Cufflinks — The Essence of a Shirt
In the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service, Colin Firth, wearing slim and fit suits, exudes the most elegant behavior of a British gentleman, especially during a fight scene in a church that captured thousands of girls’ hearts. Therefore, lots of young men have realized that a suit can transform a boy into a man and are now considering getting one to give themselves an air of maturity. Soon, the Kingsman 2 is about to start shooting, which is predicted to bring a stronger wave of gentlemanly style to men around the world.
Compared to stiff and well pressed suits, shined leather shoes, and luxurious watches, cufflinks are an essential detail that gives soul to your look. Although there are seldom occasions that require people to wear cufflinks nowadays, sporting them can show your special and refined taste for detail.
Cufflinks were widely popular in Europe during the Gothic and Baroque Renaissance periods, regarded at the time as one of the staple artistic presentations in men’s fashion. In addition to rings, cufflinks are some of the tiniest accessories, but only few gentlemen who care about details will value their reflection of taste.
There are many stories that recount the history of cufflinks, but the one known by most is that cufflinks originated from the time of Napoleon. During the days of the war as Napoleon was patrolling a camp, he found that many soldiers had stains on their cuffs. He realized this was because many soldiers fell sick during the wars, and after using the entirety of their handkerchiefs to wipe their noses, the sick soldiers would go on to use their sleeves as tissue. Seeing this, Napoleon thought it might hurt their army’s dignity, so he decided to have three buttons sewn onto their cuffs to prevent the soldiers from wiping any more snot onto their sleeves.
Although cufflinks appeared very early in history, matching cuff designs weren’t invented until the middle of 1800s, after French style cuffs appeared. French designers applied designs onto the cuffs of suits to add more decoration, and these aesthetics were continually adopted until today.
Cufflinks can only be added to certain shirts, and it is costly to do so; the shirt to be matched with cufflinks requires equivalent quality. In general, cufflinks can be added to two different types of shirts, musketeer shirts or French cuff shirts, which both have cuffs designed for formal occasions. Strictly speaking, the most accurate way to wear a suit is by wearing a French double-layered shirt with cufflinks; the cuffs should stick out from under the blazer a little bit so that the cufflinks are visible, tying together the whole look.
Although cufflinks only contribute to a small portion of the look, cufflinks can be found in thousands of styles and designs to best match your cuffs. Firstly, choosing cufflinks depends on the shirt or gown’s color. Next, choose a belt and tie in the same color as the cufflinks. Lastly, choose a style that suits the occasion, be it casual or formal. Usually, the matching of colors can impact or change your image. For instance, a white shirt matched with clear or navy cufflinks exudes an air of reliability. For very serious or formal occasions, a gray shirt matched with silver cufflinks and a tie can emphasize a person’s nobility. If the occasion is an election event, a striped navy shirt matched with metal cufflinks and a dark tie can build a convincing image. If it is a fashionable party you’re heading to, a pink shirt matched with dark cufflinks and a striped oxford tie reflects a leisurely vibe, or, matched to metal cufflinks and a pinkish-purple tie, it creates an energetic look.
Cufflinks are low-profile but at the same time a luxurious representation of a gentleman’s taste. They embody a man’s pursuit of elegant details. From silver, gold, and platinum to crystal, diamond, and gems, many materials can be used to decorate cufflinks and make them unique. That’s why cufflinks can cost anywhere from a hundred dollars to over thousands of dollars.
Usually, most luxury brands will launch new cufflink designs at the same time they announce a new season’s menswear so that they compliment each other. Furthermore, limited edition cufflinks are sometimes released, being akin to works of art, decorating your wrists with a beautiful highlight. Therefore, cufflinks play an important role in the men’s fashion revolution, breaking the dull and changeless styles of the past and allowing men to emphasize different aspects of their personality.
If you consider yourself a gentleman of unique tastes, you definitely deserve your own pair of exquisite cufflinks.
