Single cuffs and links

[Guest]

Single cuffs with two buttonholes and no button, that is. What do you think of those? An abomination or a wise compromise between regular barrel cuffs and French/double cuffs? I recall seeing a photo of president JFK wearing those to good effect. I don't have any shirts of this kind, but I'm considering ordering a couple on my next visit to Italy. Please dissuade me, if need be.

radicaldog

[Guest]

Apart from stiff evening shirts (which have single cuffs fixed with links) generally single-cuffs are buttoned - especially if they are designed to be barrelled. However, if you had square-cut single cuffs in a substantial material, there isn't any reason why you shouldn't use links - but probably the double-faced and chained variety would be more effective than the barred variety.

[Guest]

I agree entirely on substantial material and double-faced links (and I was talking about daytime shirts, anyway), but I'm not quite sure about one of your points: why would you say that square cuffs would work better than rounded ones?

RD

[Guest]

RD - I would agree that, subject to the other point, about substantiality, it would work on rounded cuffs too.
NJS

[Guest]

This is probably a bit geographically specific, but here is King Juan Carlos:
(preview),
as spotted on ASW.

I reckon if you are to do this, it should be with round or mitred cuffs. If you are going to use square cuffs, why bother with starching single ones at all (remember — the fold on a double is there to keep it stiff, because cufflinks on floppy fabric look silly). Those cuffs in the picture look as stiff as my white tie ones, which is about right for the look.

[Guest]

I prefer the fold of a double cuff shirt myself.

Other than the photo above of King Juan Carlos, I have seen many single cuffed shirts with white tie and tails ensembles. They're very stiff indeed, one photo of Fred Astaire shows him wearing a white tie and tails with a stiff front and stiff single cuff linked shirt that looks as if it could crack if moved in.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[Guest]

I prefer the fold of a double cuff shirt myself.

Other than the photo above of King Juan Carlos, I have seen many single cuffed shirts with white tie and tails ensembles. They're very stiff indeed, one photo of Fred Astaire shows him wearing a white tie and tails with a stiff front and stiff single cuff linked shirt that looks as if it could crack if moved in.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

But, in Fred's case, the only thing that went with a crack was the dancing...........
NJS

[Guest]

The fabric can creak a bit just after starching when it flexes a little.

NCW (the post with the picture was mine as well)

[Guest]

As far as I know (but I am ready to be taught differently) linked single cuffs are reserved to evening dress shirts where the substantial piquet is too thick to fold. I can't think of another kind of shirting that works with link cuffs so thick it cannot be made into a French cuff, perhaps with a thinner interlining.

Costi

[Guest]

As far as I know[,] . . . linked single cuffs are reserved to evening dress shirts where the substantial piquet is too thick to fold. . . .

A century and more ago, from portraits and photographs I've seen, men often wore single-linked cuffs of other cotton or linen. The few cufflinks I've inherited are quite light (thin gold, for the most part), so the heavily starched cuffs needn't have been so substantial as present-day cotton piqué.

[Guest]

As far as I know[,] . . . linked single cuffs are reserved to evening dress shirts where the substantial piquet is too thick to fold. . . .

A century and more ago, from portraits and photographs I've seen, men often wore single-linked cuffs of other cotton or linen. The few cufflinks I've inherited are quite light (thin gold, for the most part), so the heavily starched cuffs needn't have been so substantial as present-day cotton piqué.

RWS

P.S. -- Perhaps an alarm bell should sound when one is about to post in this section without signing. -- RWS

[Guest]

Normally any dress (business) shirt - Double cuffed or Simple cuff - should be wearable with cuff - links, if a second button hole is present (if I remember well, that is why italians are wearing unbuttoned cuffs), while buttons were normal for sports shirts. That was the convention in "the good times". Now I am seeing BD worn with suits , IMHO not very classy.
koolhistorian