Badger me with Badges

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Pin badges are something that I haven’t touched since I was about fourteen when I went through a phase of having band pin badges covering my school Eastpak rucksack/backpack only to leave it in a locker room and have my badges nicked by the scary Year 11 girls (who incidentally chucked a ceramic pig that I had made in art class across the floor which smashed into a thousand smithereens but hey, I’m not bitter at all…!) 

However, I’m assuming people aren’t going to be stealing them if they’re covering my chest so when I saw these rainbow coloured badges with a black flocked pattern on them from Paperchase, I bought a few packets and covered the heart of a Viktor & Rolf for H&M shirt which I barely wear (so BLOODY difficult to iron….!).  I quite like the weight that the badges add to the shirt which is an odd thing to say but it sort of makes the shirt feel a lot more special as I put it on.  But if anyone tries to jack em’….. grrrr…. 

69 comments

  1. i LOVE LOVE LOVE this outfit! it has the right amount of girlyness (for me) without overdoing it and the pins are a fun and colorful addition.

  2. I love what you did with the pins! They have a great pattern on them to begin with, but putting them all together like that was genius! Plus, with all those colors and the striped tights, I’m getting a bit of the harlequin feel, which I love. :o)

  4. This would definately be in my ‘top 10 fave Susie outfits’. I love how the rest of the oufit doesn’t distract away from the badges but also how if you took the badges away the rest of the outfit is still really gorgeous and unique in its own right!

  6. Although the badges do add color and interest to your outfit, I really think it could do with just one or two at the collar. Covering the heart seems excessive…
    I like your tights!

  7. What you’ve done with the pins is great! I always see them all scattered around various items of clothing with no sense of order, but making a coherent and cute shape with them is a wonderful idea, and useful to rescue something you don’t wear too often! And the pins themselves are very cool.

  8. I love this too. I like the idea of creating a bigger shape from the pins, maybe even to hide a stain? Def not one for the airport though, hahah!

  10. I love how creative your outfits are :]
    And, I’ve been looking for tights like that for ages. Can i ask where you got them from?

  11. The tights are actually stockings and they are from where else but…Sock-Dreams!
    As someone as pointed out, I do find pin badges randomly placed on a garment a bit well… random so the excess of them is sort of necessary…. or I just love excess…. actually it’s definitely the latter…

  15. That looks delightful! Very inspirational.
    I cant believe the thing about your pig! So mean. When I was at school in year 7/8 a supposed friend wrote ‘kick me, poo’ on my back in chalk. So embarrassing! Not to mention generally incoherent. x

  21. I think you should get an award for most creative use of pins (or badges). It’s making me re-think my stance against granny brooches. I’d like to see someone try to steal one today…

  24. funnily enough, on my way to town i was day dreaming what a dress covered in pin badges would look like.
    and it look suprisingly awesome.
    i may have to invest.
    thank you for being such a freakin’ style icon.
    xxx

  25. Hi, I looked at its blog being commented in a Brazilian magazine I came to give one looked at and I adored, I do not say to TM the English well but I made an effort alone for congratulating to it for this space q vc created… smack. =D

  26. Go, Susie! I’ve worn a band pin at the waistband of my jeans (mostly covered by the hem of my top) for a few months now, but your way is so much cuter (the pins are lovely in their own right, but putting them all together in that shape is just genius!). I know the pain of nicked badges too (one of the Beatles- the psychedelic shot by Avedon- went missing. I still feel sad thinking about it), but it would take more foolishness than most people have, to attempt nicking these off you.

  27. i love this! and the excess is definitely what makes this work. i doubt you’d get the same effect with the countless emo band pins i have stored away however 🙂

  28. I LOVE this! You seem to be full of weird yet creative ideas. It’s not quite the same as having someone steal your badges, but I once lost an “I love tea” badge and was saddened. Hey ho, as long as they’re all on properly, I reckon you’ve pretty much overcome that problem!

  29. It is weird because I’ve had the same experience with covering my messenger bag with pin badges and having my classmates try to steal them away. Anyway, I love what you have done with your shirt 🙂

  30. It takes talent to look at plain clothes and think about how to make them unique, great idea.

  31. Susie..I am speechless…YOU ARE THE GREATEST!!! Geez…why Susie??? Why do u have such talent on fashion??? Hhmmm…love the outfit so so much!! 🙂

  34. Your creativity never ceases to amaze me Susie. You’re so inspirational… a style icon!

  36. Another Susie idea to copy… Where do you get them from?? I have a million of these badges and yet no such thought crossed my mind. Grr.

  37. Sorry to bother you but could you take a look at my blog from time to time? I know its not very professional etcetcetc but I’d really appreciate it!

  39. what a great idea! It looks so colorful.
    I badges too in my handbag, but I was lucky and nobody stole them.. maybe they were ugly? haha
    PS: thanks a lot for the comment on my blog! 🙂 I’d love if you added my link to your looooong list in Style Bubble

  41. wow and double wow, an idea that seems quite simple but pops so much, it looks amazing! especially with the striped tights in a liquorice allsorts kind of way. i got a pair after seeing a girl in topshop wearing the sheer oasis pair and have been desparately trying to put them with something, as always youre great inspiration.
    also omg i have that shirt, it creases so easily!! and my button seam above the heart does that weird sticking up thing too!

  42. Oh Susie, how do you do it?
    This is perfection!
    I feel a little upset by all this smashed pig business..but I expect those girls got their comeupance!
    Though is the shirt now riddled with holes?

  47. you’re just too cool to be true.
    and i am the total opposite of it for i’m definitely going to copy this. bought myself one of those v&r blouses on ebay just recently. maybe i’ll try buttons instead of badges.

  48. AHH THOSE TIGHTS.
    drool. i absolutely adore this outfit, it is fabulous…not too over-cluttered, despite all the pins, which makes it a total standout i think because it’s so interesting at the same time. i’d love to see what it looks like with some bright shoes though, to tie in more with the pins.

  49. Love this look – but as queen of practicality…. would you have to take off all the pins before washing???

  51. Yikes…that’s what my boyf said when he saw the number of comments on a post about badges. Then again, it is the simple things that strike a chord….
    Gem Fatale: That doesn’t even make sense…what a stooopid thing to write!
    Imelda: Ho ho ho… puntastic…
    Dru: That’s sad about your badge…if I lost one or two of these ones, I wouldn’t be peed off…it’s the special ones like your one that I’d be grrr about…
    Hannah: Your blog address seems to be wrong… hmmm… email me!
    Miss et la Playa: Linked! I’ve sorted out Euro Blogs to split them up by country/region… clever eh?
    Dudblank: Wow…that dress is amazing! I love surfing rarevintage…if only just to dream…
    Selina: I forced my boyf to iron it for me because it was so damn laborious….
    Stevie: Yes, it will leave the shirt holey but I don’t intend to take them off unless I wash the shirt…which answers Jane’s shirt..
    However, providing I don’t stain the shirt, Febreezing it will freshen it up as I prob won’t wear it frequently…
    Marian: Brighter shoes are on the agenda!
    Thanks everyone by the way… it’s not so much a weird idea as a random one…Paperchase does inspire me in weird ways…

  53. those badges are so pretty, I need to raid my local paperchase. God, I remember my own eastpack sack, graffiti-ed in inky scrawls and obscure little badges. This is such a cool use of them though, nicely disassociated from all school-bag memories. Although I have to second concerns of practicality!

  54. This is too wonderful! When are you going to give up your day job and go full time as London’s next big stylist? 🙂

  55. I felt compelled to leave a comment after seeing this outfit. It appeals to me so much, amazingly inventive, cute without being too cutesy. I love it!

  56. Hi Susie, What a fab outfit. I’m a real sucker for pin badges myself and I used to carry a bag covered in so many of them it was almost too heavy to lift!
    I agree with the previous poster: the defined heart shape looks so much more original than the random arrangements of pins you usually see. Very bold, and a real case of “more is more” I feel.
    Keep up the good work!
    SkinnyWolf x

  60. c,
    my problem is, i wear that,
    and all i get is grief.
    along the lines of “oh great. here comes landis in another one of his inventions”.
    i think it helps that you’re a girl.
    yep. that’s it. it’s the girl thing.

  61. Rhiannon: Oh I don’t know about that…. I have enough trouble just styling myself really!
    headmistress: Did you use Tippex as well on the backpack? Hands up!
    SkinnyWolf: I never did random pins on clothes…. this is actually the first time I used pins on any clothing for a loooong time.
    thetwodogblog: Thank you for your recent slew of comments…glad you like the blog! Pins are so not a girl thing! I say take the grief and soldier on!

  64. I miss paperchase so much ;_;
    hopefully if I get into a uk placement from my canadian uni I can once again revel in the loveliness that is paperchase..
    that being said..I love it!
    The badges add such a wonderful effect!
    and the leggings + shoes = love times infinity.
    …although I have to admit I would not recommend anyone hug you…what if a pin came loose? ouch! (haha)

  68. I guess you could say I’m “new” to your particular blog. I discovered it while reading Jazzi McG’s blog on blogspot.com …
    Now, to be straightforward, I love the way you’ve decorated that H&M shirt with those buttons. It inspires me to do the same and, moreover, inspires me to do something particularly DIY. Unfortunately, I’m not very good with any sort of stitching; I’ve got the creativity, but I’m no good with anything that requires sewing. That’s partially why this project of yours is such a great idea.
    I know this post seems a little disoriented, but, I just wanted to compliment your work and creativity.
    Toodles.

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