The Best Brooches For Layering

I spent about three years thinking brooches were a single, sad category: the thing pinned to a coat lapel at a funeral, or the thing your nan kept in a dish by the front door. I was wrong, and I’m addressing that opinion directly now because it cost me a lot of good pins I could have been wearing years ago. Turns out the whole point of a brooch isn’t to sit there alone doing one polite job. It’s to layer, stack, cluster, scatter, whatever you want to call it, three or four of them doing something a single statement piece never could.

A good brooch for layering has weight to it, actual metal, not the flimsy stamped stuff that bends the second it meets a coat lapel. It should have a clasp that locks rather than one of those flimsy pin backs that lets it swivel round to face the wrong way by lunchtime, which happened to me on a blazer once and nobody told me for four hours.

Mixed finishes work better than matching sets. Gold next to something enamelled, a pearl next to something with a bit of shine or texture, so the cluster looks gathered over time rather than bought as a job lot.

Styling wise, think about where a lapel actually sits. Collars, cardigans, the breast pocket of a coat, even scattered across a knitted jumper near the shoulder, that’s where they earn their keep. A denim jacket takes them properly well, so does anything boxy and slightly severe that needs softening. Stack three small ones in a diagonal line rather than one huge one dead centre, it reads considered rather than accidental. On tailoring they do the job a brooch has always done, adding a bit of personality to something otherwise quite buttoned up, but on knitwear or denim they feel completely different, more collected than formal.

Occasion wise they’re brilliant for anything with a coat involved, winter weddings, work events where you want to look like you tried without looking like you tried, or just a Tuesday when a plain jumper needs rescuing. My colleague Priya clocked mine last week and said “wait, are you allowed to wear four at once?” Yes. Genuinely yes.

Top Picks

TAYLOR’S PICK DRESTIGE USWomen's brooch Liviana Conti A flower

$231.30 DRESTIGE US

MADISON’S PICK DAILY SALE, INC.Exquisite Tulip-Shaped Faux Pearl Brooch Adorned with Artificial Diamond

$29.00 DAILY SALE, INC.

CARL’S PICK CERQULARLove Hero 3D Printed Recycled Brooch in Orange

$114.95 CERQULAR

MORGAN’S PICK HARVEY NICHOLS USAgmes Joy Sterling Silver Brooch

$386.40 HARVEY NICHOLS US

RILEY’S PICK W CONCEPT (US)Lucky Owl Cubic Brooch (Bh0225r)

$99.00 W CONCEPT (US)

ZEAGOOElegant Floral Brooch Puff Sleeve Midi Dress $59.99 ZEAGOO

CHICSEW TRADING CO., LIMITEDNew Rose Corsage Wedding Men Groomsmen Brooch Outdoor Party Decoration, CG6688 - Wrist Flower Purple $5.99 CHICSEW TRADING CO., LIMITED

CHICSEW TRADING CO., LIMITEDNew Wedding Decorations Bridesmaids Groomsmen Brooch, CG6662 $7.99 CHICSEW TRADING CO., LIMITED

GOLDIA.COM L.L.C.14k Yellow Gold Polished with 4-5mm White Teardrop Freshwater Cultured Pearls Pin Brooch $433.99 GOLDIA.COM L.L.C.

DRESTIGE USWomen's brooch Liviana Conti A flower $231.30 DRESTIGE US

HARVEY NICHOLS USAgmes Joy Sterling Silver Brooch $386.40 HARVEY NICHOLS US

CRONJAGERMedium York Disc Brooch $46.00 CRONJAGER

THE LUXURY CLOSETChanel Turnlock Brooch Pin Gold Large $985.00 THE LUXURY CLOSET

DAILY SALE, INC.Exquisite Tulip-Shaped Faux Pearl Brooch Adorned with Artificial Diamond $29.00 DAILY SALE, INC.

CRONJAGERAmber Bee Brooch $112.00 CRONJAGER

CERQULARLove Hero 3D Printed Recycled Brooch in Orange $114.95 CERQULAR

GOLDIA.COM L.L.C.Sterling Silver Polished Double Scroll Pin Brooch $85.99 GOLDIA.COM L.L.C.

CRONJAGERSilver Steed Cane Brooch / Stock Tie Pin $108.00 CRONJAGER

CHICSEW TRADING CO., LIMITEDWhite Imitation Wrist Flower Bride Bridesmaid Sister Group Hand Flower Dress Brooch Corsage, CG61443 - Wrist Flower Red $5.99 CHICSEW TRADING CO., LIMITED

HARVEY NICHOLS USSaint Laurent Cassandre Textured Logo Brooch - Gold $412.16 HARVEY NICHOLS US

THE LUXURY CLOSETChanel Brooch Pin Gold $835.00 THE LUXURY CLOSET

W CONCEPT (US)Heart Brooch [Pink] $84.00 W CONCEPT (US)

GODDIVAGoddiva Diamante Brooch Thigh Split Mermaid Maxi Dress $68.00 GODDIVA

W CONCEPT (US)Lucky Owl Cubic Brooch (Bh0225r) $99.00 W CONCEPT (US)

GOLDIA.COM L.L.C.Fashion 24K Gold Dipped Real Aspen Leaf Gold-Tone Pin Brooch $39.99 GOLDIA.COM L.L.C.

W CONCEPT (US)Pearl Classic Elegant Rose Brooch [Ivory/Cream/Black] $35.00 W CONCEPT (US)

THE LUXURY CLOSETBoutique Moschino Pink Flower Applique Crepe Brooch Detail Shit Dress $163.00 THE LUXURY CLOSET

HARVEY NICHOLS USSaint Laurent Opyum Sculpted Metal Brooch - Gold $553.84 HARVEY NICHOLS US

−30%

MAJE USSweater with floral brooch$480.00 $336.00 MAJE US

−25%

IFCHICDolce & Gabbana Lurex Lace Rainbow Slides With Brooch Detailing - EU 37.5$995.00 $746.25 IFCHIC