While passing the accessories stands near the cash register at Topshop the other day, a rather novel accessory caught my eye. Essentially, they were charms for shoelaces, but not the tacky plastic type that may first come to mind. These were bejewelled bugs and pearl-lined bars – much like brooches, but smaller – that could be threaded through the laces of shoes and brogues, elevating the typical trainer.
Granny-chic is a style term that has indisputably been reigning the runways in the past two or three years. Brooches are a micro-trend inspired by the notion of fashion found in our grandmothers’ attics or vanity-table drawers.
Now, with the festive season under way, it’s the perfect time to brave the brooch trend. Disperse the dazzling adornments on your faux-fur coat collar or blazer lapel. Or use the flashy pieces to breathe new life into your basics. Scatter them onto a white blouse, on the collar, pocket or even cuffs, or use them to inject glamour into a denim jacket. Get inspired by Tunisian accessories designer Shourouk, and fill up entire denim jackets with a concoction of brooches, laces, trims and the like.
While high-street stores offer inexpensive badges, pins and brooches, try to steer clear of the ones inspired by emojis, hashtags and so on – these teeter on the verge of being too juvenile and have nothing at all to do with “granny chic.”
We can’t all afford a perfect vintage Chanel brooch though – when shopping, look for crystal-studded flowers, insects and animals of a classier type. That being said, I will never turn down a kitschy unicorn or cat brooch. Keep a happy balance of vintage and contemporary influences, and when appropriate, wear three to five of them together.
hlodi@thenational.ae
