Peranakan Kerosang: Creative Ways to Wear Brooches

Peranakan Kerosang: Creative Ways to Wear Brooches

I’ve been asked how to wear these Peranakan kerosang three-pin sets on many occasions. I guess what people want to know is how to wear them without necessarily dressing up ‘Peranakan’.

Given our modern wardrobe, I like to imagine pairing these nonchalantly. But you know, to look stylish it will take some effort.

antique chinese gold brooch pins kerosang 20k feather 5f3c6400
This pin set is known as kerosang rantey pins.
chinese jadeite jade brooch pins kerosang 18k 5f5ab86e
Kerosang are brooches that come in a set of three pins, used to fasten the button-free kebaya (lightly woven blouson usually with embroidery).

The Laid Back Way

Adding scarves is a visual fest, even one with the whole length of it is not too much. If you have a nice scarf collection, you will love these pins. It is a matter of how to space out the brooches inconspicuously.

These Peranakan jewellery pins are detachable so you can style the set together or at separate points in one outfit.

Laissez-faire style would be to use the pins naturally when wrapping the scarf around your head/neck.

You can experiment with pinning three pins close together like in a rosette, or two together but the third without the chain.

giardinetti kerosang9
If the scarf is long, pin it wherever you want it to cascade to. Here only the middle brooch is pinned with the scarf, the other two free to act as ‘buttons’ or just to accent an outfit.
Peranakan kerosang
Your rosette could be jazzier than mine.

Sweater Chic

Wearing the pins with any thicker material top or sweater is lovely, especially a jacket.

Petite Kerosang
The pins serve to hold this casual sweater jacket loosely together without fastening. Whatever you wear under will peek out nicely.
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Again a long scarf is styled and pinned wherever you want it to go. You can hide or accent parts of the scarf with the lapels
kerosang petite 20k11
Another way to wear all three pins, this time in a smart ‘military’ jacket. The pins serve somewhat like lapel pins, trailing to a ribbon for a fancy touch.
Kerosang Petite
Actually using ribbons with kerosang pins will instantly revive any old outfit or up your dressing game… see next!

The Little Black Choker

Creative Ways to Wear Brooches
Can you see this as a choker or hair/head piece?

Gatsby Do

Move over diamanté hair barrettes.

Wearing actual antique diamond brooches in your hair may be a luxury, but if you’ve seen it in old photos it’s actually because ladies back then wore actual gold pins or brooches in their hair. East or West, they all did it.

It has always been an irony. The idea of putting Peranakan gold jewellery to just a hair clip is a waste but the elegant ones are of course the real deal, hence using brooches as barrettes has always been a fashion misnomer. The thing with solid gold pins set with natural gemstones is that in photos one cannot quite tell, but during special occasions or weddings I suppose there is less chance of your effort looking like a teenage-all-dressed-up-no-where-to-go.

Like this article? Our articles on rose cut vs brilliant cut diamonds, and intan diamonds may be of interest to you.

Visit our other store Singapore Island Jewellery Store for a different approach to fine jewellery.

diamond hair brooch
giardinetti kerosang7

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