Hasta La Ideas

Vintage neckties upcycled into cheeky rosette brooches

“I’m a sucker for odds and ends,” says Boston-based fashion designer Nicole Deponte. So when she inherited a trash bag full of one-of-a-kind vintage neckties in 2009, what started “as a happy accident”—an experiment with a belt—”grew into a ruffled collection of innovative accessories” called Lilian Asterfield.

Among the line’s original scarves, hats and headbands, Deponte’s hand-sewn rosette brooches put a particularly feminine twist on the source material. The exaggerated poof of the accessory reinvents the meaning of a power tie for today’s dandy, looking equally fitting playfully paired with an ’80s suit as it would with a more modern cut. Although Lilian Asterfield launches a new collection each season, the label prides itself on not being season or gender specific.

The brooches retail for around $25, and sells online through Etsy or Nicole’s site directly.