Corsage - Properly Pinning

Dear Dr. Dave and Dr. Dee,

Should a corsage be pinned with the flowers up or down (stem down or up)? Also, how far above the shoulder should the corsage be? Is there a trick to putting the pin through the stem so that the corsage doesn't flop around?

Signed,

Pin Problems

Dear Pin Problems,

A corsage should be pinned with the flowers up as if they were in a vase. The flowers of the corsage can be placed anywhere from slightly above the left shoulder to several inches below the shoulder. A good rule of thumb is to place the corsage over the collarbone, at a slight angle away from the face.

The pin does not go through the stem, but goes over the stem tightly at an angle. To accomplish this, first push the pin through the fabric near the bottom of the stem and weave it back out again. Then the pin crosses over the stem at an angle (not straight across) and pinned through the fabric and woven back out again, ending up hidden underneath the corsage. The pin and stem should look more like an X and not a +. If the pin is not tight across the stem, then try again. You will end up with two pin holes on either side of the stem. For a large corsage two pins will be needed, crossing over each other making an X.

Elegance in Bloom at www.eleganceinbloom.com provides these detailed instructions for pinning on a corsage.

How to pin on and wear a corsage:

1. With one hand behind the corsage and the other holding the stem of the corsage, flowers facing away from the wearer and toward you, place the corsage at a slight angle on the dress or lapel. This is an average of about 4 inches in from the tip of the left shoulder.

2. Make sure that the corsage is evenly placed on the lapel before attempting to pin it.

3. Use a Corsage Pin to pin into the fabric at the bottom left corner of the stem.

4. Weave the pin back out from under the fabric. Push it through about 1 inch, laying it at an angle over the top of the corsage stem.

5. Stick the tip of the pin back into the fabric on the other side of the stem. Insure that the stem is tightly in place with the length of the pin pushing it down.

6. Weave the pin back out of the fabric once more. Be sure that the very tip of the pin does not stick out, nor does it poke under the fabric and touch the skin.

7. Repeat this process with the Corsage pin at the top left corner of the stem, just under the heads of the flowers. Two Corsage pins will help to support the weight of heavy flowers on delicate attire.

For more information about corsages pinning, see www.eleganceinbloom.com