How to Wear Cuff links? (October 16, 2007)

Cufflinks are not ordinary fashion accessories. A step above the utilitarian button, a cufflink evokes a more elegant era, a time when beauty rather than convenience was the prevailing rule of attire. This anachronistic quality makes cufflinks a bold fashion statement by modern wearers. A cufflinks wearer could be expressing a greater awareness of the nuances of style, an appreciation of more formal or traditional apparel, or simply a desire to stand out from the crowd. Whatever statement you're making with cufflinks, it¡¯s important that such a bold statement be made correctly. Let¡¯s begin with the shirt.

Cufflinks should never be worn with shirts or blouses that have only cuff buttons. A cufflinks-appropriate shirt will feature holes on each side of the cuff rather than a single hole and button (with the exception of tuxedo shirts, which provide both a button and adjacent buttonhole). Cufflinks are traditionally worn with French cuff dress shirts, also known as link cuffs or double cuffs. An important thing to note about French cuffs is their size. The single cuff dress shirt is so common in the U.S. that the term is seldom even used here. A double cuff shirt has additional fabric at the sleeve end, creating a more dramatic (and sometimes flared) look that emphasizes your cufflinks.

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