Jack - Take your plaid and draw it through the left-hand epaulet on your jacket and then pull it just another half an inch below where you want it. Open the brooch, put the pin behind the plaid, close the brooch over the plaid, and then tug it snugly up against the epaulet. I point the pin out to the left. Occasionally during the event I'll tug the plaid again to keep it snug. Otherwise, take a big safety pin and pin it to the left front of your jacket in line with the epaulet and the bend pointing up. Take your brooch, open it, thread the brooch's pin through the bend of the safety pin, draw the plaid over the brooch pin, and close the brooch. Good luck.