Cufflinks: the favorite jewel of the classy man

The color of the cufflinks should match that of the watch or some other complement.

Born around the mid-nineteenth century, when the closure of the cuffs, which was then used strongly starched, required a more solid connection than that provided by a small button and a buttonhole. Therefore it must be said that over the years they have lost their practical function with the advent of floppy collars and cuffs, but the cufflinks always contribute to giving the suit, shirt and tie combination an important accent in completing the image of the person. The cufflinks are worn exclusively on shirts with double cuffs (also called French or Musketeer), or on tailcoat shirts, which have a simple cuff, but without buttons.

A man can use one type of twin rather than another depending on the situation, but also to express a mood. I always recommend sobriety; so choose rather thin oval or square shapes and preferably in silver or white gold. Yellow gold if excessively massive is a bit vulgar. Always make sure to wear your cufflinks, whether precious or not matched to your look: in theory, the color of the cufflink should match that of the watch or some other complement of the suit (for example the belt buckle).

Tuck in the cuffs, making sure the fold is clean and straight at the bottom of the sleeves. Join the two open edges of the cuffs. Unlike buttoned cuffs, where one edge enters the other, with cufflinks the two sides are separated and come off the wrist. Line up the buttonholes. Check that the buttonholes for the cufflinks are aligned. Insert the cufflinks and close them. When the arm is along the side, the decorated part of the cufflink should be turned outwards. The closure varies slightly according to the cufflink model.

Torpedo - This is the most common model and the easiest to wear. This model has a bullet-shaped capsule supported by two clips. The bullet is turned on its axis, passed through the buttonhole and, by flipping it horizontally, fixes the cufflink to the shirt.

Whale Tail - This style has a flat button combined with a whale tail strap that has to be flipped to insert and turned back to its original position to secure it to the cuff.

Fixed Backing - In this model, the closure is an extension of the decorated part of the cufflink. In fact, both the "button" and the crossbar are a single piece of metal. The closure does not bend or move in any way. It may take a little more effort to put on, but it has the advantage of having no moving parts. Chain - The more traditional form of cufflink has a chain as a fitting. Chain cufflinks are the original form of this accessory and are very popular in English production. They usually have two sides which are connected by a chain tie. Since it is not easy to wear them, they are recommended for those who are already used to using cufflinks. The advantage of this model is that both sides are beautiful and elegant; in addition, it allows you to leave the cuff softer.

Reversible - They are one-piece cufflinks that also have a decorated closure instead of a simple disc. This way you can decide which side to show and it's like having two pairs of cufflinks in one.

Spherical - A chain link whose closure is a silver or gold sphere. The upside is that they are very easy to put on and you also have the advantage of a softer cuff like the chain cufflink. Also the balls are more beautiful than a bullet or flat closure. Fabric knot - Made up of knot-shaped threads of intertwined elastic, they are less formal, but they are twins in all respects. They are cheaper, you can buy many and all colors to match the tie, clutch bag, shirt, socks or scarves. Cufflinks are often considered an accessory to be used on occasions where shape and label are particularly important, therefore we tend to associate cufflinks with particularly elegant clothing, in my opinion this is not entirely true.

Today some rules have been broken, so feel free to wear them on multiple occasions. The cufflink can be worn with a pair of jeans and a blazer or even simply with a pullover over it and the cufflink you see, very smart casual.