Give Your Look Some Sparkle With a Pin or Two - or More

Give Your Look Some Sparkle With a Pin or Two - or More
While Coco Chanel popularized pricey sportswear and ladies-who-lunch suits, she did the same for drop-dead gorgeous costume jewelry that only looked outrageously expensive.

Which brings us to one of the most wearable trends of the season: the brooch. On the fall fashion runways, brooches embellished curvy Versace gowns, discreet Ralph Lauren tweed and silky Calvin Klein twin sets.

They were absolutely everywhere - adding a little flash, funkiness and femininity to looks all over the style spectrum. "Brooches are a very whimsical, playful accessory," says Elizabeth Schaaf, owner of Elizabeth's Timeless Attire, an upscale vintage store on Frankfort Avenue (which was recently featured in the new glossy Shop magazine).

"And jewelry designers are taking inspiration from so many different decades that you're seeing everything - from art deco pieces to florals to animals. Anything goes. The idea is to use a pin to make a statement."

You can pick up a perfectly respectable sparkler for about $10 at your favorite department store, one-of-a-kind vintage pins for $20 to $40 at shops such as Elizabeth's or Nitty Gritty, and newer costume pieces at boutiques such as Girl Talk in Middletown, She and Karen's. Of course, you could spend much more on heirloom brooches at jewelry and antiques stores, and you could even