How to Wear Cufflinks
Cufflinks are that final touch of detail that separates your suit from the others in the room. They allow enough freedom to showcase your personality without compromising any sense of class or sophistication. However, knowing how to wear cufflinks properly will be vital to ensuring your credibility. Cufflinks have been around since the 17th century and they've effortlessly transitioned through time as the gentleman's wardrobe cornerstone. In other words, they'll be your holy grail to achieving true refinement.
As much as your cufflinks are a symbolisation of your status and wealth, they're also dually as valuable for their function. They work impeccably to keep the cuffs of your shirt together so you can think of them as a rich man's button.
How to Put on Cufflinks
Cufflinks are most commonly worn with the French Cuff, our double cuff, for dress shirts. These shirts involve extra long cuffs that require the fabric to be folded back in half. When it comes to securing these cuffs in place, cufflinks work a treat.
Before securing your cufflinks, you have to ensure that your cuffs are folded back correctly and that the buttonholes are lined up. When you pinch both sides of the cuffs together, you must ensure there's space to pass through your cufflinks.
The opening of your cuffs will be at the back of your wrist, so you'll have to bend your elbow up to your chest so you have easy access with your other hand. Starting from the outside, slide the back of your cufflink through the buttonholes.
Once the back of your cufflinks have passed through both layers of fabric, you can adjust the back of them so they're secured.
Types of Cufflinks
Bullet back cufflinks include a small rotating back that connects to the bridge of the cufflinks. This rotating piece of metal, shaped like a small bullet, roates 90 degrees to slide easily through your cuffs. Once it's been navigated through, you just have to rotate the bullet horizontally so that it's fixed in place. Bullet back cufflinks are one of the most popular styles you can find and they're incredibly easy and sturdy to use.
Whale back cufflinks involve the same concept as bullet back cufflinks. They include a rotating back that helps to slide through the cuffs easily whilst also working to hold them in place. Whale backs generally involve a smaller but thicker piece of metal that rotates 90 degrees. Although their backs are smaller in length than bullet backs, their thickness helps to keep the cuffs of your shirt secure.
Fixed back cufflinks can be less fiddly than other styles of cufflinks and they hold a unique advantage in that they're often decorated on both sides. For this style, all you have to do is slide through the back of the cufflink through the cuffs. The back should be small enough to slide through the cuffs, yet large enough to keep them in place.
The last cufflink style, and perhaps the most uncommon, is the chain cufflink style. This style of cufflink differs from the rest because instead of having a fixed piece of metal holding each side together, it has a flexible chain. Chain cufflinks are similar to fixed back cufflinks in that they have decorative front and back emblem. To put these on, all you have to do is slide the back of the cufflink through the cuff holes.
