Small Style Upgrades With Big Impact

The best way to update a wardrobe without buying new clothes, IMHO.

A million years ago, I was in Santa Fe on vacation. At the advice of everybody, we went to Santa Fe Vintage. Once there, we got to chatting with the owner who invited us out to his larger space to get a look at more inventory. There’s not a ton to do in Santa Fe, particularly in the winter, so we took him up on it.

We pored over the contents. There was so much that held interest there, but the first thing I saw ended up being the thing I walked away with. The cactus pin. Longtime readers will be familiar with it, perhaps one of my favorite things I’ve ever bough. It made its home on my coat lapels and pockets. It became a “thing” and it even got photographed by the New York Times for one of their office style stories. And thus began a rabbit hole of small moves with big impact. I wore it with my wedding tux. It’s been everywhere with me.

The cactus pin in question.

So. Pins. Yes — impactful and important. They’re at their best on lapels, which feel like a mature evolution from the “buttons-on-messenger-bag” aesthetic you may have dabbled with in the early aughts. I’m most partial to the hammered silver variety, but to each their own. (To be clear I’m talking about all pins, not just lapel pins.)

As I started researching these picks, two very clear themes emerged: minimal and flashy. The first group is more classic and understated. A little more masculine, too. The second is a little more fun and glitzy, let’s say. The common thread here is general shape — wearing pins on a coat lapel works best when they’re longer than they are wider. You can flip the script a bit if the lapels are very wide, but that’s my general rule of thumb.

1. Elsa Peretti Starfish, $950: Simple and minimalist. Has an almost surrealist melting effect to it. Plus you know an Elsa Peretti is going to work for decades to come. Unless starfish as a species are canceled. (Likely!)

2. Hermes Chaine d’Ancre Brooch, $530: Generally, I prefer all metal, but throwing in a touch of the famous Hermes Epsom leather and I can be swayed. Available in many different colors and oddly affordable (for Hermes).

3. Vintage Cactus Brooch, $20: Charming, and very similar to my old pin. The Etsy shop that sells it claims it’s vintage which is suspect. But, at $20, who cares?

4. Joe Eby Guiding Feather Pin, $85: It took a lot not to throw the entire Peyote Bird catalog in here. It’s a mecca of southwestern jewelry and turquoise. I culled it down to just a couple including this feather and…

5. Joe Eby Snake Pin, $110: It is the year of the snake, after all. And snakes are great!

6. Jennybird Lisieux Brooch, $98: This piece is a little confusing, but when pinned, it looks like the contours of melting silver. The organic shape of it feels modern and sleek.

7. Papillon Brooch, $60: These abstract butterflies, styled with multiples create a really dramatic effect. The beaufille site has four of them floating up the front of a coat — clever.

8. Wishbone Brooch, $20: Dammit. This one sold out in the time it took to research and write this story. But, I am keeping it in here because you can almost certainly find other versions out there. It’s clever and simple and worth a shot.

9. Vintage Mouse Brooch, $68: I love this little freak mouse.

10. COS Hammered Brooch, $49: Perhaps a good option as a gateway pin. You can’t get simpler than this. Like the papillon, perhaps best in multiples.

11. Monbouqette Vase Brooch, $315: It took me a minute to figure it out, but this actually is a functioning vase. It is hollow and has a back that you can stick a crazy flower in. I prefer it without — more graphic and impactful. (Available in silver and gold.)

12. Tory Burch Serpent Brooch, $246 $169: A very modern take on the snake.

13. Jil Sander Leaf Pin, $577 $403: Fair warning, this textured leaf brooch is BIG. Like, the size of an actual leaf.

14. Agmes Dali Hand Brooch, $370: So you can give yourself little high fives for wearing a nice pin. (Available in silver and gold.)

15. Ann Taylor Disco Ball Brooch, $49.50: Do a little dance, make a little love, Ann Taylor tonight. Just note this is a small scale stick pin!

16. Loro Piana Cardo Pin, $300: Nice geometric and elegant. (Very Loro.)

17. Dries van Noten Gold Brooch, $310 $155: You can always rely on Dries for a little bit of wit.

So now things get a bit more opulent with shine, shimmer, shape. These picks are way more on the statement side of things. That’s not a bad thing, just a bit of a different ball game. (Oh look, more snakes.)

1. Alexis Bittar Serpent Pin, $495: Mixed media with lucite, metal and stones(Again, year of the snake blah blah blah.)

2. Tateossian Shell Pin, $165: A little surf for the turf. Remember, if you’re seeing a true “lapel pin” it will be quite small.

3. Schiaparelli Dove Brooch, $985: This pin, made famous by Lady Gaga at Joe Biden’s inauguration…is a banger. I believe you can only get them in store, but worth the trip. (Note: it is available in four sizes so perhaps size down.)

4. Loewe Anagram Brooch, $390: Well, exactly what this will mean with the Proenza boys taking the reigns, I don’t know. But, for now, great!

5. Vintage Diamond Brooch, $3,000: Platinum and old european diamonds, verging on Marie Antoinette here. But a great heirloom.

6. Gold & Diamond Key Brooch, $2,088: Another big hitter. A very bad key to lose, though.

7. Rangel Rose Brooch, $80: Kissed by a rose on a lapel.

8. Ezra Baghaki Forget Me Not Branch Brooch, $182: A nice icy blue enamel pin to bring some springtime to the winter.

9. Jennifer Behr Presley Imitation Pearl Brooch, $248: An oversized bow strung with imitation pearls. Opulent!

10. Bleue Burnham Lab Grown Sapphire Brooch, $1075 $753: There’s some very grandma energy to this, but on a streamlined black or blue overcoat…would work wonders.

11. Gemelli Fruit Brooch Pari, $78: A little fructose always helps.

12. Prada Crystal Brooch, $1,020: The “safety pin” construction of this pin adds some utility for fastening scarves, other garments etc. But works just as well as a garnish.

13. Jennifer Behr Darianna Brooch, $798: Big glam here, and perhaps something that may be best saved for formal occasions.

14. Trifari Leaf Brooch, $65 $48.50: This is listed on the Real Real so just know that once it’s gone, it’s gone.

15. 18k Gold Victorian Moon Brooch, $689: Another vintage piece that has a bit of a spooky element to it.

16. Sophie Buhai Silver Leaf Brooch, $750: Similar to the leaf brooch above, but with a more modern and clean feel.

17. Prada Enameled Metal Brooch, $975: I just want to point out that “florals? for spring? groundbreaking,” was a response to enamel floral jewelry. So, there’s that.

18. Birth of Venus Gold-Plated Brooch, $695: Inspired by the shell from Boticelli’s famous “Birth of Venus” painting.

19. Anthropologie Zodiac Pin, $28: There’s one for every sign, of course.

20. Anabel Chan Blue Cherry Blossom Pin, $4,035: Figured we should end on a high note.

Sadly, after many years, my cactus pin was lost. We searched and we called in the calvary but never found it. I have yet to find one that’s a dead-ringer for it, but maybe it’s just around the corner.

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