In the space of just a few years, cufflinks have once again become the go-to accessory for an elegant outfit. At a wedding or a reception, choosing your suit and shirt is always a delicate moment. Between originality and tradition, striking the right balance isn't always easy.
Wearing a pair of cufflinks adds an extra layer of difficulty. How do you match your cufflinks with your outfit? Hundreds of men's cufflink designs are available in different shapes and colours. Here's some style advice on the subject.
Which shirt to wear with cufflinks?
The shirt is the piece of your outfit to choose with the most care if you've decided to wear a pair of cufflinks. If you own a fine collection of this men's accessory, several styles are possible.
For an elegant outfit, favour a classic shirt in:
- white,
- ivory,
- black,
- burgundy.
The traditional black suit with a white shirt is a must for receptions, galas and weddings. For this chic style, your cufflinks should also be elegant, in designs that are:
Favour matching tones and colours between your cufflinks and your shirt. A pair of stainless-steel or silver cufflinks, or ones in black or white, will pair perfectly with a white or ivory shirt.
For a warmer or darker colour, such as a black or burgundy shirt, you can choose gold or black cufflinks.
The cufflink shouldn't stand out too much against your shirt or suit jacket at events with a chic dress code.
If you want to play the gentleman card for your outfit at a birthday or a gala, you can dare more original cufflinks. For this, choose a shirt in a plain, understated colour.
An overly colourful patterned shirt won't showcase your men's cufflinks well. Quite the opposite — an outfit combining different colours and shapes can quickly tip into poor taste. If you choose to be original with your cufflinks, favour a classic style for your shirt.
Among original cufflinks, treat yourself to a design featuring a superhero, a sport, or an object representing a profession. Your cufflink will spark curiosity among guests and help you stand out from classic outfits.
As for shirt fabric, favour cotton or linen shirts, which pair easily with any cufflink design. Silk shirts are best reserved for special occasions, with a classic metal cufflink or one in the same colour as the shirt.
Related Products
The different shirt-cuff shapes
To make the right choice among the many cufflink collections, it's also worth looking at the shape of your shirt's cuffs.
Indeed, several cuff styles exist, ranging from the classic design to the French cuff.
For simple shirt cuffs, you'll find:
- double-button cuffs, rounded, square or triangular,
- cone cuffs,
- envelope cuffs,
- flap cuffs,
- Italian cuffs,
- Neapolitan cuffs.
Among French cuffs, you'll find different shapes, such as:
- the square French cuff,
- the round French cuff,
- the triangular French cuff,
- the continental French cuff.
If you want to keep a classic look, try, wherever possible, to match the shape of your cufflinks to the shape of your cuffs. For square cuffs, square cufflinks are the way to go. The same applies to round cuffs with round cufflinks.
For more specific cuff shapes, favour round cufflinks, which come closest to the classic buttons on your shirt.
As for double-button cuffs, you might reasonably wonder whether it's better to wear 2 or 4 cufflinks. As a general rule, men's dress codes agree that only 2 cufflinks should be worn. Indeed, wearing 2 cufflinks on each cuff risks overloading your wrists with accessories. It's better to choose 2 quality, slightly larger cufflinks than simple small ones.
That said, if you want to dare 4 cufflinks on double-button cuffs, favour small round-shaped cufflinks in an understated colour.
Choosing cufflink size based on your shirt
The many cufflink designs also come in different sizes. Silk-knot cufflinks are therefore smaller than larger square or round designs, and so on.
Depending on your shirt, some men's cufflink designs will suit better than others. If you're wearing a shirt without a jacket or suit trousers, you're free to choose any cufflink size you like. Smaller designs can be coloured or shiny, to stand out against your shirt for a party or an evening out.
If the dress code calls for chic and elegant, you won't be able to avoid wearing a suit jacket over your shirt. For this outfit, the cufflink needs to be large enough that it isn't hidden under the jacket sleeves. It should also be a reasonable size so as not to stop the jacket sleeves sliding freely over your shirt cuffs.
Classic round or square designs are best with a suit jacket. They should be slightly larger than a traditional shirt button, without exceeding the size of the buttons on your jacket.
Wearing cufflinks with a tie or bow tie
When you choose a pair of cufflinks, it's not uncommon to also fasten a tie or bow tie at your collar.
In that case, the style of the cufflink should also match the colour and shape of your other accessories.
If you're wearing a classic slim tie, you can choose a slightly bolder cufflink design. If, on the other hand, you've chosen a tie that doesn't go unnoticed, favour understated cufflinks. This style advice also applies based on the shape and size of your bow tie.
As for the texture of your tie or bow tie, cotton or linen designs can be worn with shinier metal cufflinks, such as silver or gold. For ties and silk bow ties, favour more neutral cufflinks in matte tones.
For an outfit polished down to the smallest detail, don't hesitate to match the colour of your tie or bow tie to your cufflinks. For coloured or patterned accessories, plain, understated shirts are best.
Accessories let you turn a simple suit into an outfit that reflects who you are. That said, whether for your cufflinks, your watch, your tie or your bow tie, they should all stay harmonious, in colours that match your shirt. By respecting this harmony, you can dare originality and quirky shapes for your cufflinks.
We also recommend these other pages:
- Matching your cufflinks with your bow tie
- Matching your cufflinks with your tie
- Which accessories go well with cufflinks?
- Wearing original cufflinks
And to get the match just right, right down to your cuffs, browse all our men's cufflinks: find the exact shade of your shirt among our cufflinks by colour, or go for timeless style with our mother-of-pearl cufflinks.