As seen at this year's Oscars, brooches a must-have fashion accessory for men

Celebrities like Cillian Murphy (left) and Robert Downey Jr all accessorised with a statement brooch. Photo composite: The New York Times

War, labour strikes and a thorny political season made scant inroads at the 2024 Academy Awards, where branding trumped protest and jewelled ornaments far outnumbered cease-fire pins.

As the most traditional of award shows returned to its roots as a glorified trade affair (ginned up 96 years ago as a way of pacifying above-the-line talent in the wake of the unionising then gaining a foothold in moviedom), praise was near universal for the return to old Hollywood glamour.