Where have all the brooches gone?

Boucher flower pin, circa 1950s

I spend a lot of time surfing web sites and looking at jewellery and have noticed a new trend – no brooches anywhere. There are necklaces and earrings and bracelets galore (and even the occasional anklet) but not a pin to be found.

After the vintage brooch craze touched off by the first Sex and the City movie, I figured it was a matter of time before they became relegated to the “so yesterday” bin of tossed aside fads. But … I find it somewhat sad that designers seem to have stopped even making brooches.

There seems to be a perception that pins say “granny” and I think that couldn’t be further from the truth. As with anything else, it’s all in the way you wear something. A grouping with a similar theme is fun – I used to pair a vintage sunflower with a small bee pin. On a jean jacket, I have five small sterling gem set dogs and about three or four other brooches clustered together. On a blazer, I’ve worn a bunch of vintage dress clips down one lapel. A brooch can instantly change the look of what you have on, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot. (But please, please, please, avoid the stripper pasty look that can unfortunately be achieved when a pin is worn too low down on the chest and instead aim for just under your shoulder).

I guess this is good news for vintage jewellery dealers – they have scads of wonderful brooches from years gone by. Because it looks like you may have a tough time finding anything new at jewellery counters this fall.

But don’t be fooled into thinking brooches are only for prim and proper older women. Buck the current “no brooch” trend and showcase your own style.

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