I had an email telling me I must be wrong about cufflinks the other day. The writer's argument was that since all the links he had ever seen had the easy on easy off cross bar on one end, links with a cross bar must be perfectly acceptable (they are of course, in the same sense that an uncanvassed jacket is acceptable - they have their place but well dressed men can and do do a lot better).
Mentally replace the inner side of Harrison Ford's links in the screen capture from the 1995 re-make of Sabrina and observe how the world becomes a less elegant place.
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Absolutely spot on: T-bars have their place but cufflinks with a proper chain, where both ends have buttons or fastenings have got to be the real deal: note that the two sides do not necessarily have to be identical, but should be complimentary. On a related subject, Will, what do you think of "wraparound" cufflinks, i.e. ones where the metal goes around the bottom edges of the cuffs?
Indeed. I was quite pleased to find that double sided links are still available new and don't cost horribly much. Will, you should carry some, too.
As to the 'wraparound' links, I would reserve them for evening wear.
Right you are!
Double sided links (connected by chain) are the most elegant from a connoisseur's viewpoint. They are also a lot more bother to thread through buttonholes. Toggle bars are easier but have a mass-market look to them. My preference is a fixed cufflink (no moving parts.)
Wrap arounds strike me as Las Vegas trashy. Add some sparkly stones, and you could be doing card tricks at a third-rate hotel. Bling-bling!
However the adage that cufflinks should not draw comment, seems a bit too severe. They are a telling expression of one's taste, therefor not insignificant.
If you can't afford 14 -18k gold, then at least wear sterling. (Or silver gilt.)
Double-sided cufflinks are available but in nowhere near the volume or diversity of T-bar links.
I agree with oldsarj's suggestion - Will, perhaps you could commission some double-sided links and offer through the ASW store.
Since more people who wear cufflinks these days don't have a gentleman's personal gentleman to assist them, t-bar cufflinks are significantly easier to manipulate with one hand.
I doubt very much everyone is inspecting both sides of the cuff. I have just two pars of double-sided among the ten pairs I own, I don't feel less elegant for that.
My most valuable cufflinks (gold damascene) are single-sided numbers; someday, I hope to upgrade them to double-sided by finding appropriate damascene gizmos to be the smaller, inner side.
The rest of my cufflinks are double-sided. I have chains (i.e., links), posts (no moving parts), and snaps (with metal snaps to connect the two parts). I think the most expensive set was about $5. It's amazing what you can find at thrift stores!
As for wraparounds, I would reserve them for mobster wear.
I agree with John and his view on the elegance of double sided cufflinks. In fact I just aquired a lovely pair of double sided fixed sterling silver cufflinks made by David Atkins that I had engraved for my sons graduation. What I liked about these was that I was able to engrave them on both sides. I take Rogers' point about no one inspecting the both sides of the cuff, however I think there is value in say engraving the inside face when the cuffs are given as a gift with eventual sentimental and heirloom significance.
In any case its difficult to find exquisite craftsmanship in the making of cufflinks these days when all that seems available to those of us with discerning taste is what is mass produced in the Far East.
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