YouLookFab Forum » Topic: WIB: Brooches

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: WIB: Brooches https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Wed, 03 Jun 2026 03:41:46 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Angie on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches/page/2#post-2413720 Sat, 23 May 2026 14:57:10 +0000 Angie 2413720@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hope everyone feels better soon, Ket!  I know, right? Just THE MOST perfect brooch and denim jacket in the universe, for me ;)  Ket on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2413674 Fri, 22 May 2026 22:57:05 +0000 Ket 2413674@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ So sorry to just reply, everyone! After 3 weeks of nursing my fellas that were battling a bug in the family, I got hit with it too. :] So here I am, catching up! Ket on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2413673 Fri, 22 May 2026 22:56:15 +0000 Ket 2413673@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Lisa, thank you! It's been fun collecting them. I even thought of pinning them on a framed bit of velvet and hanging it--a piece of artwork? LOL. Maybe you'll find a brooch that just sings or screams at you and bring it home ;)  Ket on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2413672 Fri, 22 May 2026 22:55:07 +0000 Ket 2413672@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Brooklyn, the hip of jeans is a fab idea! I hadn't thought of that. I could see it taking some planning. Thank you <3 I do love collecting brooches. I'm sure I'll find more ;)  Jenni, I love your brooches <3  They are so meaningful and beautiful! I love all the stories with home too; very special. The little mouse totally captivates me. I mean, who makes a little mouse out of fur into a brooch. Darling. Janet, oh the swallows are just so fetching! I hope you find some for yourself. Can't wait to see how you wear yours. <3 nuancedream, wow! I love the amethyst pieces! What a gorgeous collection. Glad you're collecting them again. They need a good home That's how I approach thrifting -- I"m giving something a home and love haha! <div> </div><div>EuroTomGirl, You're so welcome! Hope to see you wearing some if you ever care to share.  DonnaF, the holes in clothes are always what hold me back. That's why I tend to use them with sweater knits, actually vs fine tees and woven personally.  </div><div> </div><div> </div> Ket on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2413671 Fri, 22 May 2026 22:50:35 +0000 Ket 2413671@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Angie, GET OUT! That brooch is BEYOND WORDS AMAZING! Wow! I loved the story of how you got it too. Friends and clients like that are special treasures. The jean jacket is equally amazing!! I just love it all!  Aquamarine, I like to pin them to a beanie or knit turban actually!  Wearing them on a jacket is very classic and lovely! Debbie, what a wonderful hobby! I love that you're saving some brooches. I hope you will share some photos of your pieces sometime. :)  Cookie, I admit, I rarely pass on a brooch when I'm thrifting haha! But I do know wha you mean about passing on things. Your collection is stellar!! I love all the 1950s vibes of your brooches. The lovebirds are darling!<div> </div><div>Bella, that ship is amazing! I haven't seen anything like it before. </div> Ket on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2413669 Fri, 22 May 2026 22:45:50 +0000 Ket 2413669@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ LJP, I would love to see your collection sometime. It sounds really lovely! <div> indigoprint, that's an awesome idea to use a cloth bag! Jaime, I love your vast and varied collections of things. It's so inspiring and lovely. Let me know if you are inspired to wear your brooches :D </div><div> </div><div>Suz, oh yay!! Did you haul them out yet?? I admit I usually wait for autumn/winter. But they are definitely calling to me even now...</div><div> </div><div>JAileen, I love the idea of secret brooches under the lapel. And I love your brooches!! They are beautiful. I've never heard of the lost wax method before.  Dee, glad my post and brooches inspired you. :D  </div><div> </div><div>Carol, hope you find some brooches if they suit you Thank you! I get a bit hyper fixated when I find something I love. So... the brooches are definitely growing ha! Yes, I believe my tiger is a Bulgari knock-off. (Oh that I wish I had a real Bulgari tiger ha!)  I think a lot of the online sellers are just trying to get people to buy, thus the vintage keyword. But it's not vintage, not at all. </div> Janet on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412902 Wed, 13 May 2026 23:19:08 +0000 Janet 2412902@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Jenni, those are so fun! The mouse is amazing, the Limoges is really beautiful, and I would totally wear that cactus one! Cookie on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412896 Wed, 13 May 2026 21:53:40 +0000 Cookie 2412896@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh Jenni those are sooo great! I love their family history. Jenni NZ on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412895 Wed, 13 May 2026 21:48:27 +0000 Jenni NZ 2412895@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have photographed mine for you Ket :) It looks like I have 19! I was wrong about getting the first one at 21, I remember now the first was from a friend for my 8th birthday party in 1969, a tiny mouse said to be from real mink. No worries in 1969 about using real fur! Then the tiny gold/seed pearls one for my 21st from Mum. Pic 1: top left mouse, middle tiny one for 22st, right porcelain from Limoges, France was Mum’s. Bottom left woman was Mum’s, I love and wear this one. Middle and right were hers also. Pic 2: top left costume was Neil’s grandmother’s. Middle and right were Mum’s. Bottom 3 all Mum’s, I like and wear the dragonfly. Pic 3: top left Queen Victoria coin unknown provenance. Neil’s grandmother’s? Top second left Mum’s, top second right bought by me 1988 on Isle of Skye to give Mum and later inherited from her. Top right a gift from my sister when she took Mum’s favourite shamrock brooch. Bottom left poinsettia bought by me in Canada Christmas 2009, has matching earrings, I love that plant and love red. Middle bought at Art Deco weekend Napier NZ 2014, one of my favourites. And bottom right cactus bought in Auckland by me about a decade ago because I liked it. No need to buy more for now! Lisa on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412884 Wed, 13 May 2026 20:36:03 +0000 Lisa 2412884@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have not hopped on this trend yet, but I'm delighted by the idea and would if I stumbled upon the right one. You've got a lovely collection of brooches here. DonnaF on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412879 Wed, 13 May 2026 20:02:05 +0000 DonnaF 2412879@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh-h-h! I LOVE brooches (or at least the idea of them!) but don't have many and always worry that they will cause big holes in whatever garment they are pinned to. EuroTomGirl on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412866 Wed, 13 May 2026 17:32:52 +0000 EuroTomGirl 2412866@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have a few brooches, mainly bought from charity shops, but I haven’t worn them in years. I’m glad I kept them, though, and would like to try them out again. Thanks for the inspiration, Ket! nuancedream on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412857 Wed, 13 May 2026 16:25:09 +0000 nuancedream 2412857@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I also had a great selection of brooches in the late 80s and throughout the 90s when I was fully entrenched in my "business bombshell" era. Then, I foolishly got rid of those brooches. I didn't think about how I could use them with more casual looks. However, over the past year or so, I've been buying interesting brooches I find in thrift stores. I wear them with my button-down shirts, blazers, and sweaters. My wardrobe focus is now on accessories more than purchasing new clothing items Janet on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412834 Wed, 13 May 2026 11:21:44 +0000 Janet 2412834@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh, I want the swallows! Birds for me, please. I have a bunch of vintage pins/brooches. My mom loved them, and I kept a fair number of her collection. Some are not my style — a bit too whimsical — but I keep them for sentimental reasons. Some of them — a bit bolder and less feminine styles — are from when she was very young and I have nonchalant recollection of her ever wearing them — I wondered if they were gifts from an old beau before my dad?? But I wear them occasionally, pinned to the lapel of a wool coat. But I like some of these styling ideas and need to try them. Particularly on the hats, since I have a good collection of knitted hats. I’ll have to pull out the collection and see what possibilities strike me. The styles include some from the 40s through 80s! Jenni NZ on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412829 Wed, 13 May 2026 10:19:25 +0000 Jenni NZ 2412829@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great collection and inspo! I have quite a few collected over the decades since age 21 when Mum bought me a vintage delicate gold and pearl one as a gift. I knew they were trending thanks to Angie! I wore one fairly recently and will hopefully wear more as winter approaches here. Will maybe photograph them for you if I get a chance. Brooklyn on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412825 Wed, 13 May 2026 10:01:04 +0000 Brooklyn 2412825@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have a draw full of them. Mostly vintage. I usually wear them in a group of 3 (or more) on the hip of my jeans, the lower front corner of my jacket or on my shoulder. It takes a bit of planning ahead so I don’t do it a lot. I think of them as more of a winter item. I guess because I wear them in a group and that requires a robust fabric. I love your collection Ket. bella on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412824 Wed, 13 May 2026 09:40:42 +0000 bella 2412824@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ What a fun discussion! I love seeing interesting pieces, and so many on this thread! You have a lovely  collection KetI I am most intrigued by the shoulder tiger and would be tempted to source one for myself if it had been the beginning of the winter season instead of summer.  Jaileen - your handmade pieces are so so cool!  I wore lots of colorful flower brooches inspired by Michelle Obama. Do you remember them?  <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.essence.com/celebrity/first-lady-style-brooches/#306140">https://www.essence.com/celebr.....es/#306140</a> I did give away most of them, possibly held on to one or two.  My favorite is a vintage pirate ship that I got from a second-hand street vendor in Miami, but I haven't worn it in a while.  Cookie on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412821 Wed, 13 May 2026 05:33:49 +0000 Cookie 2412821@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thank you for this amazing post! I think I have passed up some cool brooches lately because I didn’t know what I would do with them. However, like the old lady from Boston and her hats, I may not buy them but I “have” them. I know I have a few more and it’s driving me nuts I can’t find them right now. But here we have the Georg Jensen “splash” pin my father gave my mother some time in the 60s, fake/repro Jensen dove pin (also mom’s), gold pin my father gave my mother when I was born (she just gave me this for my bday and I haven’t worn it), and enamel lovebirds I’ve had since I was a child … I think from Mexico? Gift from I have no idea who. Debbie on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412813 Wed, 13 May 2026 03:56:34 +0000 Debbie 2412813@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have been playing with some broken vintage brooches. Redoing them and putting them on my new jacket and my denim jacket. Designing jewelry is a hobby of mine. Aquamarine on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412795 Wed, 13 May 2026 01:59:27 +0000 Aquamarine 2412795@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh this is fun! I have several, some gifted in childhood that are meaningful to me. I’ll have to pull them out and probably wear on a denim jacket this time of year. Not sure where else I’d pin one… Angie on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412794 Wed, 13 May 2026 01:58:56 +0000 Angie 2412794@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ YES!!! Go Team Brooch! Like this direction for you, Ket! Love the ones you have! The doggies are sooo precious, and the tiger is amazing!   Fab '80s vibe too :)  I have the best brooch on the planet FOR ME. Pukka vintage piece from the '60s. A GOLD YORKIE that was a gift from a client. Here is the story:  <a rel="nofollow" href="https://youlookfab.com/2015/09/17/a-beautiful-brooch/">https://youlookfab.com/2015/09.....ul-brooch/</a> I need to put the best brooch of my life on the best denim jacket of my life because THEY MATCH :)  Carol on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412792 Wed, 13 May 2026 01:56:01 +0000 Carol 2412792@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have been eyeing brooches, but not sure they fit my current style. I would love to incorporate them, maybe in a less traditional way. I see some less traditional ways here, and I think that is great. You have a serious brooch game! All beautiful, all very particular and deliberate. I am loving the dogs. The tiger looks like Bulgari :), so I think it's funny it is being sold as vintage. A lot of people just assume that before selling something. With books, clothes.... Dee on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412787 Wed, 13 May 2026 00:54:04 +0000 Dee 2412787@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You have a fun collection KET, love this idea. Those inspo pics are great, so many creative ways to wear beyond the usual lapel. You've got me thinking. JAileen on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412785 Wed, 13 May 2026 00:06:15 +0000 JAileen 2412785@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Okay, I love #37 - wow!  There used to be a YLF member who wore pins under the lapel of a jacket.  I liked it and copied her.   I have several pins including some that I made in a jewelry class at the community college.  The dog is not Bob Barker (not his real name), but our first Jack Russell.  The Jack O Lantern was made with the lost wax process.  I wear it as much as possible in October.  Someone gave me several pieces of polished turquoise, and one of them reminded me of a turtle shell, so I made a turtle.  I enjoyed designing and making jewelry, and would like to make more things, but they don’t offer the class anymore.  :( Suz on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412784 Wed, 13 May 2026 00:05:49 +0000 Suz 2412784@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I had no idea they were trending but I also love them (and love your example pics of various ways to wear them! I'm going to haul mine out and see how they look on various items.  Jaime on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412781 Tue, 12 May 2026 23:42:27 +0000 Jaime 2412781@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great collection and inspo pics! I do have a few brooches (let's face it, there is probably no wardrobe item I don't have at least a few of ), but have not worn them lately. Perhaps this will inspire me! Indigoprint on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412777 Tue, 12 May 2026 23:35:02 +0000 Indigoprint 2412777@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I have a small collection that I still have fun with. I use them like LJP including scarves. I saw a fun Pinterest that had a collection on a cloth handbag that was lovely. LJP on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412773 Tue, 12 May 2026 22:31:33 +0000 LJP 2412773@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'm definitely interested - and was looking at a gold oversized modern floral hammered piece the other day .  Had the budget police who was with me that day not been breathing down my neck I would have investigated it further   I have a decent little collection - all vintage and a lot of rhinestone pieces - and wear them on bags, jackets, sweaters etc. Ket on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412771 Tue, 12 May 2026 21:37:16 +0000 Ket 2412771@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ bj1111, oh, I hate when a beloved piece breaks! It's the pits. So sorry. I love that you're buying a few pieces to try. Did you choose more abstract? Floral? Geometric? Classic "vintage?  bj1111 on "WIB: Brooches" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/wib-brooches#post-2412768 Tue, 12 May 2026 20:49:42 +0000 bj1111 2412768@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Was a brooch fiend with a darling hedgehog that broke. I’m dipping my toe in with a few cheap pieces from Amazon to try them out at “this age.”