Are the cufflinks an essential element of office wear or they should be reserved for formal occasions? For gentleman who wants to stand out or show his status, cufflinks are a great accessory that make a statement.
Clothes do not make the man, but attention to the detail differentiates man from the gentleman. Choosing a shirt with cuffs is a matter of style and require wearing cufflinks.
Cufflinks were an essential accessory for nobles for centuries and became more common in Victorian times. In the seventies of last century cuff links were replaced with build-in buttons, but they made a big comeback in the nineties and today are worn by men and women. What was once an exclusive domain of wealthy and privileged class of people became a main street fashion accessory.
Today, cufflinks are commonly available, and in my opinion they are always in a good taste to complement a professional attire. They are also a part of men’s jewerly and since the more stylish a man becomes, the more he relies on smaller details, you should strive to match the colour of your cufflinks with other metals – your watch or ring.
Shirts come with either cuff with buttons or cuff for cufflinks. The last is definitely more elegant option and I would advise having few shirts for cuff links, as well few pairs of metal and silk knot cuffs.
If you decide for enamel or knot cufflinks, you should coordinate their colours with the rest of your attire. Knot cufflinks are an inexpensive option for adding an extra flair to your look. They work great for a more relaxed look and you can play with the colour, matching them with tie or handkerchief.
There is a wide range of fancy cufflinks available on the market and even some fashion designers promote them. Pair them rather with casual outfits, as funny cufflinks do not add to the professional look.
Please note shirt with cuff links is meant to be worn with the jacket. If you want to be more relaxed and remove the jacket, then choose for a shirt with buttoned cuffs.
Tips on wearing cufflinks:
- Choose gold or silver cufflinks for formal occasions
- The more formal the occasion the less ornamented the cufflinks
- For formal occasions choose double cuff shirt (also known as French cuff)
- For office wear and business, you can choose less formal single cuff shirt
- For a professional office look avoid fancy cufflinks, keep them simple and solid
- Match the colour of your knot cufflinks with the attire
- For an elegant look, metals of all jewerly pieces should match
- When wearing cufflinks, keep the jacket on
