Accessories with a Message

Good Morning and happy Monday, lovelies! Hope all of you had a great weekend and got some much-needed rest and relaxation.

Recently, one of my co-workers passed on an article about former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and her unique collection of brooches. I found it so interesting that I wanted to share it with you guys:

During her diplomatic tenure, Madeleine Albright found that brooches not only added a feminine touch to her male-dominated world of politico, but could also send strong messages. So much so, that her brooches--or pins as she prefers to call them--became a communication device, a visual element that offered some insight into her mood or reflection on the day's events.

She might have worn a balloon to symbolize high hopes, a turtle to convey frustration with the slowness of peace talks, or a crab to symbolize her aggravation with government policies. While Albright has been a longtime collector of pins, they didn't take on political significance until 1994 while she served as America's ambassador to the United Nations. The Iraqi press referred to her as "a serpent" after she criticized Saddam Hussein's refusal to cooperate with UN weapons inspectors, so for her next meeting with Iraqi officials, she wore a pin featuring a gold snake coiled around a branch.

In February 1996, when Cuban fighter pilots shot down two unarmed civilian aircrafts off the coast of Florida, Albright wore a bluebird pin, with the soaring bird's head pointing down instead of up to honor the pilots killed.

For Middle East peace negotiations, Albright often wore a gold dove to symbolize the hope for peace in the Holy Land. This pin was a gift from the widow of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

For a meetins with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Albright wore a trio of monkey pins symbolizing "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil," offering unspoken commentary on Russia's role in human rights violations in Chechnya.

While former president George Bush famously quipped, "Read my lips," Albright frequently told reporters to "Read my pins."

An aptly-named collection of Albright's brooches, called "Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection," opens February 15 and runs through May 31 at the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. The collection's companion book by Albright Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat's Jewel Box details the stories behind the pins.

The pin collection debuted in September at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. Little Rock will be the first stop for the traveling exhibit, which heads to Washington D.C., this summer and to Indianapolis in the fall of 2010.

"Read My Pins" features more than 200 of Albright's pins-- some she purchased herself during her many travels abroad, and others given to her by family, friends, royalty, heads of state and world leaders. The pins are grouped into 60 panels that detail Albright's early life, career and family.

Just goes to show how even a staunch political figure is just one more girl who loves her jewelry.

P.S.- Happy Birthday to my dear pal Aimee today! She's my super talented, artsy, painter friend and by far the coolest red head you'll ever meet : ) May all your b-day dreams come true, girlie-poo!