured that if any of your pieces are ever lost, stolen, or damaged, you can replace or repair them at no extra cost to you. Your insurance policy will do all the work. Filing a claim is easy and can be done online. Plus, there are no deductibles as you’d face with a homeowners insurance policy.

Get your quick and easy jewelry insurance quote now.

FAQs About Brooches

Are brooches back in style?

Brooches are being seen frequently in fashion shoots, on runways, and in content produced by fashion influencers. They’re definitely making a comeback!

Why are brooches currently back in style?

Brooches are likely regaining popularity because of the versatile ways they can be worn, the way that they fit into maximalist styles, and the enduring love for vintage pieces.

How can you wear a brooch and not look old?

As is the case with most accessories, it depends on how you style it! Wearing one won’t necessarily make you “look old” by default, but if you’re specifically looking for a unique or youthful look, try wearing it in an unexpected spot, like at your waist or on another accessory.

How can you wear a brooch as a necklace?

To wear a brooch as a necklace, simply pin it into the links of a chain necklace or into the fabric of a ribbon tied around your neck.

Do you have to wear a brooch on a certain side of your body?

Traditionally, brooches would have been worn on the left side, over the heart, but today there are no such requirements.

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