Pearl pins, lapel clusters and a detachable bow: three modern ways to wear a brooch, from the boutique.
To wear a brooch in a modern way, move it off the center of the collarbone and pin it where you would not expect: high on a lapel, on a jacket's chest pocket, at a waist, or clustered with two or three others. Pin brooches to fabric with enough weight to hold them, like a jacket, a knit or a structured dress, and keep the rest of your jewelry quiet. The old-fashioned look comes from one brooch worn alone, dead center, on a soft blouse. Change any one of those and it looks current. Below: where to pin, how to cluster, and what to wear them on.
Key Takeaways
- Position is everything. High on the lapel, on a pocket or at the waist looks modern; centered at the collarbone looks dated.
- Clusters of three or more small pins look deliberate. Odd numbers and mixed sizes work best.
- Pin to structured fabric (jackets, knits, cotton dresses) so the brooch sits flat and does not drag.
- When you wear a brooch, it is the jewelry. Keep earrings small and skip the necklace.
- Clothes with brooches already built in, like pinned jackets, are the easiest way to start.
Why are brooches back, and where do they come from?
Brooches are back because they are the most flexible piece of jewelry there is: one pin changes a plain jacket, and you can move it every day. They are also one of the oldest pieces of jewelry, and Italy has a long claim on them.
The brooch began as a working fastener. The fibula, a pin built on the same spring principle as a safety pin, held Greek and Roman garments closed, and the Etruscans made some of the most elaborate ones, decorated with granulation and rows of animals. Roman soldiers and officials wore types of fibula that signaled their rank.
In the nineteenth century, a Roman family turned those ancient pins into fashion. Fortunato Pio Castellani opened his shop in Rome in 1814, and after the Regolini-Galassi tomb at Cerveteri was opened in 1836, the Castellani were allowed to study its ancient gold. Their archaeological-revival brooches became the souvenir every well-dressed visitor to Rome wanted, bought at their shop near the Spanish Steps.
The modern safety pin, meanwhile, was patented in New York by the mechanic Walter Hunt on April 10, 1849. He sold the patent for $400. It is worth remembering when you see a brooch designed as a gold safety pin, as on some of our jackets: it is a very old idea, in a very new form. For the jewelry side of this comeback, read why your grandmother's jewelry looks right again, or browse our accessories.
Where should you pin a brooch?
Pin it higher and further off center than feels natural. The most modern placements are the upper lapel, the chest pocket, the shoulder and the waist.
The upper lapel. The classic spot for a jacket or blazer, but pin it near the top of the lapel, close to the collar notch, rather than halfway down. It draws the eye toward the face.
The chest, off center. On a collarless jacket or bomber, pin a cluster on one side of the chest, roughly where a breast pocket would be. This is exactly where Barbara Alvisi placed the five gold safety-pin brooches on our beige bomber with pearl pin brooches: one pin hung with three cream pearl drops, the others with a single pearl each. It turns a plain bomber into something you would wear to lunch.
The shoulder. On a dress or knit with a round neck, pin the brooch at the shoulder seam, just where the neckline begins. It reads like an asymmetric detail rather than a piece of jewelry.
The waist. Pin a brooch where a wrap dress or cardigan closes, or on a belt. This is the most unexpected placement and the one that looks most current.
What to avoid. The dead center of the collarbone, on a soft blouse, with a single large brooch. That is the look people mean when they say brooches look old-fashioned. It is also the spot where a heavy pin pulls a thin fabric out of shape. Our piece on how to style a bomber jacket shows more of this off-center logic.
How do you wear several brooches together?
Group them tightly in one spot, in odd numbers, with a mix of sizes and a common thread, such as the same metal, the same color or the same theme. A cluster reads as one deliberate piece, not as a collection.
Start with three. Place the largest first, then add two smaller ones close to it, touching or almost touching, at slightly different angles. Odd numbers look more natural than pairs. Once you are comfortable, go to five.
The common thread is what stops a cluster from looking random. The pins on our navy bomber with pearl pin brooches are all gold safety pins with pearls, so the cluster looks like one piece of jewelry. On the blush jacket in our hero photos, the pins share a light, playful theme, with small bees and birds on the lapel.
The American diplomat Madeleine Albright showed how expressive a collection of pins can be. After an Iraqi poet called her an "unparalleled serpent" in the 1990s, she wore a gold snake pin to her next meeting on Iraq and kept choosing pins to signal her mood and message. More than 200 of them went on show in "Read My Pins" at the Smithsonian Castle and later traveled to other museums. You do not need 200. Three well-chosen pins, clustered on a jacket, say more than one alone.
Clusters look best on dark or neutral fabric: navy, black, camel, greige. On a busy print, they disappear. Browse our Barbara Alvisi collection for more jackets with built-in pins.
What should you wear a brooch on?
Wear brooches on fabric with body: jackets, blazers, coats, fine or chunky knits, structured cotton dresses, and felt or wool hats. Avoid silk, chiffon and very thin jersey, which pucker and can tear.
The table below is our quick guide.
| Garment | Best placement | How many | Works best with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blazer or tailored jacket | Upper lapel, near the notch | One, or a tight cluster of three | Gold or pearl pins |
| Bomber or collarless jacket | Chest, off center | Cluster of three to five | Same-metal pins |
| Knit or cardigan | Shoulder or where it closes | One medium brooch | Vintage or statement pins |
| Shift or sheath dress | Shoulder or collarbone, off center | One | A fabric bow or flower |
| Coat | Lapel or collar | One large | A bold, sculptural pin |
| Hat, bag or belt | Band, strap or buckle | One | Small pins |
A soft, fabric brooch is the easiest way to start on a dress. Our black cotton shift dress with bow brooch is made in Italy by Tensione In in 100% cotton, with a white polka-dot fabric bow pinned at the chest that comes off. Worn plain, it is a work dress. With the bow, it has somewhere to go after five. It is also available in beige. Browse more in our day dresses.
How do you keep a brooch from looking old-fashioned?
Change the context around it. A brooch looks dated when everything around it is also traditional: a pastel twin set, pearls, a single oval cameo at the throat. Put the same brooch on something unexpected and it looks new.
Pair it with casual pieces. A brooch on a bomber jacket, a denim jacket or a sweatshirt looks fresher than one on a silk blouse. The contrast is the point.
Edit the rest of the jewelry. When you wear a brooch, it is the jewelry. Small earrings, no necklace, maybe a watch.
Go small or go many. One very large brooch, or a cluster of small ones, both look intentional. One medium, polite brooch in the center is what looks dated.
Choose modern shapes. Safety pins, bars, insects, bows and abstract shapes read younger than cameos and floral sprays, though a vintage piece in an unexpected place can be the best thing you wear all year.
A brooch also works the way a scarf does at the turn of the season: one small addition that makes last month's jacket look new. We wrote about the scarf version in the small gesture that means summer is over in Italy, and about the charm Italians give as gifts in three rules for the gold charm Italians never buy themselves. See our jackets collection for pieces that already come pinned, and read more about how we choose them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which side should you wear a brooch on?
There is no fixed rule. Many women default to the left side. Pin it on whichever side draws the eye where you want it, and avoid the side where a bag strap will rub against it.
How do you pin a brooch so it doesn't droop?
Pick up a small amount of fabric at both ends of the pin, so it lies flat against the garment, and fasten the clasp fully. For heavier brooches, pin through a double layer of fabric, like a lapel, or add a small piece of felt behind it.
Can you wear a brooch on a T-shirt or knit?
Yes, on a heavier knit or a thick cotton tee. On a thin jersey, a heavy brooch will pull the fabric down. Choose a small, light pin or place it near a seam, which is stronger.
Can you wear a brooch with a necklace?
Usually one or the other. If you want both, keep the necklace very fine and put the brooch well away from it, on the lapel or at the shoulder.
Are brooches still in style?
Brooches do not depend on a single season. Worn off center, in clusters or as built-in details on jackets and knits, they look current, and they suit fall's heavier fabrics especially well.
Shop the Story
By Maria, Founder & stylist at ITALICA, our boutique in downtown Sarasota, FL. Written from first-hand experience sourcing and wearing these pieces. Sources are cited at the end of this guide.
Find jackets that come already pinned in our jackets, in our Sarasota boutique or online.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Fibula” — https://www.britannica.com/art/fibula-jewelry
- Wikipedia, “Fibula (brooch)” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibula_(brooch)
- Lang Antiques, “Castellani” — https://www.langantiques.com/university/castellani/
- Wartski, “A Rare Archaeological Revival Brooch by Castellani” — https://wartski.com/collection/a-rare-archaeological-revival-brooch-by-castellani/
- History.com, “Safety pin is patented, rights sold for just $400” — https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/april-10/safety-pin-patented-walter-hunt
- Smithsonian Magazine, “Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection Opens Friday” — https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/read-my-pins-the-madeleine-albright-collection-opens-friday-136162375/
- Smithsonian Institution newsdesk, “Read My Pins” exhibition release — https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/new-smithsonian-exhibition-takes-visitors-secretary-madeleine-albright-s-jewelry-box
