Brooches: The ULTIMATE and MOST VERSATILE Accessory

I absolutely adore BROOCHES. To me, it's my favourite 'MUST HAVE' piece of jewelry.  It's so versatile and you can wear it with different colours and styles, especially when it is a vintage piece. 

In the 1980s, my mother wore a brooch on her vintage 60s black, faux fur winter coat. My mom's brooch was just a large gold floral brooch. Unfortunately, she left this world in 1995 and I keep this brooch as a keepsake, in memory of her. Here is her brooch that started it all for me and I began collecting them since then....

There are so many ways you can wear a brooch. Here's some great photos of wonderful people, past and present, who wore brooches throughout the decades. 

1. First, the most common way to wear a brooch is on a coat, cardigan or jacket

Talented Lucille Ball wore this lovely floral brooch on her jacket. (Source: Google Images)

Here's the former First Lady, Michelle Obama wearing this lovely brooch on her cardigan. (Source: Google Images)

Here is an incredible advertisement from Coro jewelry from 1947.  Wearing a brooch on her jacket, Mrs. Walter Thornton posed in a Coro advertisement. Her husband owned a huge fashion modelling agency and she was given the honour of being chosen as 'One of the Ten Best Dressed Women in America' for three years in a row.  (Source: Google Images)

And this photo of a 1950s model wearing the most stunning brooch on her jacket.

2. You can wear a brooch on a dress or blouse

From the TV show, Mad Men, here's Joan, (played by Christina Hendricks) wearing a wonderful floral brooch on her dress. I miss this show terribly and I'm happy it can be still found on Netflix. (Source: Vanity Fair)

And who doesn't love Cate Blanchett? This is a photo of her at the Oscars from 2014. She is wearing a stunning brooch worn on the left shoulder of her dress. Her look is always timeless. (Source: Pinterest)

Elizabeth Taylor always wore some of the best jewelry. Here is a great photo of her wearing this lovely floral brooch on her stunning dress. (Source: Google Images)

This is a great photo of actor, Sarah Jessica Parker, wearing a green dress adorned with a brooch, in addition to another one in her hair. It looks stunning and timeless. (Photo: Google images)

3. A Brooch on the cleavage 

This is my newest trend and favourite way to wear a brooch. Here are some photos of former famous stars who wore it well. Wow. Does it really make the dress POP with style when worn at the dress cleavage - even with simple black!

Here is yet again, another stunning photo of Liz Taylor (Source: Google Images)

Here's a photo of the legendary Bette Davis. I love the red brooch with the blue dress - so stunning! (Source: Google Images)

The stunning Barbara Stanwyck's look in the 1940s really inspires me! (Source: Pinterest)

4. Scatter pins are so wonderful on a jacket, sweater or anywhere, even jean pockets. 

Scatter pins are two or more pins worn at once. Here's a great photo of Doris Day wearing scatter pins in the 1950s. (Source: Google Images)

Here's a fantastic photo of Ava Gardner, in the 1940s, wearing two identical clips to accent her dress. (Source: Pinterest)

 5. Brooches on a hat or turban

Here's an incredible photo of Joan Crawford wearing a brooch of her turban from the late 1930s. I adore this look. (Source: Pinterest) The jewelry was designed by Verger Freres for Boucheron Parure.

 

American star Carmen Electra is wearing a great brooch on her hat in this picture (Source: Getty Images)

6. Brooches in your Hair - as a Hair clip 

Gwen Stefani wore an incredible brooch hair clip. It would be so easy to get a brooch and add bobby pins to the clasp and viola..It looks wonderful. She always has a great vintage style that I admire. (Source: Pinterest)

The late, great Katherine Hepburn wore this stunning hairpin brooch in the early 1940s. This is such a simple and wonderful look. (Source: Google Images)

7. On scarves or the neckline

Elizabeth Taylor always wore jewelry that I adored. Here is a photo of her wearing a stunning, large brooch on her scarf. I love how it accents the draped fabric.

Here is a photo of Betty Draper (January Jones) from Mad Men wearing an initialed scarf clip or brooch.

I like this photo of Joan Crawford. It looks like a tiny scarf adorned with a brooch to create a necklace. (Source: Google images)

8. Dress waist brooches - a trend from the 30s that is timeless

Jean Harlow's dress in the 1930s featured an ornate, large rhinestone brooch on her belt. It is a lovely trend to wear a bridal sash with rhinestones at weddings even today also.

9. Accenting a purse with a brooch

Here is what I did with my favourite purse from the 1940s. I pin my 1950s Starburst brooch on it to mix up the fashion of the two decades.

10. Wear a brooch bouquet at your wedding!

This looks like a lot of work but it's a wonderful idea vs. fresh cut flowers. It really adds a vintage touch to that special day (Source: http://inspireuplift17.ru/)

11. Not to be worn, but seen! Combine brooches to create your own art collage

This was taken from Pinterest. What a great idea - although Christmas is months away, who needs a tree when you can use brooches and make art!  (Source: Aimee Mershon on Pinterest)

12.  Brooches on shoes, a brooch collage on your lapel, on jeans, etc. The possibilities are endless.

I've seen photos of people wearing brooches on their jeans, behind their neck, on boots, at their wrists instead of cuff links, to gather fabric on the side of their shirt, on shoes, etc. 

I love this photo of the incredible Hedy Lamarr who combined brooches to make a wonderful collage. (Source: Pinterest)

Here's a good collage photo from en.paperblog.com who wrote an article called Brooch Fever.  Be creative - a brooch is the ideal accessory.

13. Brooches CAN be worn by MEN

Not just woman can wear a brooch or pin. Men have been wearing pins on their lapel for centuries, including the poppy and medals of honour, etc., as seen below.  (Source: Google Images)

I love this article from the adventurine.com - Billy Porter, performer, singer and actor is being pinned for the Golden Globe Awards in 2019.

We carry a huge selection of brooches on peppermint-twist-vintage.com. We have a 10% off sale now (reduced at check-out) and most ship for FREE.

Inexpensive and expressive,  make an individual statement that is worth 1,000 words.

Take a look at our large selection!

Until next time.

Nancy

 

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