Often considered the “oldest type of jewelry,” you may have thought brooches were a prehistoric accessory, something that was only worn by ancient royalty – and you may have been right – until now. This season brooches are making a comeback.

They still offer a vintage feel, but with a sexy facelift, the brooch is officially back and better than ever. Some have credited Michelle Obama with this newfound love for the antique pins, but celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, Anne Hathaway, Sharon Stone and Claudia Schiffer have all been spotted with statement brooches pinned to their extravagant outfits.

Brooches can give an extra dose of fabulous to an already fabulous outfit, and who can honestly say when enough fabulous is enough? You can find a brooch at department stores, second hand shops, or even inside your mother or grandmother’s treasure chest of jewels. And searching for the perfect brooch is definitely half the fun of wearing one. Once you discover that dream brooch, which could be made from silver, gold, bronze, steel, pewter, brass or even wood, it’s time to incorporate it into your wardrobe.

There are so many things you can do with a brooch - it’s almost alarming. Wearing it on the upper left shoulder of your blouse, jacket or dress is an easy way to start, but the more adventurous could try pinning it at the low point of a v-neck dress or shirt. The more conservative wearer could button her blouse all the way and then pin the brooch over the top button.

Pin the brooch on the hip of your solid toned dress to add a little glitter, or accentuate the slit in your skirt by pinning the brooch where the fabric first separates. If you have a dress or tee shirt that is too big you can bunch the extra fabric together and pin it in place with a brooch and you’ll soon have a fitted garment with a new eye-catching detail.

You wouldn’t think your hair is any place for a brooch, but I am here to tell you that this is one of the most popular ways to wear them. You can pin it to two bobby pins, a barrette, or a headband and voila! A gorgeously shimmering updo!

And, finally, I was recently in Macy’s where I bought a fitted black satin one-shoulder dress, and sure enough, pinned on that one shoulder was a brooch of black and crystal jewels in the shape of a large flower. Another way to wear the brooch: by drawing attention to the asymmetrical cut of your little black dress.

If you ever tire of wearing brooches on your clothes, you can pin them on clutch purses, bags, hats, and even fasten scarves with them. Find a brooch that you love and then explore the possibilities!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 at 2:26 am and is filed under Cool Jewels & Hot Threads, Fashion Addict. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.