While the eyes might be the window to the soul, lapels are certainly doing some talking. On the Oscars red carpet last Sunday night, Hollywood’s leading men flashed a lot of bling on their suits.
From Adrien Brody who wore an astronomically large brooch titled Ulysses, arguably as big as the James Joyce tome is thick, to a clean-shaven Pedro Pascal, who distracted from his newly bare chin with a silk and feather Chanel Camélia brooch, lapels were vying for the spotlight.
The Spanish actor Javier Bardem used his lapels arguably most effectively with his “No a la Guerra” (No to War) badge in dripping blood-red letters and a pin showing the figure of Handala, the cartoon boy created by political cartoonist Naji Al Ali that has become an enduring symbol of Palestinian resistance.
Leonardo DiCaprio wore a vintage Boucheron bumble bee pin from 1964, which some saw as a nod to Re:wild, the conservation group he helps to lead. Wagner Moura, who was recognised for his role in The Secret Agent, wore a custom Andre Lasmar brooch inspired by the Dove of Peace. Michael B Jordan attended the Vanity Fair after-party, fresh from winning the Oscar for best actor, wearing not just one but three brooches on his brown suit.
The sheer number of brooches on show at the Oscars and throughout this awards season was so overwhelming that it led some commentators, including the stylist Chad Burton on Instagram, to question if we’d “seen too many bro brooches?”
He said: “Bro brooches seem to have been on every male celebrity stylists mood board this year for the red carpet. I’m fully down for some accessorising but please make it connect with the outfit (ie: Pedro Pascal’s Chanel flower) rather than just slap on a massive piece of metal for blings’ sake (ie: the brooch that wore Adam Brody).”
Male brooches, or lapel pins, have been quietly shimmying out of jewellery boxes for a few years now, but they have largely been the domain of the more fashion-forward of Hollywood’s men.
But they have a history that dates far further back. According to jewellery historian Rachel Church, author of Brooches and Badges, speaking to the Observer in 2023: “Before the invention of buttons, pins and brooches were essential to hold fabric together. They were often marks of status as well as useful objects. The fashion turned by the late-19th century though, and by the later 20th century most men wore hardly any jewellery.”
Although they are yet to find nearly as much traction off the red carpet, according to the Hatton Garden-based jewellery designer Lee Renée, who makes lapel pins in the shape of blue whales, ammonites, pigeons and pine cones, “over the past two years my men’s jewellery range of lapel pins, tie pins and cufflinks has grown more and more popular”.
She thinks that “men are ready to have some fun with their styling now, and want to soften the formality of a suit with a fun piece of jewellery that makes them stand out from the crowd.”
For Renée, “positioning a piece of jewellery on your lapel is the perfect place, as every time you move they sparkle when they catch the light, making sure all eyes are on you”. If being the centre of attention isn’t aspirational but having a small-talk crutch is: “They’re also a great conversation starter if you’re attending a party or event.”
