Expert tips on how to style them, according to a demi-fine jewelry designer.
Once associated with heirloom jewelry boxes – and, perhaps unfairly, associated with the wardrobes of well-dressed grandmothers – these singular pins are being reimagined with fresh intent.
That shift has been brewing on the spring/summer 2026 runways, where designers reintroduced the accessory with renewed confidence. At Jonathan Anderson’s couture debut for Christian Dior, they appeared as bold, expressive accents both on and off the runway, from sculptural florals to abstract, artful forms.
For YSSO co-founder Alexia Karides, the process begins with design. “Our classical references are not about replication, they are about abstraction,” she explains. “We borrow from form – soft asymmetry, organic curves, fragments rather than perfection – alongside weathered textures and a sense of weight and presence. The pieces feel like small art objects.”
Restraint, she suggests, is what ultimately makes them feel modern. “There’s no ornament for ornament’s sake. That shift, from decorative to art object, is what brings them into the present.”
Search data and social media trends also point to a growing curiosity around how to wear brooches today. “A brooch works best when it feels embedded rather than added,” says Karides. Structured pieces such as tailoring, outerwear, or heavier shirting provide the ideal foundation, allowing the brooch to sit naturally within the architecture of a look.
Tone plays an equally important role. When kept within a similar palette, the brooch reads as texture rather than contrast, creating a quiet interplay of materials. “A brooch feels effortless when it doesn’t look like it was placed for effect,” Karides notes.
Function can be a useful guide – fastening a scarf or holding fabric to shape a silhouette, so that it becomes part of how a garment is worn, rather than an afterthought.
There is also a case for the unexpected. Slightly off-center placements or unconventional positioning lend a sense of spontaneity, avoiding anything overly studied. The key is to resist over-styling; the brooch should exist within the look, not compete with it.
Above all, its modernity lies in context. Worn with the clothes you already own – rather than as a nod to vintage pastiche – it becomes something entirely current.
Добавить комментарий