THE EASIEST WAY TO UPDATE YOUR JEAN JACKET

Ah, there's nothing more timeless than a great jean jacket. I love how I can pair it with a t-shirt and pants when I'm feeling casual, and then style it with a pretty black romper and sandals for the perfect "fancy but not trying to hard" look. The versatility is so real! I was recently shopping around the Melrose Flea Market in Fairfax and I happened to stumble upon a booth that sold a whole assortment of pins and patches. I've always mused about starting my own collection, but I never found myself committed enough. Collecting something like that takes some skill and patience, but when it came down to just me and the piles of beautiful pins and patches, I decided to just go for it.

Even though I'm new to this whole collecting thing, I have a few tips for picking the perfect pins and patches:

1. Variety is key-

This is a must!! Don't go for the same types of styles over and over because you'll get bored so quickly. Sort through all different sizes, shapes, colors, and textures before buying the first ones that you see.

2. Check out more than one store/stall-

It's not hard to believe that each vendor has their own unique collection, so take your time and poke through them. I noticed that some places are more specialized. For example, one place at the flea market exclusively sold vintage patches and initials, but another stall I went to had all kinds of patches from different time periods.

3. Buy pins and patches that work well together-

This may seem pretty obvious, but seriously be mindful of what you purchase!

4. But at the same time, buy what makes you happy-

If that orange smiley face patch is giving you all the good vibes, then definitely go for it!

5. If it has a story, then it's more valuable to you-

A pin or patch can become an instant conversation piece. For example, that black pin up there is from Beyonce's recent tour. Pretty cool right??

Oh and these little guys are from a music festival up in San Francisco called Outside Lands! They design a new patch every year and send it with your wristbands which is pretty sweet. :)

All you need is:

Denim jacket

Variety of pins and patches

Medium curved safety pins

The directions are pretty simple. Just start pinning your patches and placing your pins wherever you would like them. The reason I didn't sew any of the patches was because 1. I might get a new jacket soon, 2. I like that I can move them all around, and 3. I see the pins as decorations. I did pin some of the patches from the inside, so all you can see on the outside is a little bit of the metal. The photo above shows what this looks like inside the jacket.

For some reason none of the vendors had this kind of patch with my name on it (???) which I find kind of odd since my name is so common. Luckily, I found this little guy instead and now I'm in love (and glad they didn't have my name). :)

When I took these photos the Santa Clarita wildfire was still burning, which turned the sky a dark orange and gave all these photos a cool built-in filter. ;P But back to the jacket, I especially love the shoulder sleeve with the air-force looking arm patch. That was a flea market find along with the cute little bulldog up top.

OMG that tiny ice cream on the pocket is also killer!! I seriously love all my patches and pins too much to pick a favorite. I can't wait to grow my collection now that I decided to start one. I have gotten so many compliments on this jacket even though I haven't had it all patched and pinned up for that long. This kind of styling makes a huge impact on the rest of your wardrobe making any outfit feel super fun! I hope you all feel inspired to start a collection of your own and build it up over time. Also, if any of you know where to get great pins and patches please share them with me in an email!! :)

xoxo,

Emma

#crafts