On Style: Shirt Cuffs...

There are really four different types of shirt cuff available. Let me first do away with convertible cuffs, which are able to be fastened by button or link – they are rarer than Moomin teeth, and less often worn.

Here's a good little picture of varations of the Cuffs I'm going to talk about - notice how angle-cut varieties don't have a section of their own: thay are merely stylistic varients, and their use is down to personal preference


That leaves us with three types of cuff. The Button Cuff is by far and a way the most popular. It is cheap, easy-to-care-for, in some cases adjustable, slim line and comfortable. It is almost certainly the best for work unless you are a very important manager in finance, or a poser. You can wear a Button Cuff with every kind of suit without too much bother. Furthermore, your watch will fit underneath it – even if you have a ludicrously large timepiece like, say, a TW Steel, many Button Cuffs are adjustable with a wider setting to accommodate a fat watch or just regular fat.

There are two types of link cuffs. The most common these days is the French Cuff that folds back on itself making it bulky and luxurious. It can be fastened in the ‘kissing style’ where the inside faces of both cuffs touch and are joined by a cufflink or silk knot, or the less common ‘fold over’ where the outer edge of one cuff meets the inside edge of the other in a style similar to the Button Cuff. The latter looks pretty awful and eliminates the flamboyance that comes with French Cuffs – if you’re going to wear them, you might as well go the whole hog. Additionally, the ‘kissing’ method is more comfortable and leaves a little more space for your watch that is taken up by material in the ‘fold over’ style. You will probably need to invest in a slim dress watch if you want to wear French Cuffs regularly. I have worn them with a bulky chronograph and, I must admit, a rucked-up cuff, necessary to keep my watch on show, was NOT a good look. Go for a Skagen (Danish made slim watches), a Swatch from the Skin Family or a classic analogue from a high-end watchmakers to guarantee a good look. Wear the French Cuff for out-of-the-office work dos that don’t require a Tuxedo. Also, they are great for weddings and projecting the I’m-a-cockney-wide-boy-with-too-much-money-and-not-enough-sense look when teamed with an open collar and jeans.

(Don’t do that, please – you’ll look like Stringfellow…)

The third type of cuff is the Single (as opposed to the Double – another name for the French). This cuff fastens in the same way as its big brother, but doesn’t fold over and is a single piece of cloth edging the sleeve as with a Button Cloth. Single Cuffs are almost exclusive formalwear. I do think they are the most elegant, comfortable and eye-catching, but they are hard to come by and usually rather expensive. Buy one – better still, have one made – and use it for every formal occasion you are invited too (and even those you’re not – I’d sooner let a gatecrasher into my home if he was well-dressed). Go for small, stud-like cufflinks with a Single Cuff. With formal wear, minimalistic grace is the key.


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