Miss Meadowsweet

Brooches are one of my favorite accessories. Even when I don’t feel like wearing jewelry, popping a pin on my collar always makes my outfit more elegant and fun. I have a small collection of vintage and retro brooches that I wear pretty regularly, and some that I wear for special occasions. Take a peek inside my jewelry box!

Two of the first brooches I collected was this white enamel flower and the feathered swoop; both of which I purchased from a vintage shop in Bradenton called Retro Rosie’s. Many of my pins are from that shop, and I was absolutely devastated when they closed earlier this year. I love the weight of both of these but am very careful to wear them only with garments that can handle it. The third brooch in this photo was tucked in the goody bag for the Atomic Holiday Bazaar (a craft show each December) and is a perfect rendition of the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium. I gasped when I saw it because I adore that building.

My rule in collecting vintage brooches is that I buy what I like and what I can realistically afford. I actually wear the brooches I have in my collection, so I don’t care to have pieces that are simply for resale value. Because of this, I am pretty sentimental about my collection. These three hold particular personal value, as they belonged to my Great-Grandmother. I absolutely adore having something she once enjoyed and wore proudly.

Do you remember when you were a kid, and your teacher would wear seasonal vests? Like the ones with pumpkins for Halloween, or the ones with hearts for Valentine’s Day? I always found that so intriguing. That’s probably why holiday brooches are something I keep a particular eye out for, and it’s hard sometimes to find them in Sarasota. I hope to someday have a brooch for each major holiday, but for now, I’m pretty stoked about my Christmas collection.

These are some other random brooches I picked up from Retro Rosie’s over the past couple of years. The arrow was one that I looked at multiple times, and finally broke down and bought it when I realized it’d perfectly complement my red, white, and blue voting dress (yes, I wear a specific dress to go vote). The art deco frame brooch came with that photo, and I simply don’t have the heart to change it out. Both the rose and grapes are ones I snatched up in the final days of Retro Rosies, and boy am I glad I did!

Want to see more of what’s in my jewelry box? Let me know in the comments below!

Love,