Your brooch, lapel pin or ID badge. Many people have asked themselves the question.
There are different schools of thought about which side to pin them – left or right. Some Etiquette Consultants say ID badges should be pinned on the right as when someone looks at you their eyes go immediately to your right side. Others say they should be pinned on the left over the heart.
I attended a few conferences in the USA, and found that I and my Commonwealth colleagues were the only ones wearing our ID badges on our left. After evaluating it, I decided to stick with the left. Queen Elizabeth II, the Head of the Commonwealth and members of the Royal Family wear their brooches on their left shoulder over the heart.
It is easier to pin a brooch or Badge on your left, if you are right handed, and I am. The left is also where military medals and awards are worn.
Then there is the school of thought that says men should wear pins on the left and women on the right. A Royal British Legion spokesman said there is no right or wrong side “other than to wear it with pride”. Internationally, flag pins are worn on the left lapel, and men can also wear pins in the middle of their ties.
Many people do not like pinning anything unto their clothes that many destroy or punch holes into the fabric. Alternatives like lanyards or chains exist for IDs, but for brooches which help to enhance a woman’s outfit, you either wear them or you don’t. Brooches can even be worn at the V of the neckline or at the waist.
Now, here is an article from Avalaya.com which takes on a totally liberal approach, encouraging people to be creative and wear brooches wherever they want to: on your waist, a clutch purse, your shoes, your jeans pocket, wherever you feel. However, if you are a national of a British Commonwealth country, I’d say keep wearing your ID badge or brooch on your left.