Words by Will Boehlke
Photo by Réginald-Jérôme de Mans
There were cufflinks before there were buttons on the ends of shirt sleeves, and at least one white shirt in every closet should be designed to take them today. That being one's evening shirt of course, for a single plain button looks rather, well, pedestrian at night. The links used on that shirt may be inexpensive rubber cuff knots, which should be replaced at the earliest opportunity with something plain in 14 or 18kt gold. Plain of course, for the wearer needs a first pair that can be worn without being particularly memorable for the same reason that the first suit in a wardrobe should be a dark solid. And gold because it is the gentleman's metal, untarnishable and always correct.
The basics achieved, there is no limit to the number of cufflinks that a man can collect over time, with the caveat that jewelry never wears out and those sterling silver penguin links that looked so enticing once upon a time are with us long after we have stopped wearing them. The most important thing about building a cufflink wardrobe is that new acquisitions should always be of first quality, starting with that initial pair.
That said, there is a stopping point at which one can rest along the way, and that is a medium wardrobe consisting of one dinner set (shirt studs and links) and five pair of links in addition to that basic pair of gold. The six link wardrobe allows for one pair each day of the week with one to spare, and that ought to be plenty of variety. Not to mention a stopping point occurring as it should well before one's cufflink box represents more investment than a small motorcar. I find in fact that I rarely wear more than a couple styles over the course of a week of French cuffed shirts.
Past that point, in my opinion, a man could start looking around for a second dress set to give himself some variety should he find himself dressing for dinner a couple of times in a week. If his first set is onyx backing a colorless stone like RJ's in the photo, his second might be ruby red, which I find works better with black and white than most of the alternatives. His cufflink requirements however are met, and further collecting is for the sheer collecting of it.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
The Cufflink Wardrobe
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7 comments:
I once saw a pair of fairly plain 18 carat gold links that had belonged to Cary Grant for sale in Stanley Gibbons' in the Strand but they were very pricey just because of the association.
"For the pure collecting of it . . . " And down that path lies danger. A correspondent lately told me that a dealer informed him that the only difference between a collector and a dealer is the later has run out of space . . . or money! I recently tore my eyes away from a pair of sterling antiques made in "Siam" they were so old. The price was most reasonable but I have other things I need worse. Pity.
I like this advice Will. That there is a peak which it's not necessary to go beyond, apart from replacements and the odd addition according to need.
For the demure well-dressed gentleman the suitable cuff-link wardrobe as you describe it represents the classic of: best quality, enough for needs and quiet variation. Oldsarj outlined nicely how easy it is to get carried away and pick up 'just another pair' of links.
It may sound mad but I have close to 200 pairs and probably a half dozen dress sets, My wife spent a decade or so in the antique and auction trade and cuff-links were always popping up as gifts.
while most are clever dross, I have a set that were crafted from 22k Indian earrings that have have an amazing colour and heft. Moreover I have a jeweller who puts together a cleaver clip arrangement that lets me convert the waistcoat button sets I have collected (I don't do allot of white tie alas) into rather sharp links. Is it nuts yes and I do not rotate them with any system so I will go a year without even seeing some of them.
Moreover I don't tend to sport French cuffs in the summer, summer suits go with the sporting carved crystal (dogs, horses, fish etc.)
I've three or four pairs of fairly austere gold links (knots, faux buttons etc) and there's always a temptation to buy more but I'm bound to say few links are more enjoyable and pleasing to wear than cheap and cheerful silk knots either in a solid color or pattern. There is just something about them that is aesthetically pleasing on a nice crisp striped or check shirt. So if confronted with the urge to splurge hundreds or thousands treat it with some cheap silks is my advice.
In retrospect, a far better investment would have been to have a dinner shirt made with a fly front and no visible button placket so that studs were unnecessary!
"those sterling silver penguin links that looked so enticing once upon a time"
Your devoted reader in the Falkland Islands wants to know what is wrong with penguin cufflinks???
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