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Madeline Albright is in the news again these days, but not for her diplomatic career. Well, not exactly. During her tenure as Secretary of State, Albright was known for her dramatic jewelry -- specifically, her pins. Secretary Albright's pins are the focus of an exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design, for the opening of “Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection.” Secretary Albright has a new book out as well, also titled "Read My Pins."
"Former President George H.W. Bush had been known for saying 'Read my lips,'" Albright writes. "I began urging colleagues and reporters to 'Read my pins.'"
StyleList's Lesley Kennedy explicates some of Secretary Albright's more famous pins, including the serpent, the dove, and the atlas. Albright chose her pins -- she prefers that term to the fancier "brooches" -- to reflect the situation she was dealing with at the moment. Kennedy writes that Albright used her trio of "Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil" monkey pins "to chide Russian President Vladimir Putin for his failure to acknowledge human rights violations committed by the Russian military in the violence-plagued region of Chechnya."
We should all be so thoughtful with our accessories.
Accessories are a simple way to update your wardrobe -- add a fun necklace to your basic tee, or a big pin to your favorite sweater -- but they can also make a statement. Think about accessories as one more way to give basic pieces personality.
Your personality. Of course.
My accessory of choice is a statement necklace; I'm not an earring girl, and pins are too complicated for me. But a big, bold necklace is easy to fold into my existing wardrobe, and makes a huge difference. Recently, I've been bidding on cool pieces on eBay, but most of my necklaces are OOAK pieces that came from craft shows or small local artisans.
Michelle Obama has worked her brooches -- pins? -- into her every day wardrobe. Most recently, she appeared at the opening ceremony of the 121st IOC Session at the Copenhagen Opera House in a stunning Rodarte dress embellished with three flower pins. So perfectly Mrs. O.
Get out your jewelry box and see what's in there -- think about how to work your existing jewelry into your current closet. Bust out the pearls and the dramatic earrings and that cool ring you've always loved but never known where to wear. Wear it to the office, or to dinner, or to playgroup. Why not?
You'll be making a statement, which is always a good thing.
Do you have a go-to accessory? A signature piece or look? If you could have any piece as your go-to, what would it be?
Susan Wagner writes about style at The Working Closet, and about chic suburban living at Friday Playdate.
