Cufflinks are the perfect gift for a man – elegant, impressive, unlikely to fail, always acceptable.
For the wearer, there is nothing that says ‘classic style’ more than a dress shirt with French cuffs held together with discreet, effective and attractive fastenings. It’s the touch of understated decoration that helps to finish a man’s look.
The cufflink is a decorative device that fastens the two sides of the cuff on a dress shirt (or a woman’s blouse – there is no reason why cufflinks should be an exclusively male option).
A cufflink generally has two elements that are connected by a single bar or a chain. One side will usually be seen more often since it will be on the outside of the shirt cuff when your arm is hanging straight down the side, and this part of the cufflink may be designed to attract with colour, shape or decoration.
The other side of the cufflink may well be smaller since it is intended to be inserted into the holes in the cuff and will normally be on the inside of the wrist where it will be less visible.
The origin of the cufflink can be traced back to the early 16th century, when gentleman wore shirts that might be finished with small openings at the bottom of the arms. “Cuff strings” were inserted through these to tie off the shirt.
This approach remained popular well into the nineteenth century, but fashionable Frenchmen in the late 17th century had started to wear shirts that replaced the cuffs with boutons de manchette – “sleeve buttons,” generally a pair of coloured glass buttons that were connected by a short length of chain links. Diamonds in purpose-designed settings and other high-grade decorations quickly supplemented the paste glass buttons.
The Industrial Revolution of the 18th century brought new materials, new manufacturing techniques and new styles of dress that could make use of them. The cufflink was a major beneficiary of these changes, with metal largely displacing the glass buttons and large-scale production eventually making the cufflink a popular choice rather than a status symbol for the rich and the famous.
Today cufflinks are versatile men’s accessories that can be worn in casual and in formal situations – though they are virtually essential for the most formal of events. While they can be very small, they can provide a massive degree of elegance and sophistication for your overall look.
Some top tips for choosing and wearing cufflinks:
• Match not just with your clothes but also with the occasion.
• Put the cufflinks in before you put the shirt on, then you can use both hands.
• Be sure to shop around online when looking for cufflinks – your local store probably won’t have the best selection. Specialist boutiques and online stores may be a better bet.
• Although they are physically small, cufflinks can say a lot. Be careful not to wear cufflinks that are either too flashy or too casual for formal occasions.
• If there is a “right” side – the outer part of the cufflink – make sure that it will be facing outwards when the dress shirt is worn.