Thanks To Chanel, This Once Overlooked Accessory Is Having A Moment

The corsage has long had prissy, twee connotations – historically the chosen adornment of prom-bound American teens or green-fingered grannies, it will also always be associated with the dressing doctrines of Gok Wan. However, over the past few years a number of designers have been presenting the rosette as a legitimate fashion accessory – Matthieu Blazy updated camellias in his Chanel debut, making feathery, blooming brooches a new house code and It-item.

The leader of the cult of the corsage is Carrie Bradshaw – the woman capable of making any accessory appealing – whose commitment to a floral pin is one of her longest-standing relationships. From a violet brooch pinned to a white vest top to a hibiscus-adorned Eugene Alexander dress, the corsage has been a consistent theme in her wardrobe in Sex and the City and And Just Like That, along with Manolos and baguette bags.

The floral pin is in the midst of a style resurgence thanks to Blazy. The Chanel flowers are crafted by Maison Lemarié which documents on its Instagram account how the silk and feather-petal flowers are created – for the below white flower, for example, it explains: “each petal was meticulously shaped by hand: rounded, delicately curled with a knife, then assembled to bring these unique flowers to life.”

The key to making this look modern is to avoid romantic colours and anything that looks too literal – instead of roses crafted out of organza petals, you want bursting, feathery chrysanthemums as seen at Chanel or brooches that may or may not be a flower (Vogue’s Lisa Aiken wore a brooch that at a distance looks like a corsage pinned to the label, but is in fact a cluster of pearls and not even a rose at all). In the Vogue Global Editor Look Book Aiken wore a white Dior Bar jacket with a red silk flower pin, while Samantha Sussman had an orange rose attached to a blue striped shirt.

The key to looking fashion-forward is to style your corsage with a bit of edge and avoid anything too romantic – swap florals for stripes and wear it with tailoring instead of prom-style dresses. This accessory looks best when worn with an oversized blazer, rather than a dress – Blazy uses them to add extra eccentricity to oversized cardigans and tweed jackets, while for spring/summer 2027 Tom Ford pinned red roses to leather jackets and pinstripe blazers.

The street-style crowd were a little less playful than Blazy, however, wearing their feathery brooches with black, white or grey basics, keeping other accessories to a minimum. One of the biggest clues that this is no longer an accessory reserved for Carrie Bradshaw-types comes from Cos, the masters of minimalism, which currently has a feathery rosette made from a sheer fabric (available in white or black) in its new-in section.

Shop Vogue’s corsage edit: