How to Wear a Lapel Pin Correctly: A Complete Style Guide

Custom lapel pins can add a touch of style to any outfit, regardless of pin style, design and overall fashion taste. While there are many different options when it comes to how to wear a lapel pin, there are also many things to take into consideration when choosing where, how and what style of pin to wear. This article will explain the various factors that should be considered when deciding how to wear a custom lapel pin, guidelines around how to wear a lapel pin for suits, how to match your outfit with a lapel pins style and when it’s appropriate to wear a lapel pin. 

Table Of Content

• What is a Lapel Pins?
  
• Where Does a Lapel Pin Go? 
  
• Types of Lapel Pins and When to Wear Them 
• How to Match a Pin With the Occasion
• Style Tips for Wearing Lapel Pins 
• Common Mistakes to Avoid 
• Final Thoughts
  
• FAQ

What is a Lapel Pin?

Lapel pins are small accessories that often represent a business, organization, event, or cause. They range in size from 0.5 inches up to 2 inches, depending on the lapel pin’s design, and there are many different styles of pins, depending on what the lapel pins symbolize. Custom lapel pins are available in various styles and finishes, including soft enamel lapel pins and antique metal lapel pins. Custom lapel pins can add a touch of class and enhance your outfit but also express personality and flair and are often great conversation starters. A lapel pins style can take your own personal style to the next level, when carefully considered how to wear a lapel pin.

Where Does a Lapel Pin Go?

The traditional place for a lapel pin to be worn is on the lapel of a jacket or coat. You may have guessed that this is how “lapel pins” got their name! When it comes to how to wear a lapel pin, typically, lapel pins for suits are worn on the left side lapel, and they can sometimes utilize an existing buttonhole along the lapel. A buttonhole is a great place to affix lapel pins for suits, as then you’re not poking holes into your jacket or coat.

However, custom pin manufacturers do offer different pin backing options, such as magnets, which don’t damage clothing. Another consideration for how to wear a lapel pin is the height on the lapel itself—the pin should be level with the bottom of your tie knot. Too high or too low on the lapel will distract from the overall appearance of the lapel pin's style.

Types of Lapel Pins and When to Wear

There are many different types of custom lapel pins, and the type you choose will depend on the occasion, how formal or informal the outfit is and what overall style and message you are aiming for by choosing a custom lapel pin. The fanciest of custom lapel pins are metal finish pins, especially antique lapel pins. These metal pins can be custom-made in gold, silver or bronze finish and often are the go-to choice for lapel pins that commemorate years of service, or represent a high-class logo or club symbol. Antique lapel pins are the best choice to be worn with a suit or fashionable coat when you are trying to dress to impress. Antique lapel pins complement formal wear or uniforms. If your outfit is a bit more on the casual side, this is when an enamel lapel pin might be a great choice. Enamel lapel pins are painted pins that can add a splash of colour and creativity to your wardrobe. Soft enamel lapel pins are the go-to choice for companies or club logos that want to incorporate branding colours or artists who want their work represented tangibly.

Soft enamel pins are perfect for casual outfits, whereas antique lapel pins are better suited for formal wear. It’s important that a lapel pins style is taken into consideration when deciding how to wear a lapel pin. 

How to Match a Pin with the Occasion 

When deciding what custom lapel pin to pair with your carefully selected wardrobe, it’s important to take into account the occasion and how to properly match the right pin. If you’re attending a formal event where attendees will be expected to wear a suit and tie, then a sleek metal finish pin is probably the best choice. This won’t distract from your well-tailored suit but will add just a touch of class. If our outing is a bit more informal—perhaps you’re wearing a more casual jacket or a vest—you can explore wearing a more creative or colourful lapel pin. Be sure to consider your lapel pins style and how it matches your outfit’s overall style.

A soft enamel lapel pin representing a cause that’s close to your heart, or a club to which you are a member, might be a great choice—just be sure that the colours in the custom lapel pin don’t clash with other elements of your outfit. Many custom lapel pin enthusiasts will choose their favourite pin—metal finish, antique metal, or enamel fill—to wear on their most frequently worn piece of clothing, like a well-loved jacket. When it comes to when to wear a lapel pin, this choice is less about making a fashion statement and more about showing off a custom lapel pin that is near and dear to your heart.

Style Tips for Wearing Lapel Pins

First and foremost, when it comes to any styling accessory, it’s important to remember that less is more. You may have a great collection of stylish custom lapel pins, but wearing more than one lapel pin at a time will take away from the impact and overall style. Here are some further tips on lapel pins style: 

• Be sure to keep it simple when considering lapel pins for suits - no more than one lapel pin at a time

• Consider that your lapel pins style doesn’t interfere with other elements of your suit—such as your tie or pocket square. Clashing colours or too many patterns or fine details can create a style distraction rather than a pleasing accessorization. 

• Consider your suit jacket colour which will match with different custom lapel pin colours, —for example, a black suit jacket will pair best with a silver or antique silver pin. A grey suit jacket best complements a soft enamel pin with black enamel fill, and a blue suit jacket would pair well with an enamel fill pin with blue enamel. 

Be sure to match your custom lapel pins style and colour with your other accessories—for example, a gold watch with a gold lapel pin.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

You’ve got your perfectly crafted custom lapel pin and matched it perfectly to your outfit of choice for a special event—what are some common mistakes to avoid when deciding how to wear a custom lapel pin? 

• Wrong placement—on the right-hand side, too high, or too low, or elsewhere on the lapel where the lapel pins style will clash or distract. These are all common placement mistakes that can be avoided by wearing the custom lapel pin on the left-hand lapel, in the centre, aligned with the knot of your tie. 

• Mismatching metal tones - for example, a silver antique custom lapel pin with a gold watch or bracelet. Clashing your lapel pins style with other accessories will distract from your overall outfit and is a big mistake to avoid when deciding how to wear a lapel pin. 

• Mismatching a lapel pin’s style with the overall tone of the event you’re attending - for example, a whimsical or bright/artistic custom enamel lapel pin might not be the best choice for a serious or overly formal event.

• Not considering the fabric on which you’ll be affixing your custom lapel pin - is it delicate or will it potentially be damaged by a pin and clasp? If you want to preserve your clothing material, ask your trusted custom lapel pin supplier about other backing options, such as a magnet backing when considering how to wear a custom lapel pin.

Final Thoughts

Custom lapel pins are a great way to add a splash of class or personality to any outfit, as long as how and where to wear a lapel pin is carefully considered. By thinking about important elements of how to wear a lapel pin—such as a lapel pins style, location, and the type of occasion you’re dressing for—you can be sure that the impact of your custom lapel pin is maximized and your overall style is second to none. Whether you choose soft enamel lapel pins, antique lapel pins or a modern enamel lapel pin, the key to perfecting your custom lapel pins style lies in understanding how and when to wear a custom lapel pin confidently.