From fashion to function, it is no secret that brooches are back in style and that they come in handy when traveling. There is a place for every brooch in your collection, costume jewelry to fine jewelry, to add sparkle to your carry-on or travel jacket. Lean into simple functionality with one pin or a busy cluster to make an outfit really pop on your next adventure. The gate agent might find your sparkling passport case unexpectedly chic and maybe move the line a little faster! Pin down your ideas of how a brooch can elevate your style with creatively clever ways to embellish your next trip.
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1) Brooch will refresh the same outfit for a different travel day.
Whether you are backpacking or traveling light for a long adventure, you probably have limited space for clothing. If you are likely going to wear pieces multiple times across different places and photos, you might want easy, small accessories that can make the same shirt or scarf look totally new. Remember that you don’t have to restrict brooch placement to a jacket lapel. You can put a brooch anywhere! I love to center a brooch on the top of a shirt or button up. If you have multiple small brooches, why not cover each button or button hole with a little shiny embellishment? How about as a sleeve detail like a cufflink but more fabulous?
2) Secure a scarf or multiple layers closed with a brooch.
The history of the brooch dates back to the Bronze Age when a “fibula” was used to secure clothing garments like robes commonly worn by ancient Europeans like the Romans. Brooches have evolved to lean into the more decorative, but the original functionality of a fibula was to fasten flowing clothing. Similarly, there are so many helpful ways that a modern brooch can keep your extra layers in place. Especially in a cold climate, your cardigan or jacket could stay closed with a pin keeping cold air out. This is a neat trick to keep your outfit both visually appealing and functional.
3) Use a brooch to secure a scarf or belt around your waist.
As a petite queen, a synched waist is probably the most flattering style dress or outfit on me. I love converting a long scarf or a fabric belt into a styling statement. Brooches with a hole or opening in the center are also great to pull fabric through. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, incorporate a pin into a wrap dress or wrap shirt where extra fabric is already built-in and ready for a shiny detail.
4) Mark your luggage or backpack with a pin to help it stand out.
While you won’t want to use your finest or most sentimental pieces for this, using an inexpensive brooch can help you identify your belongings in a crowd or airport luggage carousel. Be sure not to use anything valuable since it could be damaged or lost during transportation.
As someone who rarely checks a bag, I do like to make sure my backpack stands out if I have to check it in a museum or attraction. A small pin near the top closure or zipper could help make it clear which backpack is yours in a sea of similar looking black bags. Some people wrap their check-in bags in shiny cellophane or use colorful straps; why not add flat simple pins to make your own pieces stand out? If you are checking a bag, a small pin near the handle could make all the difference preventing someone from confusing your bag as theirs.
5) Fasten a purse or tote bag that doesn’t close.
Keep your things safer and thieves’ hands out of your bag by pinning it closed. If I’m headed to a market for shopping, I’ll bring an extra tote bag. The majority of my canvas bags do not have a top closure. This might not work on all materials, but most fabric or canvas totes could benefit from an obstacle preventing wandering hands from making their way in or keeping things from falling out.
6) Fix torn clothing by keeping things temporarily together with your pin.
Please tell me I’m not the only one who has dealt with a fashion mishap while traveling? Imagine a torn seam that shows too much leg or a broken closure or strap that unravels. I had a favorite blue romper that I wore on every tropical vacation (and every hot NYC subway platform in the summer). Unfortunately, the few last threads holding up one strap unraveled while I was away from home. So, I had to think quickly to secure the top with a small safety pin I happened to have in my purse until I got home. The situation could have looked even more intentional if my outfit had incorporated a small decorative brooch. I also love to add a pendant or charm to a safety pin to make a statement.
7) Reconnect a broken zipper, clasp, or missing button.
Zippers on dresses, pants, or bags are notorious for breaking at the worst moments. With a beautiful brooch on hand, you can reconnect an unexpected opening quickly and with flair. Some fashion designers have purposefully incorporated pulls in fabric or tears in jeans or slits that are connected with safety pins. This is the same concept but less for an aesthetic reason and more to serve a functional purpose.
8) Personalize travel accessories like your passport holder or luggage tag.
Further distinguish your belongings by adding a pin to your personal items. I would only add a simple inexpensive costume jewelry pin in case the item is lost or damaged through frequent use. If you have a fabric passport holder pouch or bag with a strap, add a brooch to keep track of which one is yours if you travel with a family stack of similar passport holders. My friend recently left her and her husband’s passports in the backseat of a car on their way to the airport in Mexico. Luckily, they were able to get in contact with the driver who kindly came back and returned the passports in just enough time for them to make their flight. However, including a colorful brooch could make it harder to lose a simple black passport case on a black car seat.
9) Hold an emergency bandage in place.
While working with a proper medical kit is best in an emergency, sometimes you just have to use what you have on hand. A pin of any kind, including a brooch, can be used to fasten medical gauze or a wrap in place. Hopefully you never have to deal with this one!
10) Add functional sparkle to your travel hat.
I love a good wide brim hat on a beach as added sun protection and a place to hide and snooze with your toes in the sand. In windier conditions, I have secured hats with scarves and headbands that you can also pin to a hat to keep it in place. Or simply add sparkle to a plain hat with one brooch or a cluster or line around the circumference of a hat.
11) Attach a brooch to your camera strap.
This is a less functional option, but as a photographer it’s one of my favorite places to personalize my travel gear. I love to add brooches to my camera strap to add personality. I also enjoy a matching theme like wearing a flower pin to visit the botanical garden. This does depend on the situation. Sometimes I want to be more discreet with my camera, so a sparkling brooch might attract unwanted attention. However, if I’m headed to a museum or attraction that encourages photography, I would lean more into letting my camera stand out rather than trying to blend in.
Brooches are finally trendy again. So what are you waiting for? As they are making a comeback, why not enjoy the decorative sparkle of an added accessory along with added functionality on your travels? If you take away just one idea for inspiration, that would make me happy! Have fun with it, and let me know in the comments below your favorite spot to put a brooch or if there are other use cases during which a brooch has helped you during your travels.