The Smart Dresser’s Guide To Cuffs: Barrel and French Cuffs

While there’s an understandable focus on suit issues in men’s fashion - like how to make sure your suit fits correctly, slacks included, and how to tell what style of suit will be best on your body, did you know that there are also some fashion choices in dress shirts open to you? Today the Oliver Wicks team is going to walk you through the two most common types of men’s cuffs, when and why to wear them, and how to style them like a pro. So, are you ready to dive deeper into the world of men’s fashion? Let’s go!

Wait– What’s a Cuff?

Let’s put together a cuff definition. Your collar and cuffs are the ‘edging’ to your shirt, the stiffer, shaped and tailored layers at your neck and wrists. The shirt cuff, specifically, is the piece that ends the arm of the shirt and sits on your wrist. Some people find it strange because ‘cuff’ is slang for punching someone! But, we assure you that the cuffs' meaning is a lot gentler in fashion!

Fitting a Cuff

It doesn’t matter what style of shirt cuff you are using. But, first, they need to fit correctly. Your cuff should extend about ½ an inch past the end of your jacket sleeve. Your jacket sleeve, remember, should stop right at your wrist bone when at natural rest. This doesn’t just mean you need the right length, but also the right cuff fit- your cuff should not be able to slide up and down your arm like a bracelet, but instead remain within a ½ inch of its correct position no matter what you do. This creates a nice fall of fabric when you stand and move and ensures your cuff wouldn’t disappear up your jacket if you raise your hands, like tying a bow tie or wearing a vest. Fitting a cuff correctly is a tiny thing that can make you come over elegant and distinguished.

What is a Barrel Cuff?

What is a barrel cuff in shirts? If you picture a standard shirt cuff, you’re probably thinking of the barrel cuff. It’s the same width all the way around and just rolls around the wrist to button up. While some barrel cuffs are soft, most of them are stiff. This is done to ensure that this area- the most hardwearing part of the arm of the shirt- is not only robust and practical but sits properly in the opening of your suit sleeve, too. It’s typically stiffened with interlining, but you will usually iron and starch this area for longevity and crispness when you wash the shirt. They’re sometimes called button cuffs.

That’s not to say that every barrel cuff is identical. You will find some stylish variations to enjoy. Usually, the corner style is changed. While the standard is a sharp angle, you could find rounded or even angled corners instead. 

Which button to use on a barrel cuff? You will most often see two buttons on the cuff, next to each other. This allows men with narrow wrists to achieve a snug fit or open more for wider wrists. Sometimes extra buttons are added vertically for visual interest, but these have no practical purpose.

When to Wear A Barrel Cuff

A barrel cuff shirt is a versatile and appropriate choice for everyday wear. You can wear it with confidence anywhere up to the exceedingly formal evening when you should switch to a more formal cuff like a French cuff. That said, fashion rules have relaxed a lot lately, so you will get away with a barrel cuff right up to white tie eventing, where it won’t be acceptable, but instead skip it for black tie too. Tuxedos use a different cuff style.

How to Wear A Barrel Cuff

 To wear a barrel cuff well, simply make sure you pick dress shirts that fit you properly, as per our guidelines above. Keep the cuff neat and starched unless it’s meant to be soft. It’s worth paying some attention to the cuffs in the laundry, as they tend to get dirtier than the rest of the shirt.

What is a French Cuff?

So, what is a French cuff vs. a barrel cuff? French cuffs are fancier than the barrel cuff, which is something of a standard cuff. Barrel cuff sleeves don’t need cufflinks, and French cuffs do. French cuffs are part of a family known as ‘link cuffs’ because they need cufflinks and not buttons to close. They’re sometimes called double cuff sleeves instead of the single cuffs we mention below. 

They’re a much more elaborate design, too. The wideband at the end of the sleeve is folded back on itself, wrapped around your wrist. The aligned buttonholes on the sleeve will take your cufflinks. They often also have interlining, but it’s a slightly softer style than the barrel cuff.

If you’re curious, we’re not all that sure why they were called ‘French’ cuffs. It was a common closure (originally with ribbons) for all aristocrats, not just the French, and the term only because used often in the Americas. It might just be a way to ‘upsell’ the luxury of the shirt!

When to Wear A French Cuff

French cuff shirts are the standard for black-tie eventing and a staple in men’s formal business wear. That’s if you want to stick to the strictest of rules. But, of course, fashion has changed over the last decades, and we’ve seen both a surge of interest in men’s fashion (finally) and a relaxing of the rules. So a French cuff or barrel cuff can be acceptable in most business wear. You usually wouldn’t use this cuff with something like a blazer or business casual. But, like the grenadine tie, some have decided that rule is there to be broken.

So, in short, a French cuff (vs. barrel cuff) is always appropriate at fancy events. If you want to make it a daily look, go ahead, but it’s strictly off the books in traditional sartorial elegance, like pleated pants or the double-breasted suit. Which doesn’t mean it’s wrong under modern fashion rules, of course!

How to Wear A French Cuff

If you look at your French cuff, there are typically four holes. If you have six, it’s a tailoring trick to allow you to adjust the cuff through the day so that you can disguise staining. Sometimes, you will find a hidden button on the inside of the cuff for fit convenience. Typically, you’d never wear a French Cuff on a shirt you won’t be putting a tie on, but like the other men’s fashion rules, this has been broken by the fashion-forward, so it depends on what you want. The Italian sprezzatura school of casual dressing will often wear them unfastened in casual looks, even!

Strictly speaking, you ‘kiss’ your cuffs together- fastening them inside to inside. However, you can also use the cufflink to fasten them more like a standard barrel cuff, which is convenient for underneath turtlenecks and knitwear.

What Are Some Other Types of Cuffs?

While these are the most common two shirt cuff styles, they’re not the only ones out there! 

Cocktail Cuffs

This is a rarer kind of shirt cuff that became popular when Sean Connery’s Bond wore them. They occupy a middle ground between the barrel and French cuffs, so honestly, we’re surprised we don’t see them more often. It’s a folded back cuff, but it’s then rolled around the hand and buttoned like a barrel cuff. It’s also called a turn-back cuff and sometimes a Bond cuff.

Single Link Cuffs

This is an exquisite and formal cuff type. Generally, you will only see them for men’s top-end evening wear like tuxedos. They’re the standard for a white tie and your best bet for a black tie. Like the barrel cuff, it can have different corners. It’s always very stiff and consists of a single band around the wrist that is closed with one cufflink.

What is a Mitered Cuff?

This isn’t a proper cuff style. It’s a fancy way of talking about that ‘angle’ of the corners on a single link or barrel cuff. So any cuff style that has corners can also be a mitered cuff.

Choosing The Right Cufflinks- A Guide

So, if you are wearing a link cuff, you need cufflinks. There's a huge range of options open to you, so this is an arena where personal taste matters. Let your cufflinks radiate your style! However, we have some general tips for you to help if you’re newer to the cufflinks idea. 

First up, note that a button cuff of any type should not use cufflinks. It’s redundant- the link is meant as a closure to the cuff, and you have the button for that.

With that out the way, consider the following:

• Accessories: Are you wearing black or brown leather? What other accessories? A wooden or tiger’s eye cufflink is a great way to match a brown shoe look, like navy or gray suits. They go great with suspenders and can help finish a no-belt look elegantly.
• Formality: You can wear something fun for a daily cuff look but should keep it sleek and sophisticated for formal events.
• Outfit: Your overall look should complement the cufflinks, both in color, mood, and design.
• Office: Keep things subtle and understated at the office. Think plain metals.
• Black-tie: Tuxedos have a specific dress code. Match cufflinks to the suit rivets.

There are two types of cufflinks to know about. You're probably more used to the formal, rigid style. However, there are also ‘silk knots’, literally an elegant fabric knot link, which you can use for a less formal effect.

Putting On Cufflinks

A little like women and necklaces, putting cufflinks on yourself can be difficult until you get practice, so hang in there! Here’s an easy method.

• Put on the shirt and fold one cuff. Start with the one opposite your dominant hand. 
• Pass the link through the shirt holes, making sure you can see the surface correctly on the outside of the cuff. Start with the outer side of the cuff, then the inner. 
• Don’t bend the cufflink to your body like you’re buttoning the cuff. Instead, allow both sides to sit flush with each other.
• Fasten it up.

Conclusion

Cufflinks are a surprisingly high-impact accessory. For something so small, they say a lot about you. So always match the mood of the event and your cufflinks. No bright and bold cufflinks at a funeral! To be honest, we often recommend avoiding cufflinks altogether for serious events like job interviews and funerals because of this wow factor.

The Oliver Wicks team loves the French cuff and the versatility it offers. Will you give it a try?