subject: Cuff Links - The History, Functions And Designs [print this page] Cufflinks are yet another accessories a man can wear to improve his formal outfit. They are what can be called button substitutes when it comes to the wrist parts of your long sleeved shirts.
Originally, in 1500, the wrist parts of a shirt or cuffs were tied up together with what were called cuff strings. In the late 1600s, cuff buttons were introduced as pairs of colored glass buttons. These cuff buttons were joined together by a short, linked chain.
It was in the early 1700s, during the reign of the successful and fashionable Louis XIV, that people, especially Parisian, started looking at them as potential ways to further decorate their appearance and started wearing bejeweled cuff buttons, linked by gold chains. This is also the reason behind the name cuff-links.
Links are meant to fastened the shirts' wrists and keep them in place, to peek a little bit under the hem of your blazer or suit jacket. In fact, the whole point of the cufflinks is to have them peeking out from under the end of your jacket sleeves'. Cuff links are identical pairs of buttons or fasteners that keep the extra fabric of your cuffs in place, either with the flaps overlapping each other or with the flaps pinched together or "kissing".
Tip: The best choice is actually the kissing cuffs. They look a lot neater and more sophisticated.
Links can be really great choice for presents. They are not exactly cheap and yet a man needs at least two pairs of them (one for black tie events, another for everyday purposes) and it is definitely great to have them come free as a birthday or Christmas present.
The cufflink pair can usually be combined with a good looking box as well which make your gift all the more presentable and perfect to put on one's dresser without fear of misplacing them.
There are many kinds of styles to choose from as well. The gold or silver style has a classic look and gives off elegance that you can wear to black tie events; the custom designed and novelty styles can reflect your hobbies (bowling themed cufflinks, Superman logo cuff links or even cars shaped cuff links); the novelty cuff links which are great for presents among young men or otherwise, given to Dads by the kids.
For the more practical types, there are functional styles you may want to take a look at. Some cuff-links function as clocks while the other also work as compasses. There are pairs of cuff links which act as photo frames, so that you can have your kid's face right there on your wrists.
You can even have some bets on, as some cuff links out there actually have dices inside. Or else, play with the maze game built inside your cuff links. Other functional cuff links feature liquid levels, sand timers, soccer game and even roulettes. For those of you who have troubles telling left and right, there is even a pair of cufflinks which are elegantly inscribed with, what else, LEFT and RIGHT.
