BROOCHES & Pins. Why Don't We Wear Them?

[VRBeauty]

So, I think I have solved the mystery; you all have clothing articles, to put brooches on, that I just don't happen to own:

I don't wear coats, or blazers, or scarves, or jackets, or sweaters, or any of that. I live in the south, and don't work in an office, so apparently I've saved a lot of wardrobe $$$.

I AM interested in hearing about how these are worn in the hair, though. How does that work?

I have a 14K and pearl bumble bee pin, a Victorian bird covered in seed pearls, and a french bakelite/sterling pin. So, I'd like to use them, they've been sitting for 10+ years.

Apparently, they are in style, I just didn't realize it.

You could make like a royal, and wear the brooches pinned to a sash!

 

[QueenB29]

I love to wear brooches when I wear a jacket to work. I'd REALLY love it if I had some "real" brooches. Mine are all paste/rhinestone

 

[JewelFreak]

I love brooches & wore them pretty often when I worked in an office. Don't dress up anymore so they don't get out much. With brooches, style trends don't matter imo. Q. Elizabeth wears them all the time & they always look classical (if i had her choices, I'd wear 'em on my pjs if necessary). I have a couple of heirloom pins that I love, especially a round one set w/beautiful amethysts, pearls & turquoise in yg, from my grandmother. Also wore on lapels an adorable little yg lizard w/emerald eyes, & a good-quality gold & something-sparkly costume circle pin. And, of course -- a Siberian head in 14k yg that I paid far too much for at a National Specialty.

Brooches in hair are absolutely fantastically gorgeous! The Swedish princesses do that to perfection. Wish I had thought of that when I had long hair. How DO you attach them?

--- Laurie

p.s. Tanzigrrl, what a rare & lovely way to re-use pieces! And iLander, your dragonfly is beautiful! Wear her please!

 

[iheartscience]

Ditto the clothing issue-I don't wear enough structured clothing to pin a brooch to! I could probably pin one to my wool winter coat, but I have to wear puffy coats pretty often in the winter so a brooch wouldn't work on those.

And I refuse to poke holes in my shirts...I have a thing for silk shirts and a brooch could damage them!

 

[HollyS]

Why?

Because . . . they look . . . a bit 1950s for everyday wear. Or too 80's, maybe.

I stopped wearing them when I gave up blazers and suits and the whole dress-for-success excess of that era.

Some fine examples of who wore them when:

 

[swingirl]

I love brooches but I never wear heavy enough fabrics to support them. They look beautiful on wool. But I don't wear jackets and coats. I might if I lived in a colder climate.

 

[texaskj]

(P.S., iLander, I don't want to thread jack here, but I broke down and got a set of Fiestaware three weeks ago and I LOVE it. And the funny thing is SO does too. He's mentioned it numerous times.)[/quote]

Yeah!! Fiesta is never a thread jack on one of my threads! What color(s) did you get? What pieces? Can't wait to hear all about it!

I think men like it because they like that it's sturdy and they're not afraid of breaking it. Whenever I walk into the house with new stem glasses, DH groans because he knows he'll break them and hear all about it. Actually, I don't even say anything anymore, I just buy them by the case now. [/quote]

I'm at work fighting with a computer right now. I'll start another thread tomorrow and tell you all about it.
Who thought dishes could make you so happy?

 

[mrs taylor]

because of you I got some too and couldn't be happier! I bought a lot (more than I should have!) but we ADORE THEM! thank you so much for posting about the sale way back in what.....December?!

 

[Black Jade]

Brooches in hair:
These work with with updoes. You attach the brooch the same way you would a barrette, being careful not to catch your hair in it.
It's best to practice with this before actually the night you plan to go out. (This looks best at night). Different brooches will work best for different types of hair. Extremely fine or silky hair would probably be hard to 'brooch' without the brooch sliding a lot,but I think it would work with most sorts of hair and hair decorations are very 'in' right now. So is hairbraiding of various kinds, and a brooch is a nice accessories pinned to a french braid or to a braid that is pinned to the head.

question of brooches with current clothing.
Those photos of brooches used in the 1980's do indeed look terribly dated and I would not wear a brooch like that nowadays.
We wear less structured clothing but brooches can look good on t-shirts, many of which are heavy enough to support them. You don't want do a very formal brooch but the little scatter pins types can look very cute and trendy on a t-shirt, especially if you use several of them. How I wear brooches a lot on my clothes though is on the little sweaters that are so in style now. the little cropped one. I make a kind of fashion forward 'sweater set' look with a cropped sweater over a slightly contrasting color longer t-shirt or turtle neck sweater and pin a brooch on the sweater.
I wear little sweaters all year round--they are unstructured and attractive, add a little polish to an outfit whether with jeans or with a nice skirt and they can be slipped on and off, especially for much needed warmth when it is summer and the airconditioning is set really high.

I have sterling silver brooches that are everything from little animals (birds, insects like bees, I love butterfly brooches), I use those old gold tone ones that came from Monet or Avon back in the 70's and 80's and I especially like the rhinesone pave brooches on what they used to call 'pot metal' from the 30's and 40's. A lot of the old rhinestone brooches are extremely good quality, as jewelry designers from europe who were used to working with gold and diamonds came here just before or during the war and designed costume jewelry instead and they are available for cheap all over the place. Ebay, antique shops, flea markets--its easy to build a collection spending less than $10 per brooch.

 

[Jewelovers]

I think that brooches will not out of style and fashion. I'd like to wear them, especially for the parties and dressing. They are really good accessories to our fashion and beautiful dresses for parties. For the brooches, I like the swarovski brooches most. It can reflect my quality.

 

[fioratura]

I'm 31 years old and I wear brooches all the time! I wear dresses pretty much every day and I think a brooch gives a little black dress a lot of character. I have quite a collection actually (mix of costume and fine). I have some really fun 1950s enamel flowers (costume) that I wear in clusters, a huge vintage rhinestone one (about 5" long and also from the 50s) that I wear with more formal/cocktail things (either on the shoulder, at the waist, or at the back if I have in interesting neckline in back), but I also have some fine jewelry brooches that I adore and wear in normal every day life. I just pin them to my dress right over the breast, usually on the left side. One is a vintage 14K bumblebee with the most gorgeous detailing, and the other is an art deco bar pin with OECs. They are both ebay finds that I'm especially proud of. I get compliments on them all the time because people are surprised to see someone in my generation wearing brooches.

.

 

[AGBF]

Jill Wine-Banks, a former Watergate prosecutor who now makes an almost nightly appearance on an MSNBC cable television show, wears a different brooch for every appearance. I keep my eye out for what will appear! (She is ferociously bright, by the way, and well worth listening to.)

AGBF

 

[AGBF]

Jill Wine-Banks, a former Watergate prosecutor who now makes an almost nightly appearance on an MSNBC cable television show, wears a different brooch for every appearance. I keep my eye out for what will appear! (She is ferociously bright, by the way, and well worth listening to.)

Here is a link to a website where one can see Jill Wine-Banks' pins. Since she is in the news now, her pins are obviously of interest to people.

Jill's Pins...https://www.jillwinebanks.com/jills-pins/

 

[stracci2000]

I wear brooches everyday on all my jackets and sweaters.
We wear business casual to work, so pins and brooches always look appropriate.
However, the ones I wear are vintage costume. I have some gold pins, but I'm afraid to lose them.
Here is today's pin.

 

[doberman]

I don't like jewelry that can double as a weapon.

 

[AGBF]

I don't like jewelry that can double as a weapon.

<smile>

 

[mrs-b]

I'm having one made at the moment - and I'm really excited about it! It's 20 x 10pt stones in a plain bar, in platinum, and will be roughly 2 1/4". I want to wear it on the lapel of my coats.

 

[AGBF]

While we are discussing brooches and pins, I guess I should mention one of mine. It is notable because it is a vintage Georg Jensen USA pin that my mother gave me before she died. She bought it during World War II when Danish products could not be imported into the United States and Georg Jensen in Europe and Georg Jensen USA were separated. It is set with a lapis lazuli stone. I have other Georg Jensen jewelry that belonged to her as well as half her sterling silver flatware (my brother has the other half).



AGBF

 

[chrono]

@AGBF
That doesn’t look like Lapis Lazuli. More like moonstone.

 

[AGBF]

@AGBF
That doesn’t look like Lapis Lazuli. More like moonstone.

You are right, of course! Thank you, chrono!

 

[lyra]

I love brooches. I should have more. I like vintage. I have a couple of my grandmother's pins. I used to wear them all the time to work. Now they're kind of too sentimental for me to risk losing. Love your vintage pin @stracci2000 .

 

[4ever]

I think brooches are one of the most underrated and underused items of jewellery at the moment.

I’d love a beautiful diamond brooch but it’s not at the top of my bling priority list. At the moment I wear my grandmothers vintage costume brooch on layers of funky pearls.
I’m 29

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I don't like jewelry that can double as a weapon.

made me spill my coffee laughing!!!

 

[stracci2000]

I love to watch old movies from the 30's-50's just to see the dresses and jewelry.
In the 40's brooches were on every dress and coat.
It's interesting to see how they were worn, on lapels, necklines or shoulders.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

years ago i had a quite stressful job and would watch the bold and the beautiful for escapism to unwind before is start making tea (dinner)
anyway the Stephanie Forested character wore a lot of brooches
even though i was still 'a slip of a young girl' (stretching the truth a little) i was quite influenced by the old but stylish dragon

at the time we had a now defunct Australian.costume jewlery chain in a tiny wee shop down the mall - the manager was such a hoot
anyway everything sparkled !
I'd love to wear a brooch as a hair ornaments but i have the forementioned fine silky hair and if would end in tears like getting pig tails as a wee kiddie ouch !

only recently have i come to.appreciate HM
Queen Elizabeth 11's brooches
oh my - they are all stunners but i only just found out about this one given to HM possibly as a private gift from when a former PM of NZ stayed at Windsor castle
it has one of tnose to die for paua pearls in it

and this one given to HM at Christmas on her coordination tour

i

everdently it sparkles like crazy in motion

ts not all about the Cullinan diamond pieces

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

dang !
forgot the picture of Stephanie Foerster - Susan Flannery

with brooch of course

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

this is my favourite brooch in the whole world
it is Grandma's and i remember her wearing it on a green coat dress
mum gave us all Grandma's fake sruff to play with. it was probably all hideously old fashoned in the '70s

one day i would love to get a jewler to make me this brooch made in stirling silver (gold would be nice too)
i hope its ok to post this here, im still learning the rules

 

[Bron357]

I’m retired now but when I worked I wore brooches most days. I’ve got a good collection of costume jewelry ones and a handful of gold and gem set pieces. I used to wear mine over the top of the last button on a blouse. Working in finance it was all suits and blouses.
These days I’m repurposing the precious metal ones. I’m turning them into pendants or bracelets as these I still wear. The antique filigree ones in particular make a fabulous cuff bangle (as a number of PSers have done) and I’m all for recycling, upcycling and finding new purpose for jewellery that is out of “fashion”. There is just something magical about older jeweller, it was hand made with care and attention to detail. Way way way too special to be simply melted down as scrap.

 

[prs]

This emerald and diamond brooch languished in a consignment store for months because the part that holds the pin had broken off. We had DKJ add a bale and a couple of diamonds and voila!



This amethyst and turquoise brooch had also languished, but after careful examination we found it had a bale. I bet it would have sold quickly and for a lot more money if it had been listed as a pendant!



Same story for this one, being sold as a brooch but also had a bale hidden between all that metal on the backside of the piece.



I guess what I'm trying to say is that because brooches are out of favor and priced accordingly, they can present great buying opportunities for PSers with inquiring minds!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

This emerald and diamond brooch languished in a consignment store for months because the part that holds the pin had broken off. We had DKJ add a bale and a couple of diamonds and voila!



This amethyst and turquoise brooch had also languished, but after careful examination we found it had a bale. I bet it would have sold quickly and for a lot more money if it had been listed as a pendant!



Same story for this one, being sold as a brooch but also had a bale hidden between all that metal on the backside of the piece.



I guess what I'm trying to say is that because brooches are out of favor and priced accordingly, they can present great buying opportunities for PSers with inquiring minds!

all lovely but that bow brooch come pendant is to die for