French Cuffs: How, When, & Why to Wear Double Cuffed Shirts

All about the French Cuff: https://gentl.mn/2RnPQIa

SHOP THE VIDEO:
Eagle Claw Cufflinks with Carnelian Balls: https://gentl.mn/2HBSHxv

Don't miss out on this Guide:
Black Tie Dress Code: https://gentl.mn/2G84Fgb

Overview of shirt cuff styles:

1. Button cuffs also called barrel cuffs. They've got buttonholes on one side of the cuff and buttons on the other.

2. Link cuffs have holes on both sides of the cuff and as you might imagine are meant to be closed with links as opposed to buttons.

Two principal types of link cuffs:

1. Single cuffs which are just one layer of fabric fastened together with a link are standard for the white tie dress code and are also acceptable for black-tie if not necessarily standard at this point in time.

2. Double cuffs are twice as long and are worn folded back upon themselves. They're the standard choice these days for the black tie dress code and are also a staple of business wear.

Other kinds of cuffs are convertible cuffs which can be closed with either a button or a link depending on how you'd like to wear them. And finally, you may also sometimes see a buttoned cuff that has excess fabric that can be turned back upon itself. This is known as a turn back cuff, cocktail cuff or sometimes a James Bond cuff.

French Cuffs Construction:

French cuffs feature a length of fabric that is folded back upon itself and then fastened together with cufflinks. There are holes on both sides of the cuff going through all the layers of fabric. In other words, most French cuffs will typically have four holes in total to a cuff.

French cuffs can come in a number of shapes as can other cuff styles.

Straight edges are most common for French cuffs but you'll also see rounded edges, angled edges or mitered edges.

Why are they called French cuffs?

Since at least the 16th century upper-class individuals used elegant ribbons to prevent the ruffled ends of their shirt sleeves from coming open. This practice of adorning the wrists with some sort of decoration continued throughout the centuries. And by the early 19th century, when the modern style of shirt was coming into its own, the ruffles had been replaced with cuffs that were secured with links.

One apocryphal story also claims that French cuffs got their start when Napoleon ordered extra long sleeves for the shirts of the soldiers in his armies so that they could wipe their noses on the ends of their sleeve and then fold their cuffs back. There isn't any historical evidence to support this theory however so it's really just more of a fun story.

Whatever the case the term French cuff didn't really come into popular usage until the style immigrated to America. In other words, it may just be that calling it a French cuff made it sound a little bit more exotic and special to American consumers. And from then on the term stuck and it's the one that's most commonly used today.

Guidelines for wearing French cuffs on shirts

The traditional view on this subject is that French cuffs should really only be worn in more formal scenarios.

As standards of everyday dress have become more relaxed over the last half century and within the last 10 to 15 years, we've seen a resurgence in an interest in menswear. Some of these old style rules are able to be more freely bent now.

Tips:

1. It's always a good idea to show at least a little bit of cuff at the end of whatever you're wearing.

2. French cuffs are usually worn in the so called kissing style with the inside portions of both sides of the cuff together, they can also be configured more similarly to a barrel style.

3. There are a wide variety of different kinds of cufflinks to go with your French cuff shirts to suit the occasion. You should aim for a balance between your own sense of personal style and the formality of the environment you'll be in.

When it's appropriate to wear French cuff shirts?

The short and simple answer is almost whenever you want with a few key exceptions.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Want to stay updated? Sign up here for free:
https://gentl.mn/2FTst89

Want to see more videos? Subscribe to our channel!
   / thegentlemansgazette  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gentleman's Gazette
https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/
https://gentl.mn/2Rqdc01
Facebook:   / gentlemansgazette  
FREE EBOOK: https://gentl.mn/2FTst89
#notsponsored #frenchcuffs #shirtcuff