Yves Saint Laurent for Avon. Van Gogh style sunflowers, Impressionist’s Flower Pin, 1992

 My first reaction to this brooch was “yikes, it’s so big and gaudy”. I wondered where it came from, who purchased it and who wore it. Later, I found it in the brooch section of the book, “Identifying Avon Jewelry” by Sandra Sturdivant, page 153. Impressionist’s Flower Pin. 1992. $15.00. “Graceful vase of colorful flowers in epoxy enamel.”  

   I don’t remember what I was searching for but I came across this brooch on Etsy: “Yves Saint Laurent for Avon. Van Gogh style sunflowers, Impressionist’s Flower Pin, 1992. The owner claims it’s VERY RARE. $180.00. 

    Google. Yves Saint Laurent for Avon Van Gogh. There’s a full page of photos and various prices from 129.97 to 300.00. I found it more than 17 times so it’s not VERY RARE. 

   One thing to remember about AVON. How many Avon representatives are in the United States? There are over 564,422 avon sales representatives currently employed in the United States (Sep 9, 2022). Avon reps usually purchase samples of the items featured in a campaign so it would be unusual for any item to be VERY RARE. 

   I’ve decided to keep the brooch as a conversation piece. I put it on one of my purses.

   Interesting side note. “For his Spring-Summer 1988 collection, Yves Saint Laurent paid tribute to Vincent Van Gogh by recreating his paintings “Irises” and “Sunflowers” on jackets embroidered by the Maison Lesage. The couturier created so many nuances and details in the flowers that each jacket required over six hundred hours of work, making them some of the most expensive pieces in the world.”

   Naomi Campbell wears the jacket at the Yves Saint Laurent spring 1988 haute couture show in Paris. Photo: Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris / Guy Marineau.