Can I Wear a Lapel Pin on my Shirt Collar?

Let’s get the quick answer out of the way: for men, lapel pins should be worn on the left lapel of your suit jacket or blazer, preferably inserted into the lapel buttonhole. If your jacket doesn’t have a lapel buttonhole, just position the pin in the area where the buttonhole would be. The lapel pin should not be worn on your shirt collar. For women, the rules of fashion can be interpreted a bit more broadly: pins should be worn on the lapel if you’re also wearing a jacket, but they can also be worn on scarves and, on rare occasions, the left portion of your shirt collar.

If you’ve seen what you thought was a lapel pin being worn on a shirt collar, it was probably a completely separate fashion accessory: a collar pin. While they can bear a resemblance to lapel pins, collar pins are notable in that they’re worn in pairs, usually linked by a chain, which creates a symmetrical appearance compared to the asymmetry of lapel pins. They also serve a practical purpose, allowing you to draw the tabs of your collar closer together for a tighter, more focused look. On rare occasions you might see a lapel pin used to fasten a collar together, but for formal outfits, always wear the pin on your lapel.

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