My personal style often balances on the edge of being over-accessorized. I love scarves, watches, handbags, and jewelry in general – and I’m not afraid to use it 🙂 ! I started to wear earrings when I cut off my hair ten years ago, and I occasionally wear necklaces, bracelets and rings, but brooches are my biggest love. During the winter I pin them on my coats and jackets, and during the summer they end up everywhere – on my T-shirts, dresses and bags – even shoes if it’s possible!

Every brooch I own has its own story – I don’t buy them because they are trendy. They have to inspire me, and add that extra touch of my own interests and style to the whole outfit I’m wearing.

My profession doesn’t allow me too much color or personal style during the working hours, but a nice little brooch can make a lot of difference on my plain white uniform.

Stockings by Calzedonia, leather ankle boots bought at Transport footwear

Brooch by Croatian brand Micica

Just a small part of my badge collection 🙂

Jacket and vest by Zara Kids

Printed handbag by Monika Design

Skirt by Desigual, bought on E-bay

Royal blue chiffon shirt bought on E-bay

First brooches became known over 5000 years ago. Brooch had a different design then, and a different name – fibula. It was a round or oval metal object with two holes through which passed a thick pin.

Examples of fibula

The peasants wore simple metal brooches and pins, but rich and noble persons could afford gems – diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds on brooches of gold and silver.

Gold and precious stone brooches

The earliest and most important influence on the development of the brooch came from the Byzantines. Their oriental taste for color produced many brightly enameled brooches.

Byzantine enameled brooches

Byzantine inspired collection by Dolce and Gabbana, Fall 2013

In medieval ages brooch did not undergo any changes, but did have more complex images: scenes of spiritual and religious content, animalistic images, as well as inscriptions, emblems and mottos.

Medieval age brooches

The early Renaissance brooches were almost gone out of use – due to a radical change in fashion, they were not needed. But in the XVII century they were back – this time only as a decoration.

XVII century brooches

Bows, flowers, twigs, butterflies, and even fountains, entirely in the deposits of precious stones, were a necessary part of the rich dressed fashionistas. There were specially designed hair brooches, brooches for skirts, brooches for corsages, brooches for sleeves.

Butterfly brooch – popular 18th century motif

In the XIX century brooches played an important role in court – velvet brooches fastened around debutantes necks at balls were almost the only acceptable jewelry for the young girls. When Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, died, she ordered a special “funeral” brooch in black stone, in which had been hidden a hair curl of the late Prince. After that, for some time, were popular with noble widows.

Mourning brooche

On the border of XIX-XX centuries, jewelry and fashion style captured the art nouveau. This style combined natural motifs, such as insanely realistic enamel flowers, trees, insects, and on the other side “magical” elements such as fairies.

My favorites – Art nouveau brooches – early 20th century

By 20th century brooch became a symbol, an element of formal and bohemian clothing styles. The modern fashion offers a huge variety of brooches – both in appearance and to the material. Today with the help of brooches we can show our own unique fashion sense, our influences, things we support and like – and give something ”extra” to our everyday outfits!

Brooches in fashion and popular culture:

British model Cara Delavigne

Oscar De La Renta Fall 2012

First lady, Michelle Obama

Blake Lively, Sarah Jessica Parker and Frieda Pinto

Claudia Schiffer and Chloe Sevigny

Christina Ricci

Carrie Bradshaw made floral brooches a huge fashion trend in the late 90s

Queen Elizabeth II never goes out without some examples of her huge brooch collection

Brooches as wedding bouquet…

…and like hair accessoires

Some pins for the boys… 🙂

The Searchers – Needles and Pins

Big thanks to Miss Stela for pictures and Miss Nina for correcting my English grammar 🙂