Spring’s pins are anything but prim, and make a refreshingly personal and timeless gift to a special someone, or yourself. Wear it to express a mood, channel your spirit animal or just because. More than a style statement, we also love the idea of brooch as a statement — and for this we take our cue from one of the most celebrated brooch wearers of our time (apart from Queen Elizabeth): former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She deftly used her brooches as a power message to convey foreign policy tone — from warm welcomes to warnings, depending on her audience. So famous are her brooches that they have their own exhibit titled: Read My Pins.

The modernity of the brooch can come from the pin itself or how you choose to wear it — whether you’re donning one statement maker or an artfully curated cluster on this season’s de rigueur tweed blazer. Other unexpected options we love: Add a brooch to the crisp collar of a shirt or use one to fasten the side of a dress. And, speaking, of grandma: If you have a family heirloom, absolutely add it to the mix! As with all things style, attitude is the secret sauce.