What Is a Lapel Pin?
A lapel pin, as its name denotes, is a small pin that is typically worn on the lapel of a gentleman’s blazer or suit jacket. They feature the pin or blade itself, which is inserted into a fabric, and the head of the pin, which can be simple and round. Sometimes the pin head can be in a faux pearl effect, or feature an emblem, insignia or other form of picture or icon. They can also feature flowers in multiple colours or any number of metallic or bejewelled designs. Lapel pins are also sometimes referred to as enamel pins, as their faces are often made with enamel or an enamel effect.
How Else Can One Use a Lapel Pin?
It can also be worn on the breast pocket of a shirt or on a jersey. A lapel pin can also be affixed to a bag used by a man, such as a satchel, a man-bag or cross-body bag. Some men even opt to wear it jauntily attached to a hat such as a trilby or in a beret. The choice of colours of lapel pins you can choose for your wardrobe ise immense, and plays a part too in where and why you wear them. Gold or gold-accented lapel pins can be exquisite in either fabric or metallic designs. Unsurprisingly, silver[VB4] is often the colour and metallic effect of choice for a serene and classic accessory.
How Can a Lapel Pin Be Worn?
The angle at which a lapel pin is worn is entirely at a man’s discretion. Some men may opt for the pin to be pinned straight, with the pin head at an almost perfect 90-degree angle. This is often the case when worn on a lapel or other article of clothing, and the effect is smart and more formal. On the other hand, lapel pins are often stuck in at different angles when affixed to a bag of any type or any type of hat, for that matter. The effect is more casual, as if the lapel win was affixed as a quirky afterthought.
The lapel pin can be stuck in, whereby the blade part of the pin will be either invisible or only slightly visible. This ensures that the focus is solely on the pin head. That is how they are typically stuck into a lapel, scarf or other clothing. The opposite can be true of lapel pins used for hats or bags, whereby more of the blade is shown. Once again, this is often done for an effect that is more casual, even jaunty.
Why Do Men Wear Lapel Pins?
There are many reasons why a man may decide to don a lapel pin. Typically, they are worn for decorative or aesthetic purposes. They can add a dash of character to a man’s attire or look or simply make an outfit appear more stylish and complete.
Weddings are probably the most common occasions in which men wear lapel pins. Whether it’s the groom, the best man or a guest at the event, a lapel pin can take a gentleman’s wedding attire to the next level. Being that one is typically dressed to the nines at a wedding, it makes sense that the lapel pin you wear is flashier and eye-catching than your classic, understated lapel pin. Some men may choose to wear a pin with a flower in fabric in just about any colour or shade. Other men opt for a metallic and bejewelled lapel pin[VB6] with a hummingbird, a leopard’s head, a dragon or any number of other dazzling choices! Lapel pins with a flower in glass beading can also be a head-turner at any wedding or special occasion.
Then there are those lapel pins that are worn by some men for very specific reasons, as a way of signalling to others an affiliation, belief or other statement that the man has or wishes to make. These more specific lapel pins can include:
An allegiance or patriotic pin, such as those depicting the flag of a country, something that is particularly common among American men, and especially worn by American politicians and leaders.
- A commemorative pin, used to commemorate a specific date, event or anniversary, an example of which are the poppy pins used by many British men every November to honour the soldiers of World War I.
- A sporting pin, which is typically worn by fans of a given sports team or club, whether world-famous or a local sports organisation.
- A fraternal or collegiate pin, such as that worn by a student or alumnus of a university, college or fraternal body that he belongs to or once did.
- A political or social cause pin, commonly worn by men who have strong affiliation to or even membership of a political party or to denote support of a given social movement, such as ecological or social justice issues.
- A religious or sectarian pin, worn to by those who adhere to a specific religious order or sect.
- A chivalry pin, as worn by a man who belongs to a chivalric order. These lapel pins are typically in the form of a rosette.
- Novelty or collector pins, with the former featuring quirky designs and are worn simply for the fun of it. Collector pins are typically thematic and can have men who are serious collectors of them. For example, lapel pins featuring Disney characters have avid collectors worldwide.
Famous Men Who Wear Lapel Pins Today
There is no denying that lapel pins have made a huge comeback in recent years, largely thanks to movie stars and celebrities wearing them, often at premieres or award shows. These are just a few of those men who love their lapel pins:
- Robert Pattinson, the British star of Twilight fame, has for some years now been one of the biggest and most frequent fans of using lapel pins;
- Timothée Chalamet, another younger film star who has shown a penchant for using lapel pins. He even wore a Bob Dylan pin, in tribute to the iconic musician that he depicted in the biopic A Complete Unknown, for which he was nominated for an Oscar;
- Michael B. Jordan, the star of films such as Black Panther and Sinners, is known to often use diamond-studded lapel pins;
- Cillian Murphy, the Oscar-winning star of the epic biopic, Oppenheimer, is known to love wearing jewelled pins on his lapel;
- Adrien Brody is another Oscar-winning actor (he’s won two in fact) that loves wearing lapel pins for years now on the red carpet, especially of the flashier and larger persuasion;
- Ke Huy Quan, who first starred in the original Goonies film back in the 1980s and won an Oscar for his role in Everything Everywhere All At Once has been known to wear pins, including full-on brooches; and
- Jeffrey Wright, the veteran character actor (you’ll know him the moment you see him) is well-known for his affinity for jewelled flower pins.
You don’t need to be a famous actor or flashy celebrity to wear lapel pins. You can do so with the simplest and most classic of pins or splash out with a more eye-catching number. You can wear your lapel pin to add savoir-faire to your formal attire or to simply liven up your more casual look. As with any quality accessory, it’s up to you – but there is no denying just how unique lapel pins can be.