With the weather getting cooler, it’s time to layer up. Autumn and winter seasons are perfect to try out a brooch, and with so many layers and accessories, it’s an ideal time to adorn your outfit. Although some believe they fell out of favour in the 1990s, brooches are a vintage girl’s best friend and the best way to add some personality to your modern get-up. Check out our tips and tricks and start considering an antique or period brooch for your next winter outfit…
Put one on the lapel
You can add a brooch to any garment that has a lapel. And it’s all about the details; be sure to pick a brooch that takes into account the colours of all that you’re wearing. The brooch can be matched to your shoes, hat and bag, and can act to unify your accessories. It’s important when choosing your brooch that its size matches that of the lapel - big lapels need a big brooch, or cluster of smaller ones, small lapels need dainty, delicate brooches.
Add one to your hat
Brooches are the perfect adornment for your beret or woolen hat. As with the lapel brooches, you can pick up a colour from something else you’re wearing, and bring it all together. Add a brooch to your beret, and you’re set. It’s the easiest and best way to add some glamour and elegance to your outfit. How very Parisian!
Wear one on your top!
Adding a brooch or pin to your top or dress are obvious choices, but you have to ask yourself, where? It depends on where you want to draw the eye. Brooches are the perfect way to draw attention away from something you may feel uncomfortable with. If you think your shoulders are too narrow, pinning a brooch further out will make them seem wider. Who would’ve thought!
Bring some more luck into your life with this Edwardian Shamrock Brooch.
A unique brooch is sure to draw attention. There’s nothing more interesting than someone who manages to combine the old with the new. So why not add a few more quirky brooches to your top, and have a bit of fun with it!
Try it on your hip
This is probably one of the most eccentric suggestions, but definitely a top tip if you can pull it off. If you’ve got a sarong dress, or even a 1930s and 1940s style with asymmetric paneling at the hip, you’ve got a dress you can add a brooch to. There’s a fine line for the perfect type of brooch for this, it needs to be a toning colour with your dress, yet big and sparkly enough to dazzle. Have some fun with it and see what happens - you’ll surely be a standout no matter the occasion.
It’s important to have a bit of fun with some of these timeless, classic pieces. Explore Gerard McCabe’s entire collection of antique and period brooches here, and see what stands out to you!
