After years of subdued red carpet accessorizing, men’s jewelry has recently been commanding attention. Celebrities are proving the point this awards season in Los Angeles, donning bold jewelry that livens up the most classic suit or tuxedo.
At the Critics’ Choice Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards, held earlier this month, one jewel stood firmly in the spotlight: the brooch.
Spotted both at the award shows and their attendant after parties, actors Jeremy Allen White, Robert Downey Jr., and Kieran Culkin were just a few of the big names donning brooches and lapel pins.
Jewels Aficionado–Wrist Aficionado’s division dedicated to new, estate, and antique fine jewelry for men and women–helped outfit celebs in the current jewelry trend, gracing the likes of “Fargo” and “New Girl” actor Lamorne Morris, “Extended Family” and “Two and a Half Men”’s Jon Cryer, and “Game of Thrones” and “The Last Of Us” actress Bella Ramsey.
The Power of the Brooch: A Style Breakdown
While a smart wristwatch is to be expected in men’s formalwear looks, a brooch is a surefire way to make a style statement. The look is surprisingly user-friendly and easy to get right. Opting out of one’s comfort zone in terms of suiting styles, colors, or patterns can be daunting and requires a sartorial leap of faith. Experimenting with accessories, however, is far more non-committal, allowing one to lean into their classic dress favorites and simply add a new element.
Take Jeremy Allen White’s Critics’ Choice Award look. “The Bear” actor embraced an all-black ensemble with a Saint Lauren pin-stripe suit worn over a black shirt, and black dress shoes. Without accessories, the versatile outfit would have been lacking point-of-view, especially for an award nominee, as White was up for “Best Actor in a Comedy Series.”
White’s monochrome outfit didn’t lack panache, however, thanks to a Tiffany & Co. Elsa Peretti “Amapola” brooch–meaning “Poppy” in Spanish–made of 18-karat yellow gold and red silk. The red pop of color provided visual interest and contrast. The brooch served as a statement piece and made the overall look feel more formal. White won the Critics’ Choice Award that evening with an outfit befitting a winner.
Examples of men’s jewelry, including brooches, date back thousands of years. The earliest metal brooch iterations originated in the Bronze Age between 3,500 and 1,200 B.C.E., when brooches and pins likely served not just decorative but also functional purposes as closures for garments.
It’s only in the last century that the style has remained on the outskirts of men’s formal dressing, with ties, watches, and cufflinks serving as go-to accessories.
As witnessed so far this awards season, brooches and lapel pins provide an entirely new mood to men’s fashion, allowing for further style experimentation and exploration. Embed from Getty Images
A brooch’s overall effect can be subtle, without veering into maximalist fashion. See: Robert Downey Jr.’s tasteful diamond brooch at the Critics’ Choice Awards, above. Similarly, a statement-making suit, like Kieran Culkin’s teal Zegna number at the awards show (below), is, if anything, tempered by the accompanying Martin Katz opal and diamond lapel pin.
As in White’s case, brooches can also make an outfit. At the Emmys, Ke Huy Quan’s Cartier Art Deco brooch with diamonds, black enamel, and carved ruby completely elevated the actor’s tuxedo, distinguishing it from a sea of penguin suits.
At the Critics’ Choice Awards, Lamorne Morris of “Fargo” season five and “New Girl” fame was a red carpet winner thanks to expert styling from Danielle Premone Kirkwood.
The actor and stylist chose Jewels Aficionado antique brooches for the occasion.
In a move similar to White’s, Morris let his accessories do the talking. A sleek all-black Dolce & Gabbana suit was the perfect subdued backdrop for a major brooch moment.
Morris paired Jewels Aficionado’s antique diamond, emerald, and platinum brooch with a second Jewels Aficionado antique diamond brooch, this one in platinum with Old Mine Cut diamonds.
The look conveyed stylistic confidence without being over-the-top or loud for the sake of garnering attention. Rather, it communicated an artist’s approach to getting dressed through the complementary shapes of the more finely detailed brooch at top with the bold and simplistic style of brooch at bottom.
Morris’ ensemble was arguably the best menswear look of the night. His sartorial winning streak continued the following evening at the Emmy Awards Walt Disney afterparty, where he again donned a Jewels Aficionado brooch atop his blue velvet tuxedo.
This time, Morris’s accessory strategy entailed pairing his more statement-making clothing with a Jewels Aficionado antique diamond, sapphire, and platinum brooch that held its own without competing. The accessories-and-clothing combo created a balance of bold energy, à la Kieran Culkin.
Getting dressed, even for a formal event, doesn’t have to require such elaborate calculations, though.
Jon Cryer provides the perfect example of how accessible brooches can be. At the Emmy Awards, the actor who first rose to fame in the 1980s and has reliably appeared on T.V. screens ever since, enlisted a classic accessory repertoire.
He adorned his tuxedo with a black bow tie, a white pocket square, and a Jewels Aficionado antique platinum, diamond, and pearl brooch. The brooch’s nearly aerodynamic shape perfectly accented the actor’s lapel.
Cryer’s outfit showed one needn’t rethink their entire evening wear formula when incorporating a brooch into the look. Instead, a brooch effortlessly mixes with what a man already owns.
Lest one think that the debonair brooch-and-tux combination is only reserved for men, actress Bella Ramsey expertly put that idea to rest at the Emmys HBO after party.
The “Game of Thrones” and “Last Of Us” alum was another celebrity who opted for Jewels Aficionado during her red carpet tour.
At the HBO affair, Ramsey sported a classic tuxedo with black bow tie. She wore a bold Jewels Aficionado antique platinum and diamond brooch to up the outfit’s wow factor.
The brooch’s swirling rows of diamonds were that much more pleasing to the eye when juxtaposed with her suit’s sharp lines.
Furthermore, the look reiterated the recent trend of genderless dressing, in which old style dictates are irrelevant in the name of creativity, expression, and personal taste. Today, tastemaking men are donning watches and jewelry that in previous years were women’s domain, while women likewise embrace aspects of style that used to be for men only.