THE JAPAN NEWS
 

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Large brooches have attracted the attention of adult women with their compelling presence. Wearing shining, gorgeous brooches on the bosom can add a fancy and individualized touch to simple clothes.
 
Stylist Junko Ishida says that many large brooches have been presented in fashion shows overseas recently. “If you wear ones that are 5 centimeters or more in diameter, you’ll find they add to your fashion a gorgeous feel and a vigor sought after by adult women,” said Ishida, who has authored books on fashion such as “Otonafuku Oshare Seori” (Theories for adults’ clothing) from Shufunotomo Co.
 
At Isetan Shinjuku department store in Tokyo, one brooch by accessory brand GRANDMATIC is about 7 centimeters in diameter. The brooch, priced at ¥37,800, has great presence due to parts made of black resin and other materials embedded in the ground metal in gold color.

 

 

When wearing the brooch on a shirt, fasten all buttons of the shirt and wear the brooch at the center of the neckline. This style creates an elegant, sophisticated image. Wearing a black brooch on a black shirt is also fashionable, according to Ishida.
 
ReStyle Lady, a women’s apparel section at the department store, sells about 20 types of brooches. A black rectangular brooch, about 6 by 4.5 centimeters, is made of wood and lacquered with a beautiful luster. This item is priced at ¥15,120. Another brooch, priced at ¥8,640, is made of jewels in conservative colors attached to a cloth base. This item sells well, too.
 
“If you want to accentuate your bosom, wear [a brooch] on a spot as close to your face as possible,” Ishida said. “If you wear it lower, it will make you look old.”


 

 

Women’s apparel store Rene in Odakyu Shinjuku department store sells 40 to 50 types of brooches. Many of them have sparkling glass and crystal parts.

“If you attach a large and a small brooch to a pearl necklace, you can create a gorgeous feel without making holes in your clothes,” said Yukari Sukegawa, a styling coordinator.
 
First, wear a necklace. Then, attach a large flower-shaped brooch near the left collarbone. Next, attach a smaller flower-shaped brooch to a lower spot on the right. “You can enjoy the asymmetrical balance on the right and left and also create a playful image,” Sukegawa said. The large brooch she suggests is priced at ¥19,440, while the small one at ¥12,960.


 

 

Wearing a few brooches in large and small sizes around the bosom on a coat is in fashion now, too, according to Sukegawa. “When you wear two, place them diagonally. When you wear three, arrange them in a triangle. These arrangements make you look cool,” she said.
 
You can make brooches by yourself. One of the brooches made by Ishida is made of beads in black, green and other colors sewn to a round felt base. Another one is in the shape of the Eiffel tower with pearl-type beads similarly sewn onto a felt base. Both are fashionable.
“It’s easy and more fun than you think. Why don’t you make one by yourself?” Ishida said.