Everything You Need To Know About Cufflinks!

From Themed Cufflinks To Formal Everything You Need To Know!

Let's get started by understanding the benefits and the potential pitfalls when selecting cufflinks for any event! We will take you from beginner to pro in under 5 minutes!

We will guide you through the choices you have when it comes to selecting cufflinks, from themed novelty cuffs to smart plain steel. So grab a brew and let's begin!

 

Not all cufflinks are made equal!

In this post we talk you through choosing the right cufflinks for you, but first we need to go over the basic makeup of cufflinks and how to select the right style for your shirt.

It might seem simple but there are a few subtle differences between the types of cufflinks out there, in general most comprise of these three basic elements.

01) The Face - This can come in the form of a plain or polished face, a decorative stone or any design shape or material you can think of (I know it truly is that vast).

02) The Post / Or Stem - This is the bridging part of the cufflink that slides through the shirt cuffs to "cuff" them together.

03) The Toggle - This element rotates over 90 degrees to lock the cufflink in place to prevent it slipping or straying from the shirt (you don't want that).

 

There are certain variations of cufflinks that don't strictly adhere to these rules, such as chain or ball end cufflinks, but all work in the same way.

The below cufflinks are ideal for tuxedos as the camber of the face conceals the gathering of the cuff and locks through the sleeve to form a more complete encapsulated look.

In the the below ball and pin style cufflinks the ball screws to the stem after threading the bar through the shirt cuffs.

But all cufflinks have the same end goal, to bind the cuff into place, and provide a decorative face to wow onlookers!

Common Cufflink Materials

The materials used in the manufacture of cufflinks are as varied as the cufflinks themselves. the most common types are metal alloy, stainless steel, titanium, platinum, copper, bronze and sterling silver.

 

At PickaPocket we can offer both mixed alloy and stainless steel cufflinks, aimed at the entry level of fashion.

 

Mixed Alloy Cufflinks

Our entry level range of Mixed Alloy cufflinks are a great starting point for anyone looking to start their collection.

The benefits (as well as the obvious price point) are they are relatively hard wearing, you can still achieve a high class look, and they can be formed into many shapes using injection molding, the cons are over time they just don't maintain strength of stainless steel or superior materials. But they are a great little starter!

 

 

Stainless Steel Cufflinks

If you're new to wearing cufflinks, but want to get the most out of them lets start with a simple high quality no fuss stainless steel design.

 

 

The benefits of a well put together pair of stainless steel cufflinks are, a great resistance to scratching, a really expensive look to rival superior materials whilst still available at an affordable price, a nice heavy weight giving the feeling of a top quality product, built to last. 

Silver Cufflinks - Hepburn & Hughes

If you are looking for something more specialist, or ready to add keepsake pieces to your collection we often send our customers to our favorite cufflink store Hepburn & Hughes. 

Check out this set of Labradorite Cufflinks in Sterling Silver we matched with our champagne three piece tie set, the colours in the Labradorite really work well as they reflect and pick up on colours around them, making it the perfect gemstone for your first set of sterling silver cufflinks!

Check them out by Hepburn & Hughes!

 

Building Your Style

So you've mastered the basics, you're confident and ready to up your cufflink game!

Lets dive into how you go about selecting the right cufflinks for your well crafted outfit.

It's always a good idea to start with silvers, natural stones and textures as a staple for your collection, you will find these easy to match outfits as they don't necessarily have to tie into to any other element of your outfit.

For example for this look you might wish to pick up on the purple of the necktie and select a pair of cufflinks with a purple gemstone. Our advice would be to pick only one or two elements of your suit such as the pocket square, tie or even the socks and build your look around colours that work well together.

When you're ready try playful matching

You don't have to start by going "all in" there are plenty of simple but high quality designs out there, one of our recent customers wanted to make an impact at the captains table, but they were conscious not to go too bold. It was their 60th anniversary cruise, so we sourced these cruise liner Yacht cufflinks for them.

We offered another customer in a similar situation who had a trip booked on the Orient Express experience a themed train design.

If you want to take it further have a look at this accessories set we made for a recent customer, he really wanted to stand out on his wedding day. We paired him up with this stunning set of mustard accessories.

After we built the look and style he decided that he wanted to go even bolder, he ordered the set for each of his groomsmen with one little twist.

At the last minute we swapped out the plain silver cufflinks (which looked great too) for these Duck Cufflinks!!!

It just goes to show you really can go as simple or as bold as you like, try building your accessories collection up and switching in and out different accessories depending on your mood or the dress code of the event.

Remember as always your accessories should be a reflection of you!

Good luck with choosing your style, but of you need us feel free to ask us more at sales@pickapocket.co.uk

 Thank you PickaPocket Team!