Australian Members - Page 1427

Originally Posted by fxh 

Davo – sometime ago I said I’d do a thing on cufflinks. I was too busy – a week or so ago I was sipping a ( well several) Glenlivet Single Malt I’d been given and I tickled the keys and came up with this – I’ve meant to refine and edit it but I think posting now might be more useful. Too often the quest for perfection block the good enough.
Cufflinks are a relatively recent addition to men’s clothing. Probably came into widespread use in the mid 1800s with the advent of industrialisation or machining. Widespread not including the poor - which means most people. Previously the average bloke would wear a rough linen or rough cotton pop over shirt and it was considered underwear. It would be washed ever now and then or weekly or so- whether it was needed to be washed or not. The elite or wealthier would have various finer linen or silk or cotton but often with ruffles and frills on the cuffs – the elite weren’t all that much cleaner than the plebs. One of Brummell’s contributions, not much mentioned is that he took some pride in grooming and cleanliness. A radical thing to do. It took buttons and the gradual elimination of ruffles / frills to enable cufflinks to come into their own.
Initially cuffs were just fastened by whatever was used as buttons or fasteners. Mostly string or bits of ribboned material were used to fasten shirts at the front and cuffs. . It’s not a big step to see then how silk knots were used. (These days silk knots generally just refers to knots of material not necessarily or even mostly made of silk). The cufflink is a kind of coming together of the trends to the shirt being slightly less like underwear, cleanliness, and a combination of jewellery / broaches and the silk knot, and the decline of ruffles/ frills.
Compared to ruffles on the cuff, the double cuff/ folded cuff/ French Cuff is a simple and uncomplicated thing. It was held together by silk knots or metal bits usually held together by a chain link arrangement.
Again – if the cuff is to show and have some jewellery – the cufflink – to both be practical and hold it together and be an adornment or display of wealth and or taste then it had to be clean.
The cufflink should really have both sides for show. Not one side for show and one for utilitarian fastening.
However r- if you’ve ever tried to put a double sides chain linked cufflink through a double cuff in the morning in the dark and in a hurry you’ll appreciate why the ”modern” invention of the bar cufflink took off.
There are links that have double sides pressed together a bit like a press stud and I’ve found these aren’t to bad to put on.
There’s also the dumbell type link with a solid bar in between two well crafted ends – with the ”push through” end being slightly smaller to push through the button holes.
The cufflink is the one area where I – and many other men of taste – can tolerate the “joke” item. (On socks and ties the joke item marks you immediately as a man-boy never to be taken seriously and always to be kept a sharp eye on lest you start distributing pron by email, harassing women or simply being a total idiot in myriad other ways, whilst selling stock market tips, horse betting software,” investment “gold coast apartments, happy clappy Hillsong “church” or Amway. The only joke with joke ties and socks is on the wearer.)
As long as it’s not overly large the joke or quirky cufflink can work. The smaller and more subtle the better.
Over the years there have been many interesting little inventions to make the cufflink look good on both sides and also easy to put on.
The common bar with hinged back swivel bar link has won out.
Traditionally the cufflink should be small and not to ostentatious. In various periods – one we have experience of the 70s in particular - this small and discreet look was abandoned – with some success in my mind. Some great 70s cufflinks with the stirrup chain are available at sensible prices for the collector.
Traditionally it was gold for day wear and silver for after dark. But silver (colour not the precious metal) works in all situations and it the best all round colour. Plain and small works well always.
Me I find it difficult to wear cufflinks without a suit or at the least a jacket.. And often it seems a bit to much even with a suit. Cufflinks in my mind don’t work all that well with a sport coat. Except maybe “silk knots” which are often of course elastic knots these days.
The English are comfortable with the double folded cuff/ French cuff – they will wear it any where and everywhere – with a country sport coat, and without a jacket and even {gasp} without a tie.
Our American brothers strangely see the double cuff and cufflinks as suspect. Homosexual even. Non macho. Or dandy and European. Perhaps the same thing as homosexual in American eyes. The American male mainly only considers cufflinks and double cuffs with a Dinner Suit (or as they so quaintly call it “a Tuxedo”. Certainly in USA to wear cufflinks and double cuffs with a business suit is seen as pushing the envelope a bit. A very un-American habit.
Here in oz we seem to have more of the English approach and a double cuff and cufflink will rarely raise an eyebrow even in a “creative agency” or call centre.
No one here minds if you wear an open necked shirt with cufflinks. I don’t like it – but there you go – its not the worst sartorial in you can commit.
For me – its cufflinks usually only with a suit and tie {as an aside the term suit automatically accompanies tie – is the tie that needs to be documented} occasionally I can wear a cufflink – usually material knots with sports jacket, rarely without a tie. But lets face it because we aren’t as uptight as the Americans we all have the odd pink checked or striped shirt with double cuffs – so knots and simple plain links are a must.
Davo
I only noticed your website – I deliberately haven looked at it yet. So I’m not sure if I have offended you or not.
Here’s what I think I think
Australians are more like the English when it comes to cufflinks – comfortable with them in all kinds of situations. Open necked without tie, ( can you be opened necked with tie ? I suppose so) and also with out jacket. With sports coats and with suits.
People on forums like rules and lists;
Mine
Cufflinks should be double sided
Cufflinks should be small and simple
Silver (aluminium, stainless steel burnished or shiney etc) is for once better and more versatile than gold
to be worked up