Art Brooches : How To Style Them Beautifully For A Sensational Festive Look

Embroidered Statement Jacket

A muted-color jacket means that you can wear a brooch with bright colors. Or even something that’s entirely gold for example. It will stand out. I chose the light green “Change Of Fortunes #InTime 02” 2.5 inch diameter brooch. It looks almost neon on this jacket. Simple gold long earrings that dangle vertically, compliment the gold leaf from the brooch. For make-up, I usually stick to a clean foundation, a red lipstick, slightly darker eyebrows & a bronzer on my cheek hollow.

Jacket courtesy : Kartikeya India. ( The last time I wore this jacket was for the shoot I did with the Pixel 1 in October 2016. )

Structured Blouse & Dhoti

The blouse is printed, so best to pick a single color brooch. Various permutations and combination of red and blue make purple / lilac, so, I thought that “The Magic Returns #InTime 02” 2.5 inch brooch would work here. A smaller sized brooch might get entirely lost in the print of the blouse.

Ensemble courtesy : Tarun Tahiliani. ( I wore this for the first time when the Tarun Tahiliani flagship store opened at the Qutab Garden in Mehrauli. And then I wore it to a product launch event at the Zoya Jewels store, both in 2017. )

Silver & Turquoise ear rings courtesy : Vijayshree Sovani Designs. ( I first wore these in 2016. )

Off-Shoulder Dress

The “dress” is actually the dhoti / skirt from the Tarun Tahiliani ensemble above. That’s how my brain works. Make a new outfit from the half of another outfit. If it fits, why not.

I picked a red one from my Diwali 2020 Art Series, the “Requited #InTime 02”, 2.5 inches diameter brooch. It works well with the solid blue and complements the pearls and gold of the multi-string necklace.

The necklace was purchased from the Amrapali store at Khan Market, a few years ago. I do not recall when. The ear rings are from the same store as well.

Embroidered Cocktail Dress

My most favourite dress in my wardrobe. Usually, I wear it with just the gold ear rings. But one can get away with additional bling during the festive season. I picked the biggest piece, “Of Memories #InTime 03”, 3 inch diameter brooch. I paint these big pieces for myself because I LOVE wearing large brooches and most of my clients prefer 2 and 2.5 inch diameter brooches. There are some clients, of course, who love the big brooches as much as I do, which is why I always release the paintings on my shop.

Dress courtesy : Rahul Mishra, Autumn / Winter 2014/15. ( I’ve worn this dress several times since I received it in 2016. A self-portrait shoot in Arunachal Pradesh in 2016, to Paris for the Biennale in 2017 and many other times that I do not have photographs for. )

Ear rings were my first precious jewellery purchase from Amrapali in Khan Market.

Satin & Georgette Sleeveless Mini-Dress

A cutest pink dress that ends 4 inches above my knees. Delicate embellished & sparse embroidery on the georgette overlay. The blue, gold and copper “Dig Deep #InTime 02”, 2.5 inches diameter brooch is what I picked to pair with this ensemble. I did not want to add more color with the jewellry, hence stuck to silver. But I also wanted to keep it heavy and chic.

Dress courtesy : Wendell Rodricks. ( I’ve worn this dress many times as well. The first time was for fashion week after Wendell sent the piece to me in 2015. )

This could easily be a day AND night look.

Silver jewellery was purchased from Amrapali many years ago.

Block-Printed Silk Jacket

Heavy prints on a light Chanderi fabric. A formal collar. Matching precious jewellery. So, the color of the painting had to be something that would stand out even from a distance. “Elevation #InTime 01”, 2 inches diameter brooch, is one of my favourites from the Diwali 2020 Art Series.

Jacket courtesy : Jaypore. ( I first wore it for a shoot in Ranikhet in 2018. )

Jewellery was a gift.

The Back of The Brooch

All my brooches have a magnet clasp at the back.

No pins.

This was a choice I made because I absolutely abhor it when pins poke through precious silk and cashmere. The magnets that I use are quite strong but will not hold well when worn on very thick fabric like double layered tweed for example. The magnet holds great on some of my thickest puff jackets and on all manner of overcoats and silks and sweaters, etc.

Each piece has its name written at the back, signed by me and the year of the artwork is also mentioned.

Each purchase is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity to help establish provenance in case of a future re-sale of the artwork.

All hand-painted and sculpted by me.

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