This Vancouver PR Pro Owns 187 Brooches — Not That She’s Counting

Jill Killeen has never considered herself a collector. In fact, when FASHION reached out to the principal of Killeen Communication Strategies about being featured, she was shocked. “Doesn’t everyone have 187 brooches?” she laughs. They certainly do not.

Killeen, who grew up in a small town in New Brunswick, doesn’t describe her childhood home as a particularly fashionable one but shares that both of her grandmothers took their style quite seriously. She likens her maternal one to Midge from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in that she was a quintessential ’50s woman. “She was always in a skirt and sweater — I rarely saw her in pants.”

Killeen would often borrow her grandmother’s book on royalty and pore over the pages that featured Grace Kelly. She was so inspired that she admits to sneaking into the matriarch’s room and trying on the small tiara she kept hidden in a set of drawers. “It was the first piece of truly sparkling jewellery that I ever saw,” she reflects. “I was instantly captivated by it.”

While Killeen certainly got her soft spot for sparkles from her mom’s mom, it was her paternal grandmother who first introduced her to the wonderful world of pins — albeit the big floral kind à la Carrie Bradshaw. But it wasn’t until Killeen was in her late teens and going to school in Toronto that she purchased her first “real” brooch. “It was probably around $20, but back in the mid-’80s, that was all my grocery money for a week so I had to have a layaway plan,” she laughs.

Fast-forward a few years (after a move to Vancouver) and Killeen has become a bona fide brooch biographer. Her expertise is unparalleled; she effortlessly labels and describes each stone and the significance of its design as if she were a museum curator conducting a tour. Her collection is mainly concentrated on pieces from the 1950s (consider it her maternal grandmother’s influence), with an emphasis on Canadian costume-jewellery designer Gustave Sherman. Her bejewelled bounty also includes items from more modern masterminds, like Alan Anderson, whom Killeen used to work with. “I was never paid in money; I was paid with jewellery — and that worked out just fine for me,” she laughs.

Killeen finds other brooches at vintage stores and online marketplaces like eBay. The key, she says, is never to go searching for something specific. “When I’m looking at a tray of pins, I very quickly know which one I want,” she reveals. “It’s an immediate connection — I’m drawn to it.”

What exactly is she drawn to? She says, staying true to her younger self: “It’s the sparkle, the design and the way the pieces make me feel. When you put on something that makes you feel powerful, you believe you can take on the world. I hope that every time I walk into a room, I’m making a statement. I want what I’m wearing to start great conversations, and I’ve met some great people because of that.”

As such, Killeen’s advice for those who want to jump on the brooch bandwagon is to start with something that you love, even if it’s small. “People think that these pieces should be saved for special occasions, but I have no fear wearing them every day,” she says. “Brooches are accessible at all levels. Find your entry point, and if it makes you feel special, wear it.”

Photography by Mackenzie Walker

Coat, Sandro. Dress, Christine Lingerie. Hair and makeup by Allison Giroday/Nobasura Artist Management. Photography by Mackenzie Walker

Vest, Dolce & Gabbana at Mine & Yours. Top, Sandro. Hair and makeup by Allison Giroday/Nobasura Artist Management. Photography by Mackenzie Walker

Blazer, Versace. Photography by Mackenzie Walker

Photography by Mackenzie Walker

Photography by Mackenzie Walker

Photography by Mackenzie Walker

Top, Sandro. Hair and makeup by Allison Giroday/Nobasura Artist Management. Photography by Mackenzie Walker

Photography by Mackenzie Walker

Top, Sandro. Hair and makeup by Allison Giroday/Nobasura Artist Management. Photography by Mackenzie Walker

1/10

Colour theory

With 187 brooches, storage is a big concern for Killeen. She currently organizes them by colour on padded jewellery trays, but she has grand plans for a custom cabinet. “They really should be on display,” she shares. “They’re individual works of art.”

2/10

Size matters

After years of working with Alan Anderson and wearing his pieces (like this grape-inspired pin), Killeen has completely lost her sense of size. “At first, I thought they were far too big, but now I’m like, ‘Do you have anything bigger?’” she laughs.

3/10

The favourites

“If I were to pick my three favourite stones, I would probably say topaz, the pinks and the greens,” says Killeen of this pin by Alan Anderson. Just don’t ask her to pick a favourite brooch. “I don’t have one. Each one has a different feel.”

4/10

Suit up

If Killeen were to have a uniform, it would be a fitted suit accessorized with brooches. She lists Princess Diana and Grace Kelly as her primary fashion icons, describing her own style as “refined and tailored with a bit of sass.”

5/10

Red alert

“Red Sherman brooches are very rare,” reveals Killeen. “The siam-red Swarovski crystal was hard to make, due to its iron-oxide content, so many of them broke during the manufacturing process. In fact, up to half of the red crystals could be broken in a single batch.”

6/10

London calling

This collector doesn’t mind a few signs of wear and tear. In fact, she prefers it. She found this pin in a market in London, England, and despite the fact that it’s missing a few pearls, it still remains one of her faves. “If this brooch could talk, it would tell you a story,” she smiles. “When it has signs of aging, it means that it was a much-loved piece.”

7/10

Grandmothers know best

Inspired by her maternal grandmother’s sense of style (she’s pictured here) and her paternal one’s love of rosette pins, Killeen bought her first brooch when she was a teenager. “I saw it at Toronto’s Bayview Village and I just fell in love with it,” she shares.

8/10

A bug’s life

Although the collector loves a big brooch, she’s not afraid to downsize when the occasion calls for it. “I was so fascinated by this bug because it’s so small,” she says of this pin by Andy, the “Bugman from Toronto.” “It’s the intricate detail that intrigues me.”

9/10

It’s complicated

Killeen is not a casual brooch connoisseur. For all of her pieces, she can easily identify each and every detail. For example, she says this Alan Anderson clip in 14-karat yellow gold features clear and emerald unfoiled Swarovski crystals from the 1950s and rare opaque 1960s angel skin coral.

10/10

Morning mood

With so many clips in her closet, the collector sometimes struggles getting dressed in the morning. “It depends on my mood,” Killeen says of whether she chooses the brooch or the clothes first. “It’s a give-and-take.”

This article first appeared in FASHION’s Winter 2024 issue. Find out more here.

The post This Vancouver PR Pro Owns 187 Brooches — Not That She’s Counting appeared first on FASHION Magazine.