BEYOND THE TREND: BROOCHES
ONCE A SARTORIAL NECESSITY, BROOCHES HAVE BEEN PIECES OF HISTORY AND EMBLEMS OF MODERN DRESS
As versatile as a bauble can be and as functional as brooches are, they seem to come in and out of favor with the currents of fashion trends. The adornment's origins can be linked back to the Bronze Age (2000-500 BC) with the adoption of metal as a common resource. Early societies such as the Greeks, Romans, and Celts found ways to secure and clasp their clothing together, introducing early forms of the decorative brooch. Often thought to have royal significance, the brooch was largely reserved for the upper classes who could afford luxury jewels. Tiffany’s and Cartier began producing the artful badges in the 1920s and ‘30s, but other costume jewelry brands did, too. Now completely democratized, the brooch can bring an unsuspected character and a voice to an otherwise muted ensemble. With men and women adorning the pieces on jacket lapels, hats, dresses, and even in hair, the brooch has found its way back onto the runways and red carpets, and back into style.
GRACE KELLY
Grace Kelly Princess of Monaco is pictured in one of her most often worn pieces of jewelry: her Van Cleef and Arpels sapphire daisy brooch. Worn to casual events and formal outings, the Princess Consort donned the diamond petaled, sapphire eyed daisy brooch on various occasions.
SCHIAPARELLI HAUTE COUTURE SPRING/SUMMER 2020
Schiaparelli took brooches to the next level with models covered in the adornment from head-to-toe.
"AMERICAN GOTHIC"
Artist Grant Wood's famous 1930 piece "American Gothic" depicts a farmer and his wife, who dons a traditional cameo style brooch beneath her collar.
FIBULA
This brooch style is called the fibula and was used as a clothes fastener in antiquity. As metal smithing became more refined, detailed and decorated fibula became a practical yet showy way to signal social status. This Germanic pair dates back to the third century.
JARED LETO
Gucci muse and close friend to Alessandro Michele, actor Jared Leto attended Gucci's Fall/Winter 2020 presentation in a retro-inspired look adorned with a rhinestone encrusted overlapping double G brooch.
THE GONZAGA CAMEO
The Gonzaga Cameo depicts King Ptolemy II of Egypt and his wife Arsinoe I, dating to the third century BC. The history of cameo brooches reaches even further back to 300 BC in Ancient Egypt, where important figures or events were carved onto the petite charms.
CHANEL FALL/WINTER 2020
Gigi Hadid donned a Chanel cross brooch and a chain belt at the luxury label's Fall/Winter 2020 show.
RUTH BADER GINSBURG
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is pictured here in the Rose Garden of the White House as she is given her title by President Clinton in 1993. She donned a royal blue suit jacket with a pearl wreath brooch on her collar. In light of the conservative dress code of U.S. politicians, brooches are a common accessory among the female representatives.
ELIZABETH HURLEY
Hurley's daring Versace dress held together by gold safety pins made for an iconic fashion moment in 1994. The modern safety pin mechanism evolved from early brooch styles from Anglo-Saxon England.
FENTY CAMEO COLLECTION
Rihanna reimagined the classic cameo brooch with a line of jewelry for Fenty comprised of rings, earrings, and pendants. The glass and resin pieces were trimmed with pearls and Swarovski crystals. The revamped staple was embellished with "family portraits" by the Nigerian photographer Ruth Ossai.
MIU MIU FALL/WINTER 2020
Miu Miu's Fall/Winter 2020 season incorporated gem-set brooches styled in a plethora of ways–pinned on scarves, set beneath collars, and, pictured here, clasping together a buttoned bandeau.
MARILYN MONROE
Marilyn Monroe appeared in the USO Camp Show titled "Anything Goes," put on for troops in 1954. The famed actress donned a form-fitting beaded midi-dress topped off with a rhinestone-studded floral brooch.
VERDURA
Fulco di Verdura opened his namesake jewelry salon in 1939. Before establishing his own brand, however, the renowned jeweler was a textile designer for Coco Chanel. She soon appointed him head of Chanel jewelry, where he created the iconic Maltese cross cuffs. Those bracelets were in fact based on his Theodora and Vienna brooches, one of which famed fashion editor Diana Vreeland wears here, fastened to her headwrap.
CHANEL SPRING/SUMMER 1994
Karl Lagerfeld incorporated brooches on everything from bra tops to dresses, and even bikinis in his Spring/Summer 1994 collection for Chanel.
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT
Madeleine Albright gained quite the reputation for her statement making pins and brooches. Here, the former Secretary of State wears an enamel red and gold hot air balloon in 1995. Her vast collection of over 200 brooches was included in a 2010 Smithsonian exhibition.
CORETTA SCOTT KING
As her husband, Martin Luther King Jr. greets Reverend Abernathy, Coretta Scott King donned an artificial flower brooch on the lapel of her jacket.
VERSACE SPRING/SUMMER 2020
Versace's colorful collection accessorized tie dyed suits with multiple jeweled brooches.
SWING TIME
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers star in the 1936 film Swing Time as John "Lucky" Garnett and Penelope "Penny" Carroll. Rogers dons a glamorous ensemble topped with a large jeweled brooch.
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET
Timothée Chalamet rocked an unexpected look at the 2020 Academy Awards. The actor paired a navy Prada bomber jacket with a vintage 1955 Cartier Burmese ruby and diamond brooch from the house's heritage collection, melding aged jewels with modern dress.
LOUIS VUITTON SPRING/SUMMER 2020
Nicholas Ghesquière accessorized many of the looks in Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2020 show with iris boutonnieres as a nod to the collection's Belle Époque inspiration.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR
Eddie Fisher quickly fixed a brooch on the collar of his wife, Elizabeth Taylor. The actress received a number of iconic jewels from her marriages.
LADY BRENDA HALE
The President of The UK Supreme Court, Baroness Hale of Richmond has been making headlines since last September for her whimsical and eye-catching brooches. Her diamond studded spider pin caught the attention of press and viewers everywhere after she ruled the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament to be unlawful. From caterpillars to butterflies, Lady Hale has breathed new life into professional power dressing.
CELINE FALL/WINTER 2020
A model walks for Celine's runway clad in a navy blue '70s rocker-chic set. The military-inspired jacket was pinned with a rhinestone rose brooch.
SUSPICION
In Alfred Hitchcock's 1941 thriller, Joan Fontaine plays the wealthy wife of Cary Grant, who is a penniless gambler. As he's swept into her world of riches she is exposed to his conniving schemes. In the scene in which she learns that her new husband has no money of his own, Fontaine wears an opulent pink topaz brooch designed by Fulco di Verdura.
MARGOT ROBBIE
Margot Robbie's vintage Chanel Haute Couture gown was given an extra ounce of luxury with her lapis brooch adorned with gold and pearls dripping into a tassel.
JENNIFER LOPEZ
J.Lo's iconic jungle print Versace dress was fastened with a green gem brooch beneath her navel, clasping the whole dress together.
BROOCH BOUQUETS
Sparkling brooches are now a popular adornment for bridal bouquets, giving the wedding party an extra dose of embellishment.
ERDEM SPRING/SUMMER 2020
The Edrdem Spring/Summer 2020 runway was filled with pendant brooches on both dresses and scarves.
PRINCESS DIANA
Given to Princess Diana during her marriage to Prince Charles, her ribbon-backed brooch contains a portrait of the Queen. The accessory is a staple of the Royal Family Order, gifted to the female members of the royal family. The cameo was later worn by Kate Middleton.
GOSSIP GIRL
Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf in the hit series Gossip Girl brought the character's typical poise to this Burberry dress and Alex Bittar flower brooch.
DE BEERS
Model Nina Huby was decked out in diamond jewelry from De Beers' 1972 collection.