Love It, Hate It - The Brooch

LOVE IT!

Brooches. Don’t you just love ‘em? No? Well, neither did I until now. It’s not that they’re having a renaissance, they’re not. But as this season is all about paring down and simplicity, brooches have a chance to catch the trend zeitgeist.

A few years ago, there was an explosion of corsages on the high street. Remember those? Every girl and woman worth their buttonholes were wearing a frilly chrysanthemum or a silk rose in full bloom. No-one was sure about them early on, (weren’t corsages a bit Edwardian? A bit The Age Of Innocence?), but when we saw how eye catching, how simple, how stylish they were...well, we all gave up the fight and adopted our bosom flora. They went stratospheric. Such is the power of an accessory trend. And now we have the chance to replicate the look, with a substantial dose of glamour I might add.

The issue is, the statement necklace is on its way out. This item has, over time, grown as big as the trend so that some examples are less of a ‘statement’, more an inaugural address. This is where the savvy brooch comes into its own. By their nature, brooches are singular and therefore convey subtlety. They say ‘understated’, ‘good taste’, ‘brave’ and if you want to get a bit deep about it, ‘cerebral’. You see, a brooch is the antithesis of an enormous pair of ear-stretching earrings or an armful of bangles. It sits on your shoulder, lapel, sleeve, collar, breast - in fact, wherever you want, the choice is yours and, done correctly, there’s less “I’m channelling Queen Mary”, more “I’m channelling Mary Portas”. What other piece of jewellery does that?

Butler & Wilson's Multiflower
£58.00

Naturally, as with all things, there’s a wide range of prices to match all this choice. There are some corkers out there.

At the top end of the scale is Tiffany with a Bird on a Rock in aquamarine, diamonds and 18k gold by Jean Schlumberger - £60,000.
Slightly easier on the overdraft is Butler & Wilson’s crystal multiflower with pearl drop and swarovski crystal at £58.00
And if you’ve only got spare change to deal with then how about Ebay’s jade, pearl and emerald paste brooch, a snip at £1.99.

Ah yes, Ebay. Recently, I’ve spent many happy hours on there, tracking down some art deco style brooches (vintage and new) to wear in the new season.
Reaction has been swift. “Where did you get that from?” demanded one friend. “That looks elegant”, cooed another. Well, yes, I know. They do indeed evoke a time more elegant, more restrained. There’s something about them really. They are a real piece of jewellery. And that, I hope, says an awful lot about the wearer.

In The Spotlight - River Island

I was there at the beginning of course. River Island’s launch I mean. I remember it so clearly. The stores all had laminate flooring with a bit of Aztec carpet thrown in and around the changing rooms. The music was jazz and other 1920s-1930’s grooves. The furnishings were old fashioned (vintage wasn’t a proper word back then) and it was very New England, very Ralph Lauren. They had mahogany framed mirrors and the lighting..well, it was low and distributed through gold plated lamps with frosted glass flower shades. Frankly, it looked like it was powered by gas.  The labels in the garments read “Charlotte Halton for River Island”, (was she really the designer?), and there were large branded paper bags at the cash till; not unlike Zara today.

And the clothes themselves? Much like Next, they were either formal and smart or casual and country; but with a strand of glamour running through them. There was nothing urban about them. An ivy green velvet wrap dress sat next to a beige pinstripe trouser suit with wide lapels and even wider legged trousers. This was teamed with a cream spriggy cotton shirt. At that time, for them, ‘Boho’ was huge; (this was waaay before Sienna ‘invented’ it). They were ahead of the curve and were channelling a new look on a high street that looked very different from its current manifestation.

You have to remember that Topshop wasn’t the giant it is today. In fact, its sister Miss Selfridge was the market leader back then. Producing items as diverse as a pink iris-print cotton sun dress, a tomato red short trapeze coat and platform strappy shoes (you’ve seen one pair, you’ve seen them all), they had the market sewn up. Topshop was for basics. Vests, leggings, tube skirts and yet more vests. River Island didn’t chase either market. Where Miss Selfridge was style personified, Next was work-wear (anything else there was terrifyingly bland), River Island was dressy and stylish. They teamed great design with superb fabrics and presented it in a coherent and engaging atmosphere. In short, they were different.
Since that fateful year, 1988, River Island has been through many incarnations, not all to my liking. They went chasing the edgy market, with some success of course. But it all got seriously bling. Their accessories, once ground breaking (they were amongst the first to buy and copy into the ‘it bag’), became emblazoned with a massive R and I. And as anyone knows, if you’re going to flex your brands, you want a designer name that you can be proud of or one that gives you kudos. River Island at this point, was neither.

But I am glad to say that River Island has turned a corner. The other day, I popped into my local branch when I spied, at the entrance, a pair of brown/black patterned tie-belted peg trousers in a light and soft fabric. They were undeniably stylish. Today, I went back to see if this was an apparition and I can reveal, my avid readers, that it was not. There was a trench coat with ruched shoulders, a waist length, soft, short sleeved knit, jersey maxi dresses with either plain or with a simple foil print, a functional green parker with faux sheepskin lined hood. River Island is once again embracing simple and credible style. To this end, I splurged (there is no other word for it) on a faux fur jacket, not unlike the one here (left). What possessed me to go inside this time? A very simple window display. Not as ornate as Zara of course, but River Island could do something similar I feel with spectacular results.
Is this the start of something new? Is River Island going to be my new stopping point on the highstreet? I think it might be. As for Charlotte Halton...I never did find out who she was.  Welcome back River Island.

Cecile Dress: £69.99
Ava Faux Fur Coat: £69.99