Brooches are one of the most versatile accessories out there. Most accessories are limited to one body part and can be worn only the way it’s intended. The styling possibilities for brooches are much wider. Brooches can be strategically placed anywhere on our outfits to give them more personality or tell a story. Whether they are worn singly, in pairs or in a cluster, brooches are an indicator and can be really cool when styled right.

There are no real rules when it comes to wearing brooches. As a general rule of thumb, brooches are worn on the left side. But brooches look the coolest when styled and placed unexpectedly. We collected several classic, sophisticated and fun ways to wear BoChicca brooches – single brooches, pendant-brooches, pair brooches and chatelains, cuff-brooches, shoe brooches and clusters of brooches.

Pin a brooch at a throat of a shirt or blouse. Most effective to wear the brooch on a blouse with a jabot.

Apply the ribbon or a lace as a tie or a choker. Connect ribbon with one or two brooches near the throat and get a tie. The chokers are also very beautiful and you can be pretty creative with them. Create one from one of your scarfs or make a bow with the ribbon/lace, use a brooch to pin the two ends and voila!

V-necklines are flattering to petite women because they have the fashion effect of making the woman look a bit taller. Positioning a brooch at the point of the V can add a little extra glitz, too.

If you have a shirt with a relatively stiff collar, you can use a pair of small brooches to dress it up. You can place a single brooch to one side of the collar, or you can use identical pair brooches on either side of the collar for a symmetrical look, or add two small brooches to the ends of the collar. Try clustering several brooches along one side of your collar also.

Traditional placement for a brooch worn on a t-shirt, sweater, dress, poncho, jacket or coat is the upper bodice, either right or left, about halfway between the shoulder and the wear opening (between your breast and collarbone). Since jackets and coats typically are fabricated of substantial material, this is a good spot to wear a weighty brooch. One benefit to wearing a brooch on a sweater is that the pin in the pinback can be fitted between the fibers so that it doesn’t puncture delicate fabric. Brooches worn on dresses, blouses and shirts works best if the brooch is light in weight. Brooches can be also used to close a blazer or a coat that don’t have buttons. For a cape-like look, pin the brooch at the topmost area. Fastening of two unpaired brooches on the wide straps of the dress is more unusual variation.

Wear a brooch is on a lapel of a suit, jacket or a coat. This is an easy place to position a brooch because the back of the lapel is accessible just by turning it. Pin the brooch on your lapel just above the widest part of your chest for a flattering accent.

Pair of brooches connected by a double or triple chain (chatelain) perfectly complement the image and always looks very unusual.

There are no rules as to how many brooches should be worn. Personally, I love styling two or three brooches together, especially on lapels. Lining a neckline with multiple brooches or multiple brooches placed vertically on a shirt placket or jacket zipper can make an effective fashion accent. The brooches do not have to match, but it works best if they’re about the same size.

All BoChicca brooches have small rings on the top back. Just attach a chain and voila! – you’ve got yourself a pendant! You may order a special BoChicca chain also.

If you want to add a little glamour to your outfit, pin a brooch at the end of a scarf. It will go a long way as long as you pay attention to the balance of patterns, colours and prints. What does this mean?  Simpler brooches go well with floral or plaid scarves, while ornate brooches are more appropriate for solid colours. If you love wearing a big, cozy scarf, but you don’t like to have the ends hanging down, a brooch is the perfect solution also. Wrap the scarf comfortably around your neck, then use the brooch to pin the end of the scarf in place. You can pin the scarf in the center of your chest, or you can add the brooch closer to your shoulder if you prefer also. This will add a pretty touch that’s as functional as it is stylish. 

Brooches make great decorations for both caps and berets, knitted caps and snoods, side caps and hats with large fields. Pin a brooch above the temple or at a crown of the hat. The kepi also looks great with tiny cufflink brooches connected by a lower pendant and placed above temples on both sides of the head.

Who says a brooch has to be pinned to items? You can mix it up by using it as a hair accessory. Hair ornaments are popular, especially for parties and formal occasions. For a simple way to tuck your brooch into your hair, pin the clasp to a headband or pass it through a ribbon. Then, slip on the headband or tie the ribbon around your hair for a unique new hairstyle. If you want to wear a brooch directly in your hair, spray your hair with texturizing spray. Then, find a place on the clasp where you can secure a bobby pin, and use that to attach the pin to your hair or pin to a hair comb or a large clip. To add a little sparkle to your ponytail attach a brooch to a plain ponytail.

The shoulder is another non-standard place to wear a brooch. Fix it at a usual military chevron place.

Depending on the outfit, and the brooch itself, it might make sense to wear one (or two) on the cuffs of a shirt or coat. Whether wearing a stylish shirt, securing the cufflinks with an elegant small pair brooches (4-4.5 cm) makes an ensemble look chic with just one simple addition. It will add a little sparkle into the mix to completely shake up a look. Pin matching smaller brooches to shirt cuffs to appear as cufflinks, or pin a larger more decorative brooch to the cuff of your favourite winter teddy coat. Either way, using a brooch to style the sleeves of an outfit will help to make an eye-catching, fashion statement that will draw the right kind of attention.

Wear one brooch as a ring, just pin it to one – it will certainly attract attention! A brooch will go nicely on the back of your glove wrist also. Choose the brooch in the same way would choose a ring: large enough to attract attention, but small enough not to get in your way.

Stick your brooch to the waist of a skirt, dress or pants for an unexpected touch. This can make your waist look slimmer. A large brooch or chatelain can make a big difference to your plain dress. Place it in the middle or to your side, whichever suits the style.

Brooches near the waistline still look like a non-standard and expressive addition to the image and attract attention. Stick a single brooch on the dress belt on the left side or over a decorative element (bow, frill, etc.). Chatelain looks gorgeous also. A brooch at the waistline visually hides it and makes it thinner. Wear the brooch just below the waistband of the pants in the pocket area. You may also connect the brooch to the belt with a double chain in the style of a pocket watch for more effect.

Funky brooches have their place on a jacket, long knit cardigan or jeans pocket. Add buckets of glitz and glam to your wear. Place brooch strategically to attract even more attention.

Add an impressive, spangled look to your shoes by attaching a pair of shoe brooches. Wear identical brooches on the tops of your shoes to add a unique twist. Dress up your flats, loafers, or even a pair of canvas sneaker by pinning on a pair of matching brooches. Then, plan your outfit so the colors will coordinate with your sparkly shoe decorations. Boom!

• The more elaborate and unique the design of your brooch is, the more you will stand out.
• Make sure the fabric can manage the weight of the brooch you are wearing.
• Don’t gather too much fabric when you’re pinning the brooch to your shirt, or your shirt will look puckered or bunched up.
• Brooches and pins are more noticeable if they contrast with the background.
• Monochrome brooches (black, silver) look most elegant on matching clothes.
• Bright colored garments go best with black, dark-colored brooches.
• Silver and rhinestone brooches go best with black or dark colored outfit.
• Experiment with your old brooches, and find new and unusual ways to wear them.
• Combine several commonly themed ones into a cluster.

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Based on BoChicca experience and some recommendations by elegantduchess, Daisha Gayle. All photos belong to BoChicca (photographers Sergey Gridnev, Dmitry Trishin, Svetlana Chekhlataya, Artyom Harris, Marina Beschastnova, Anna Senina, Nastya Ladyzhenskaya, Naumi) or BoChicca clients and cannot be placed on third-party resources without the consent of the owner and direct links to this article.