Trends

The History Behind … Dress Clips

TrendsMay 12, 2016

The History Behind … Dress Clips

What inspired these popular Art Deco-era pins, and what forced them out of fashion? A look at the story behind a style that’s similar to the brooch.

20160512_Van-Cleef-clips_copy.jpg
Dress clips first gained popularity in the post-World War I era, when women’s frocks began to call for more ornamentation. Pictured here are a pair of Art Deco platinum and diamond lattice dress clips designed by Van Cleef & Arpels that now are part of the collection of New York jeweler Fred Leighton.

New York--Dress clips are a type of pin that first gained prominence in the 1920s and were worn in pairs, often opposite one another on the neckline or straps of a dress.

The style, however, fell out of favor in the 1950s when classic brooches regained popularity, and it never really recovered.

So, what forced dress clips out of fashion, and will they ever come back in style again?

Greg Kwiat, CEO of Fred Leighton, and Rebecca Selva, chief creative officer and public relations director for the jeweler, recently took the time to chat with National Jeweler about this Art Deco-era trend, and some of the ways in which Fred Leighton is finding new life for these classic clips.

When did women first start wearing dress clips? Dress clips, Kwiat said, first began to appear post-World War I. Fashion in both clothing and jewelry changed as the world worked to recover from the “Great War” and time marched on into the 1920s, a famous decade for style.

During this time, “fashion began to dictate some of the jewelry trends” in many respects, Kwiat said. “The tight, corseted dresses of the Edwardian period came into a much more free-form flowing, adventurous, romantic style,” including the famous flapper dresses of the era. 

This new style of dress called for more ornamentation, and Kwiat said dress clips evolved as a reaction to that and were worn not only on dresses but also on furs and accessories, like handbags.

“I think it’s a real phenomenon in a way because dress clips become the piece of jewelry you have to have, and becomes integral to a dress and a look,” Selva said. “Designers are putting them on these dresses that they are making. Some of the big thrust was the movies, people going to the movies in the 1920s, and they’re seeing these beautiful women with these dress clips and they want that.”

And so companies started making them in great number, and not just the great houses such as Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Raymond Yard, but famous costume jewelers of the era too, like Trifari and Coro. This, in turn, feeds back to the fine houses and the dress clip quickly establishes itself as a “must-have item in fashion,” Kwiat said.

“The costume jewelry industry,” Selva said, “gave such a boost to that concept.”

Did dress clips serve any purpose?

No, they were purely ornamental, Kwiat said. 



What separates the dress clip from the classic brooch? Kwiat said in the beginning, dress clips were always in pairs, worn separated from each other on the strap or neckline of a dress, and almost always symmetrical.

However, they also could be worn together. He said pairs of dress clips often had a back that secured the two halves together so it became one piece, like a more classic-style brooch.

“That’s really the difference,” he said. “The dress clips are two pieces that can be worn together or separate whereas a brooch is typically a single element.”

Kwiat added that the Art Deco period is also the first time dress clips appeared, whereas one could go as far back as the Ancient Egyptians and find brooches.  

When do we see dress clips begin to decline in popularity? In the 1930s and ‘40s, the style of dress clips evolved alongside other jewelry.

The bright-white platinum and diamond aesthetic of the early Art Deco era expanded to incorporate yellow gold and more colored gemstones and asymmetry became more of an acceptable idea.

As World War II ended, though, styles began to change.

Kwiat noted that during the Great Depression and the World War II, people went to the movies to escape and were inspired by the styles of actresses like Jean Harlow, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich, who were featured on screen and in images wearing dress clips.
“(Dress clips are) never going to be what (they were) before but I always want to think that there’s people out there who love it and will wear them and enjoy them.” --Rebecca Selva, Fred Leighton
But then, “World War II ends, times change, fashions change,” he said. “And in the 1950s, the brooch really resurges in popularity and dress clips become less popular. You see dress clips fade a little bit in the minds of consumers.”

And they really never made a comeback.

“Dress clips really occupy a very distinct moment in time and they kind of bring you back to the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s,” Kwiat said.

Fred Leighton, which is now owned by the Kwiat family, seeks to refashion Art Deco-era dress clips into modern, wearable pieces, such as these gold, sapphire and diamond fringe earrings.

Do you think the dress clip will ever regain the same type of popularity they enjoyed in the 1920s? “I pray every day for that,” Selva laughed. “You know what, it’s never going to be what it was before, but I always want to think that there’s people out there who love it and will wear them and enjoy them.”

Kwiat agreed, “It will never be as popular as it was in the 1920s.”

While today’s more casual dress doesn’t lend itself to the traditional manner of wearing dress clips, Selva noted that there are different ways of donning them today. Some women wear a single clip to dress up a pair of black pants while others tuck them into updos to add some glamour to the hair.  

Fred Leighton, too, has found ways of incorporating beautiful Art Deco-era dress clips into modern-looking pieces of jewelry. “When we see beautiful dress clips, sometimes we feel they can make the basis of a beautiful design of some other kind,” Kwiat said.

The jeweler crafted a black enamel bangle with a pair of platinum diamond, ruby and onyx dress clips in mind. They also have designed big, modern earrings incorporating dress clips with on-trend styles such as yellow gold and fringe.

This reflects another trend seen throughout the history of jewelry--versatility, the desire to craft pieces that can be worn in multiple ways.

“People were always thinking about how they could wear things differently and more often,” Kwiat said.
Michelle Graffis the editor-in-chief at National Jeweler, directing the publication’s coverage both online and in print.

The Latest

CD Peacock Mansion in Oak Brook, Illinois
EditorsNov 22, 2024
Out & About: Inside the CD Peacock Mansion

Step inside the nearly 21,000-square-foot suburban Chicago jewelry store with Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff.

Xander Jane earrings
CollectionsNov 22, 2024
Piece of the Week: Xander Jane’s ‘Spiked’ Pearl Studs

These punk-inspired earrings from the new Canadian brand’s debut collection reveal the alter ego of the classic pearl.

Facets of Fire Pear and Marquise Diamonds
SourcingNov 22, 2024
Facets of Fire Expands to Include Pear, Marquise Diamonds

The company brings its nanotechnology to two new fancy cuts for diamonds that feature its signature color and brilliance.

Jewelers Mutual Group Cybersecurity
Brought to you by
Navigating Cybersecurity: Essential Guidance for Jewelers

From protecting customer data to safeguarding inventory records, it's crucial to learn how to tackle cybersecurity challenges.

5 main.jpg
Supplier BulletinNov 21, 2024
Tasha R Releases 2025 Labbelle Lab Diamond Jewelry Catalog

Sponsored by Tasha R

Weekly QuizNov 21, 2024
This Week’s Quiz
Test your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
Take the Quiz
18-karat gold Tiffany & Co. pocket watch Captain Arthur Rostron
AuctionsNov 21, 2024
Gold Watch Gifted to Titanic Rescue Ship Captain Sells for $2M

Three Titanic survivors presented him with the personalized Tiffany & Co. timepiece about a year after the tragedy.

Harris Jewelry storefront
MajorsNov 21, 2024
Harris Jewelry Ordered to Reopen Claims Portal for Refund Requests

A federal court found that the jewelry store chain violated terms of the settlement reached after it was accused of defrauding customers.

Article-Top-Image.jpg
Brought to you by
Enhance Your Expertise with IGI’s In-Person Courses in NYC

This fall, sharpen your skills in jewelry grading, quality control and diamond assessment.

Cynthia Erivo wearing Have a Heart x Cynthia Erivo collection
CollectionsNov 21, 2024
Channel Elphaba in Muse’s ‘Have a Heart x Cynthia Erivo’ Collection

Cynthia Erivo chose Dreams of Hope, an organization dedicated to empowering LGBTQA+ youth, as the charity for this year’s collection.

Rocksbox San Francisco store
MajorsNov 21, 2024
Rocksbox Opens Pop-Up Store in San Francisco

The new space was designed to evoke a warm, inviting vibe.

Mary Moses Kinney
IndependentsNov 21, 2024
Mary Moses Kinney Is Now Part of The Edge’s Team

Kinney, who spent nearly 30 years at IJO, has been hired to head Abbott Jewelry Systems’ new virtual marketplace.

Sotheby’s New York building
CrimeNov 20, 2024
Sotheby’s to Pay $6.25M Settlement to NY State for Alleged Tax Fraud

The auction house was accused of helping clients avoid paying taxes on millions of dollars’ worth of art purchased from 2010 to 2020.

Kering logo
Events & AwardsNov 20, 2024
Kering Debuts New Jewelry Award With Sustainability Focus

The four finalists will present their pieces at the 2025 JCK Las Vegas show.

Model wearing pieces from Camera Oscura collection
CollectionsNov 20, 2024
Pamela Love Channels Surrealist Artists in New Collection

The “Camera Oscura” collection showcases earring designs celebrating female Surrealist artists Claude Cahun and Leonor Fini.

Columbia Gem House “Pebbles to Pines” fundraiser
Policies & IssuesNov 20, 2024
Columbia Gem House Raises $10K for Reforestation Efforts

The money will fund the planting of 10,000 trees in critical areas across Oregon, Arizona, Montana, and other regions.

The jewelry symposium 2025
Events & AwardsNov 20, 2024
The Jewelry Symposium Opens Registration, Scholarship Applications

The event centered on advancing jewelry manufacturing technology will return to Detroit in May 2025.

Stock image of police cars with lights on
CrimeNov 19, 2024
Woman Killed in Armed Robbery of Sacramento Jewelry Store

Local reports identified the woman as the wife of the jewelry store owner.

Tsar Ferdinand I Bulgaria colored diamond pin and emerald diamond ring
AuctionsNov 19, 2024
‘A Tsar’s Treasure’ Fetches $2.9M at Sotheby’s Jewelry Sale

A collection of pieces owned by Ferdinand I, the first king of modern Bulgaria, and his family, blew away estimates in Geneva last week.

Trove NYC flagship exterior
MajorsNov 19, 2024
Trove Opens First US Flagship in NYC

The Australian jewelry box brand’s new West Village store will showcase new jewelers each month through its Designer in Residence program.

Snoop Dogg and Carolyn Rafaelian
CollectionsNov 19, 2024
Snoop Dogg’s New Jewelry Collection Is All About Love

“Lovechild” was created in partnership with Carolyn Rafaelian’s Metal Alchemist brand.

Helzberg CEO Brad Hampton
EditorsNov 18, 2024
Q&A: Helzberg CEO Brad Hampton on the Jeweler’s Rebrand

Hampton discussed how Helzberg is improving the customer experience and why it was inspired by the company formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts.

Andrea Jose jewelry
Policies & IssuesNov 18, 2024
Reciprocity Jewels Returns to NYC Jewelry Week

The group will host several curated events and an exhibition of designer jewelry made with Peruvian gold traceable to the miners’ names.

Dolly Parton and Kendra Scott
CollectionsNov 18, 2024
Dolly Parton Shines in Collaboration with Kendra Scott

The collection honors the 50th anniversary of Dolly Parton’s “Love is Like a Butterfly” song, which shares a birth year with Kendra Scott.

IGI Expressions
Events & AwardsNov 18, 2024
IGI Jewelry Design Competition Returns

This year’s theme asks designers to take inspiration from classic fairy tales.

New York Comic Con Javits Center crowd
EditorsNov 15, 2024
Why Fine Jewelry Belongs at New York Comic Con

Senior Editor Lenore Fedow makes the case for why more jewelers should be appealing to nerds at the annual event.

Marie Lichtenberg and Raiz’in collection
CollectionsNov 15, 2024
Marie Lichtenberg Battles Counterfeits with New ‘Raiz’in Scapular’ Designs

The latest “Raiz’in” drop showcases a newly designed “Scapular” necklace and donates a portion of the proceeds to Make-A-Wish France.

Citizen 100th Anniversary Limited Edition #1 Pocket Watch
WatchesNov 15, 2024
Piece of the Week: Citizen’s Commemorative Pocket Watch

No. 1 out of 100, the timepiece was created to mark Citizen’s 100th anniversary and will be auctioned off at Sotheby’s next month.

×

This site uses cookies to give you the best online experience. By continuing to use & browse this site, we assume you agree to our Privacy Policy