Chanel brooch advice for beginners

[Bag@holic12]

Hi all! I'm thinking of purchasing a metal Chanel brooch but I'm feeling super clueless because: 1) I've never purchased designer fashion jewellery before and 2) I've never purchased or worn a brooch before. Given the expense, I'd love to hear from you guys about your experiences with Chanel brooches – how you wear them, what to look out for in terms of wear and tear and whether these tend to hold their value decently.

 

[Love Of My Life]

Hi all! I'm thinking of purchasing a metal Chanel brooch but I'm feeling super clueless because: 1) I've never purchased designer fashion jewellery before and 2) I've never purchased or worn a brooch before. Given the expense, I'd love to hear from you guys about your experiences with Chanel brooches – how you wear them, what to look out for in terms of wear and tear and whether these tend to hold their value decently.

Brooches are fun . You can wear them on a lapel of a jacket or coat, you can also wear
a brooch with a necklace pinning the brooch where you would like so it appears as if it a clasp
Chanel is always desireable to the person who is wanting what someone is selling
Buy it for your own pleasure not because it will hold its value, JMO

 

[Kuro-Kuma]

I love chanel brooches!

I typically wear it on plain clothing either a sweater or lapel of my winter jacket or suit jacket (depending on size of the brooch)

The brooches are pretty seasonal, so once it's gone it's gone. There's a lot of different styles so go with what speaks to you

I never thought about reselling but I would think it does hold value

 

[papertiger]

Brooches are so versatile and typical Chanel. My advice would be not to get anything with crystals or anything that can shed/fall out/rub off or peel.

 

[idlehen]

I would get something to match your everyday wardrobe. Some of their brooches can be too fancy for everyday wear. I got a small one that is just a gold CC with a thin leather woven border that is easy to wear with a casual outfit (on a shirt, jacket, or even on a hat). Get something you like and will wear, because I don't think they really hold their value. Certain ones do better than others, but don't expect to be able to make your money back on it. Just be aware that fashion jewelry in general is kind of a rip off since you're not really getting precious metals or stones for the cost lol.

 

[880]

I love brooches but I tend not to wear them unless they have an integrated bail that allows them to be the main event on
a necklace. I don’t like to pin them onto premier designer RTW bc of the damage of the pin holes. So, I personally would hesitate to recommend them t9 someone who is new to brooches. I would perhaps experiment with cheaper brooches first. Then if you decide you love the look, go wild

ETA : I am personally not found of the CC initialed items, so I recommend also looking at other iconic Chanel motifs, for example the Maltese cross

 

[tlilrascal]

I purchased 2 brooches (1 with the CC logo with crystals and glass pearls and 1 that was leather camellia.) While I love the idea of accessorizing a blazer or plain dress, I maybe only wore them once or twice each since having them many years. I also discovered that while I love Chanel, I always talked myself out of using the CC logo brooch. I think I personally prefer something more discrete.

 

[AlexandriaThen]

Love Chanel brooches. I have some classic crystal/diamanté and more acrylic metal ones. I wear the less delicate brooches on my tops, jeans, bags as long as I can pin them. Small advice, avoid buying brooches with mirror, they taint easily. I have bad experience with the airline collection

 

[lill_canele]

Speaking from experience, make sure you really want a Chanel brooch.
They are quite expensive now, especially for costume, jewelry.

I bought mine years ago (when the crystal ones were around $300-400USD), and I think I wore it once. I ended up reselling it. Since I had the original box and everything I was able to resell for 3x of what I bought it for. I was lucky. It was in perfect conditions with no chipping, discoloration, or falling out of crystals.

I realized that I am not a fan of pin holes in my clothes. I could probably get away with a material that has more texture like tweed, but I only have 1 tweed jacket that I've worn once. So I've realized that I am not really a tweed person atm.

I bought my mother a CC brooch a while ago as well. She rarely uses it and wears it on special occasions. Luxury is not her thing though so all the luxury I buy her she babies it because of the cost, so it is to be expected. It is also full crystals, no issues probably because of little wear.

The brooches I currently have are a gift from my former Chloe SA that was specially made in France. It's a small C and I love it but I keep it more for sentimental value. Then I have a couple of non-designer vintage pieces that I like to collect.

Agree with @880 , try out some cheaper brooches first to see if it is an accessory that you love and will wear often. And also echoing @papertiger if you are set on getting one, make sure to get one with no crystals or pearls. Chanel costume jewelry is notoriously know for those things to fall out over time.

 

[Bag@holic12]

Thank you all so much for your comments! Given me a whole lot to think about

@880, @lill_canele and @tlilrascal , I think that's a really good idea to try some cheaper ones before I commit to a Chanel and then I can figure out whether I'll actually wear it or if I just love the idea of owning one! Didn't think about the pin-holes before but if I bought one I'd wear it on a thick tweed jacket so hopefully won't be as noticeable.

Unfortunately @papertiger I'm certain I was a magpie in another life so the brooches with the pearls and crystals were the ones I was immediately drawn to . Such a shame that they're prone to falling out.

@AlexandriaThen that's really good to know about the tarnishing on mirror, I'll be sure to avoid those ones!

@idlehen I didn't really think about my wardrobe, I was just looking at ones I thought were pretty lol. But you're right, I'm more likely to use it if I match it to what I actually wear.

@Kuro-Kuma and @Love Of My Life thank you for your advice and for sharing how you wear your brooches! I hadn't thought about pairing it with a necklace before, I'll have some fun experimenting with some cheaper ones. Tbh value retention is fairly important to me so I can justify this purchase – I'm currently one of ban island's most successful escapees lol

 

[880]

I just wanted to add that one of my favorite brooches and brooch pic isn’t mine. It is from @Comfortably Numb, and She was kind enough to give me the info on it; it is from 2012, I think. I decided that I was content to admire from afar. Here is the link to her brooch and its info :https://forum.purseblog.com/threads...ura-david-webb-schlumberger-etc.926026/page-6. It pairs beautifully with her David Webb and seaman Schepps. Partly inspired by the colors of her brooch, I did buy an aquamarine brooch/pendant, (at a good price from my independent jeweler), but I have rarely, if ever, worn it as a brooch:


ETA: a brooch made of semi precious stones may be cheaper than Chanel fashion jewelry

 

[Christofle]

Hi all! I'm thinking of purchasing a metal Chanel brooch but I'm feeling super clueless because: 1) I've never purchased designer fashion jewellery before and 2) I've never purchased or worn a brooch before. Given the expense, I'd love to hear from you guys about your experiences with Chanel brooches – how you wear them, what to look out for in terms of wear and tear and whether these tend to hold their value decently.

If you wear blazers then you should be fine wear & tear wise since many have a buttonhole to place a lapel pin.

 

[queenpoppy]

I wear my broach to secure a Chanel silk scarf - looks great and serves a practical purpose.

 

[ReRe]

I vote yes on the Chanel brooch. I have 4. I adore them on my coats and jackets, especially on my denim jackets. All that sparkle on denim just pops!

My first one was 2013 and the prices continue to rise. From under $500 to most recently $765. But the quality is so much better than I expected. I have never had a problem with any of my brooches and most have stones and they get banged around more on a coat when taking it on and off.

I understand they have a repair service, but I haven't had to look into it in detail.

The brooches are versatile and I've seen them I've seen them pinned to the side of multi strand pearl necklaces and they look great. But you must wear them on a heavy material because they are very weighty.

I am going to add pics of my pieces. I'm currently on a rampage to find the golden pin in the dark silver version it was offered in. It was released in 2021 SS and yes it is really difficult to find the older ones. I finally tracked one down and it sold out of my cart over the weekend. So devastated. But it was from a store I hadn't purchased from and wanted an actual picture rather that the sketch type picture you often see. If anyone ever sees one please keep me in mind. Lately they have been my birthday present to me and this older one is the one I really want!

 

[AmeeLVSBags]

I have a few but oddly don’t have a classic CC! I have worn some of them a lot and some never!!! I also don’t like a pin hole in my clothes or my outfits are already colorful or loud so don’t see a need to accessorize further. My personal favorites are the seasonal resin ones in fun designs. I have my collection posted on the Brooch Club recently.