Introducing the trophy lapel pin: a new style flex for men

Telegraph

20-03-2025

James Bond had no truck with an affectation like lapel pins, although he is occasionally fond of a corsage in his button hole. They could be lethal, you see. In the Pierce Brosnan-era The World Is Not Enough film, the opening action scene involves a British aristo who comes to regret his fondness for a family heirloom lapel pin; the trinket has been swapped for a replica planted with a transmitter that sparks an explosion. At least it's a rather stylish way to go.
The peacockery of the red carpet parade at this year's Oscars was rather less explosive, although just as bombastic and impactful in terms of making a statement in terms of how men dress. It wasn't quite a vintage season in terms of boundary pushing on the men, but one unifying factor across the dress code spectrum, from the more outré outfits to the classic Armani tuxedos, was that most actors opted for a handsome lapel pin, stud or brooch on their dinner jacket.
From the more experimental Colman Domingo donning a Boucheron golden curl and Adrien Brody in a lavish Elsa Jin fan of feathers with his Giorgio Armani tuxedo, to the more discreet pair of Tiffany ruby cherries dangling from Robert Downey Jr's lapel and Sebastian Stan in a sparkling Cartier cluster, there was a subtle glint on the jackets of the best dressed fellows.
Of course, their fashion presence is always somewhat eclipsed by the fairytale gowns and opulent jewels on the leading ladies, but it was a way to add a touch of sparkle without going full Liberace. Lapel pins and brooches have featured on red carpets for a while now – see the BAFTAs and Golden Globes – and it seems that every black tie dinner I go to (how very fancy of me), there's a veritable constellation of gemstones on men's evening attire. Men's etail behemoth Mr Porter has seen a rise in searches for lapel pins by 351 per cent in the last six months; sportswear out, sparkle in, it seems.
'A lapel pin lends a classic navy or black blazer a focal point and it's a very easy and instant way to add a touch of glamour and formality,' says Charles Leung, the chief executive of French jewellery house Chaumet. 'They are also a great way to add humour and whimsy, and they're a great conversation starter too.'
Chaumet is a particular case in point; the house creates delicate gold bees to sit cheerfully on your lapel, and Leung says the brand has seen male customers – often in store with their wives who are doing the buying of their ultra high net worth jewels – opting for floral lapel pins.
The subject of men's jewellery is an expansive one, a topic that could fill an annal (and in fact has), from the rubies of Henry VIII to the pearls of the Maharajas, the diamonds of the court of Louis XVI to the lothario lounge crooner gold chains of the 1970s (not to mention Gen Z boys today taking up grandma's Sunday best pearls thanks to Harry Styles and other belwethers).
Traditionally, a certain breed of man – rather blue blood, namely – would wear little more than a signet ring with a family crest, passed on for generations. But lapel pins are a different beast, because they're the final, ritzy flourish on a formal wardrobe – they demand a stately lapel, usually on a black tie dinner jacket, set against satin or grosgrain silk notch lapel. It's a statement of intent that you've made an effort and want a final flourish to add a certain oomph.
'I think men's pins in the past served a practical purpose as they were generally used to hold a stock or cravat in place, and were not generally very extravagant,' says perfumier Roja Dove, who's no stranger to a handsome lapel pin. 'The exceptions to that rule would be wearing an honour of some sort – aristocracy certainly ornamented their clothes and showed social status and position through their adornment, which is still the case.'
'I have worn lapel pins for years; I think they are a wonderful expression of an aspect of our character and I love the fact that people find them surprising, but also captivating. Without question, a pin makes a social statement. The mere act of wearing one reveals something of your views and thoughts on society, albeit often in a subconscious way. Each of the pins I have has a very personal sentimental attachment. Particularly one that was a gift from my life partner Peter.'
Not all lapel pins are created equal. If you're inclined but uninitiated, start small; a neat little pin in silver, which is more classically 'masculine' than a sunny gold iteration. I tend to add a pin in bronze, as it happens, because it looks rather antiquated and more like an heirloom than a new piece of trinketry (which it is, albeit some eight years old).
As to wearing brooches, if you've got the moxy then by all means go for it, although employ caution not through fear of looking too dandyish but in terms of practicality and what they can do to that pristine silk lapel. For a recent wedding, for example, I was firmly advised against putting a particularly lavish brooch through a lapel (by a Dunhill tailor, no less) because the back pin was too heavy duty to puncture through the fabric without damaging it.
Not quite as deadly as nefarious trickery with exploding transmitters, but rather violent to your princely tailoring in its own way. Read the lapel.
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