Flower Pins

When he wasn’t eating madeleines in his sound-proofed room, the writer Marcel Proust was besting his male compatriots in the French salons by donning a white, fragrant camellia in his button-hole instead of the traditional red carnation.

Portrait of Marcel Proust by Jacques Emile Blanche

Coco Chanel, twelve years his junior, fell madly in love with the idea and, as the mother of costume jewelry, began manufacturing camellia pins. Today, Chanel’s camellia pins are created using a wide range of fabrics (e.g., tulle, silk, linen, leather); their average diameter is about 4 inches. Each petal is specially ironed to achieve a distinctive curl. BTW, Chanel went on to place camellias everywhere: on belts, hats, patterned in dresses. Today, you can find them on shoes.

Cover Art for Danielle Bott's Book on Chanel's Collections

Carrie Bradshaw, the fashion-forward columnist of Sex and the City, brought back the flower pin in a big way–10-inch diameter big! Really, the kudos go to Pat Field, lead stylist on the show.

Carrie and Camellia

Needless to say, I love big and bold flower pins for adorning everything from jackets to tees!

My Flower Pins