Sustainability is, quite rightly, the word of the moment, with even the most elite choosing to recycle and reinvent outfits to ensure they don’t add to the 10.5 million tonnes of clothing dumped in landfill in the UK each year. With a little imagination and thought, and a few well-chosen accessories, your wardrobe can have a new lease of life too, while helping to save the planet.
Upscale with accessories
Take a plain dress that you love but have worn to death, drape it with a stylish yet inexpensive new scarf, and a simple bag and you will be chic once more. Got an old pair of shoes that are comfortable but have seen better days? Why not dye them and add a sparkly accessory such as a hairslide to take them up another gear.
Brooches – the most versatile of accessories
And as for brooches… well they are possibly the most versatile and unexpectedly fabulous upcycling accessory of them all. Having been all over the catwalk for several years now, the choice of styles, sizes and prices means there is something for everyone. From stonkingly large designer pieces that have been strategically placed to hold an item of clothing closed to medium pieces that add a pop to a jacket lapel or simple dress, to smaller pieces that can be added to a bag strap or evening bag, there is not end to how you can wear your brooches.
Quick wins to stylish wear
• Add a brooch to a plain blouse or shirt collar to lift your look to a more edgy style. If you are really feeling brave, why not wear a matching pair on each collar tip? Alternatively, wear it at the throat to cover the top button on a blouse or shirt.
• With knitwear a high trend, a well-chosen brooch at the neckline or high up on the shoulder adds individuality.
• Jacket lapels may have long been the traditional home for the brooch, but as Billie Eilish showed at the Oscars with her three brooches on her white Chanel jacket, you can add whimsy to classic style.
• Take a leaf out of the Duchess of Cambridge’s book and add a touch of class to your tailored coat or suit with a single crisp stylish piece. This style has long been favoured by The Queen who is never seen without a brooch adorning her outfits.
• Get ahead with a hat. Rock the look of instant glamour by adding a brooch to the brim or the rim.
• Enhance your evening glamour with a sparkly brooch clipped to the flap of your evening bag.
Makes a simple accessory both stylish and unique.
Whatever your personal style, there are a myriad of designs and styles for you to choose from. To find out more, why not visit us at 54b Ware High Street where we have over 100 different brooch designs to choose from. And with Mother’s Day fast approaching, our range of floral brooches are a fab way to say it with flowers that will last a lifetime.
www.silver54.co.uk