Fashion trends always trickle down, starting with high-end
designers and ending up at the mall. But whereas most take the journey at a babbling brook’s pace, the popularity of the brooch rode something more akin to a whitewater rapid.
Prada showed them on its fall runway in February, by summer Banana Republic had democratized the look by offering exquisite costume pieces at reasonable prices, and Gap — with its ubiquitous ads featuring Sarah Jessica Parker wearing brooches on a cardigan — cemented the idea for consumers across the country by August. As such, no matter their budget or taste, women could find a way to look the part. And they did.
“When we started selling over 1,000 units a week, we knew this was big,” said Sunny Diego, director of women’s accessories and fashion merchandising for Saks Fifth Avenue, which had success with pins from vendors like Gerard Yosca. “The number-one reason they were so popular is they’re easy. The whole bejeweled thing was happening and this was a way for any woman at any price point to get the look.”
Vintage-influenced jeweled styles were by far the biggest sellers, though designers delved into more creative waters for the truly inspired. Some went for the slightly off-kilter granny look mixing tweeds, velvets and feathers with crystals. Others, like Erickson Beamon, injected some whimsy into the trend with beaded numbers in the shapes of barnyard animals.
But whatever their fancy, women were buying brooches by the bushel, as part of the estimated $7 billion they spent on fashion and bridge-priced jewelry this year. “People were willing to buy more than one,” said Karen Erickson of Erickson Beamon. “They were clustering them.” While many may have dug through their mothers’ and grandmothers’ trunks for vintage pieces, it’s likely they were purchasing one or two new pins to bring the look up to date.
The spotlight on brooches perked up retailers’ jewelry departments and renewed the interest of customers who had had their fill of chandelier earrings. Now stores are hoping they’ll pick up on other category trends like lockets and charms, layered necklaces or button earrings.
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The accessories industry in general has been booming in recent years. Season after season, European fashion houses vie to have the “It” bag, and brands count on smaller-ticket items like sunglasses and costume jewelry to lure a high volume of aspirational customers who can’t afford the ready-to-wear. The excitement is likely to continue through spring, observers say, with embellishment and exotic skins taking center stage on handbags and jewelry still being key.
Until then, the brooch will carry on, selling during the holidays and fourth quarter. “Our fashion customers may be over the brooch,” Diego of Saks said, “but there are still many women who find it a novelty. It’s the perfect gift.”