At the Academy Awards, the tentpole film and fashion event of the year, the red carpet doubles as a catwalk, welcoming stars draped in the latest duds and dripping in diamonds. Red-carpet fashion is usually made interesting by the sheer force of women who set out to dazzle in dramatic gowns and jewels of unconscionable size. Most men wear penguin suits that pass muster, and while we love a tuxedo, to stand out in a sea of black and white, stars and their stylists have breached the fashion column insidiously through the humble lapel.
Boutonnières and brooches are all the rage this season, glittering and glimmering on stars of all stripes. Here are some of our favourite ones from the red carpet at the Oscars 2024.
Cillian Murphy in Sauvereign
Let’s top this list with the man of the moment: Cillian Murphy. It was a given that the titular star of Oppenheimer would go home with the golden statuette, and as the Irish gent hit the red carpet in a custom-made Atelier Versace suit, we did take note of the burst of gold on his lapel. His single-breasted suit was pinned with Sauvereign’s HS14 gem brooch in a burst of radiant guilloché. Bertrand Mak, founder and chief creator of the house, fashioned an 18-carat yellow-gold brooch composed of eight concentric trapeziums. A clever nod to the shape of interior components in Oppenheimer’s invention, the brooch was hand-cut, hand-finished, and assembled by legendary grandmaster Kari Voutilainen. From Hong Kong to Hollywood, it’s an intricate piece, with a level of finesse one expects from this brand of note.
Robert Downey Jr in Tiffany & Co.
Another one for Oppenheimer, the man most comfortable in his own shoes was winner Robert Downey Jr, who was honoured with the award for Best Supporting Actor. Downey Jr looked slick in his Saint Laurent suit studded with a Tiffany & Co. brooch. We’ve got to hand it to the stylist who found this Elsa Peretti Amapola brooch in yellow gold and black silk with pavé diamonds—a work of sculptural art in precious material.
Matthew McConaughey in Cindy Chao The Art Jewel
Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey has never been shy of hues, pattern, or print when it comes to red-carpet dressing. As expected, he opted to colour outside the lines for the Oscars 2024. Instead of the usual black-and-white standard, McConaughey went with a chocolate-brown suit to look “all right, all right, all right” on the red carpet. While his suit absorbed the flashlight, what glistened on camera was a yellow diamond ribbon brooch from the White Label Collection by Cindy Chao The Art Jewel; the emerald-cut, fancy vivid yellow diamond surrounded by a phalanx of 886 rubies is, quite simply, stunning.
Teo Yoo x Cartier
Past Lives star Teo Yoo wore a custom, double-breasted, navy Louis Vuitton suit with black satin lapels and an uncomplicated white shirt, but fans were getting nostalgic about his Cartier tortoise brooch from the Cartier Collection (ca. 2002). A precious stone surrounded by diamonds and emerald eyes, the brooch was set in white gold. (The actor lost his pet turtle recently and honoured his beloved companion’s memory with this gentle nod.) While the fan club has been tearing up, we’re just mesmerised by the size of that centre stone.
Michelle Yeoh in Cindy Chao The Art Jewel
Oh wow, take a bow, Michelle Yeoh. Last year, Oscar winner Yeoh reminded every woman not to “let anyone tell you you’re past your prime,” a mighty leonine roar heard the world over. In 2024, it was an unspoken reminder of the same as she won the Best Dressed list with not one, but two glamorous ensembles. We are on bended knee as the former beauty queen ruled the red carpet yet again in Balenciaga and a dazzling accessory that’s one for the ages: the Lumière Feather brooch from the Black Label Masterpiece collection from Cindy Chao The Art Jewel. This heart-shaped 19.14-carat diamond is accentuated by a further 2,419 diamonds in white, yellow, and brown hues which total a staggering 189.15 carats.
Ke Huy Quan in Cartier
Ke Huy Quan may have given the most tear-filled speech last year, but this award season, he was all smiles in a Giorgio Armani suit (a perennial Oscar favourite) and a Cartier brooch. The Chevron clip brooches that lined his suit are a vintage select from 1938, and are decked in sapphires, diamonds, and clipped in white gold, from the Cartier Tradition collection.
James Marsden in David Yurman
Straight out of the pages of a dapper men’s magazine, James Marsden can work a suit like few others. The fine actor was wearing a Dunhill number, and the polished perfection of the Bourdon peak-lapel evening jacket, crafted from black wool barathea, is something to talk about. His pièce de résistance was a burst of diamonds from David Yurman (a name we often see at the Oscars) that was pinned carefully on the actor’s left lapel.
Barry Keoghan in Boucheron
While many are still talking about that scene in Saltburn, Barry Keoghan wore a dazzling Rose brooch from Boucheron to subsume all attention on the humble boutonniere. Featuring platinum, gold, and red enamel and diamonds in every nook, corner, and cranny, this vintage floral piece from 1956 was a refreshing sight as we ease into spring. He also paired the brooch with a Quatre Double White Edition tie-necklace.
Celine Song in Cartier
Celine Song, nominee for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for Past Lives, wore a Loewe double-breasted cropped tuxedo jacket with an asymmetric lapel and double-layered circle skirt. A golden elephant brooch from the Cartier Collection completed the look. From 1996, there are yellow sapphires and emeralds in the mix.
Ncuti Gatwa in Tiffany & Co.
Ncuti Gatwa, the Rwandan-Scottish actor known for leading the latest iteration of Doctor Who, wore a Tiffany & Co. brooch featuring 18-carat yellow gold and platinum with a tanzanite centre stone of 41 carats, flanked by diamonds. The actor’s dazzling smile, made famous by his Netflix dramedy Sex Education, was of equal charm, but as many fashion columnists have noted, the jewellery game on the young star is always on point.
Justin Timberlake in Tiffany & Co.
Justin Timberlake has rocked the awards stage before with a musical performance, but this year, he made an impression with his Tiffany & Co. L’Envol Wing brooch studded with 260 brilliant diamonds and 10 precious pearls. His suit was Fendi—always a good bet for the occasion—and the overall style, bringing sexy back, was elevated by the floral cluster of freshwater pearls, an ornate signature to complete the full look.
John Krasinski in Tiffany & Co.
John Krasinski wearing an all-white suit to the Oscars threw us off a little at first—until we saw the funnyman with his beautiful wife, Oscar nominee Emily Blunt. Beaming on the red carpet in matchy-matchy colours, the pair looked good together as the light bounced off the “floral arrows” from Krasinski’s Tiffany & Co. brooch. The purple sapphire was the star in the centre, but the white gold arrows dusted with diamonds did all the heavy lifting.
Damson Idris in Chopard
Damson Idris selected a diamond brooch from Chopard’s Haute Joaillerie Collection (and a ring from the Ice Cube Collection). Well, to be precise, the brooch was part of a pendant on a diamond-studded necklace, which was disengaged and fashioned as an accessory for Idris’s monochrome suit. Miuccia Prada dressed Idris for the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, the hottest ticket in town which famously marks the end of award season.
All images courtesy of the respective brands or jewellers unless otherwise credited.
