Jewellery

 Cufflinks have a reputation problem. A lot of guys file them under "fussy" — something reserved for grooms, butlers, and men who own more than one tuxedo. That's a shame, because a pair of cuff links is one of the easiest ways to make an ordinary shirt look deliberate, and they're nowhere near as complicated as their formal reputation suggests. Here's everything you actually need to know to start wearing them, minus the snobbery. First, you need the right shirt This trips people up immediately. Regular shirts have buttons on the cuffs, and cufflinks won't help you there. What you want is a French cuff shirt, also called a double cuff. The fabric at the wrist is extra long and folds back on itself, leaving two holes that line up — and that gap is exactly what a cufflink threads through to hold the cuff closed. There's also the single cuff with holes, which some dress shirts offer, but the French cuff is the classic. If you're buying a shirt specifical...

There are certain things in menswear that do more work than their size suggests. A watch is one. A good pair of shoes is another. And then there are cufflinks — small enough to disappear in the palm of your hand, yet capable of changing the entire tone of a shirt and jacket. That is what makes mens cufflinks so interesting. They sit at the edge of the sleeve, almost out of sight, but they have a way of sharpening the whole look. A suit can be well cut, the tie perfectly chosen, the shoes polished, and still something can feel unfinished. Often, that missing note is right there at the cuff. For a long time, cufflinks were treated as something old-fashioned, or at least overly formal. They were associated with weddings, boardrooms, and heirloom dress shirts pulled out a few times a year. But that view misses the point. Cufflinks are not really about old-school formality. They are about intention. They say that someone paid attention to the last few inches of the outfit rather than sto...