Keeping it Simple: Cuff Links in Every Price Range
They’re cuff links, not Christmas ornaments. Not too many men on the sprite side of 50 wear french cuff shirts with regularity (not to say they aren’t out there), so if you do find an occasion to sport a shirt that requires links? Keep em’ simple. It’s not best to take the opportunity as license to wear symbols of your favorite hobby on your wrists.
It’s very much wedding season and a lot of you are headed to night-time soirees. Your dates will be dressed up and despite the day time temps, you’ll be wearing a well fitting, favorite dark suit. If you want to go that extra french-cuff mile, these are worth considering:
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1. The Dirt Cheap: The Tie Bar Silver Brackets – $20.00
TheTieBar.com has been featured in GQ (numerous times) and is the go-to for many a guy when it comes to cheap neck-wear. Most of their ties run $15 and goodness do they have variety. No surprise then that they make a pair of amazingly simple, silver tone brackets for a wallet friendly $20.
2. Still Affordable: Johnston & Murphy Silver Knots – $45.00
More on traditional silk/fabric/thread/cord knots in a second, but metal knots aren’t a bad way to go for dressed up events. They’re not gigantic edged rectangles, won’t weigh you down, and won’t get in your way.
3. Not real affordable: Hugo Boss Waldon Cuff Links – $90.00
Stand out quietly right? Still not clunky like big honkin’ squares, with just enough depth by way of the barber pole twist texture.
4. Up there: Brooks Brothers Snapper Cuff Links – $123.75 ($165)
Terrific engraving and it’s hard not to love the snap on design inspired by links from the 1920s. Recently featured over here, as part of the ongoing Brooks Brothers sale.
5. Someone’s inheritance: Tiffany & Co. 1837 Cuff Links – $275.00
Sterling silver with perfect, slightly curved edges, and the stamped Tiffany mark. One of those things your kids would love for you to hand down to them while you were alive, but they’ll have to pry these off your cold dead wrists.
6. The Wildcards: Brooks Brothers Knot Cuff Links – $6.75
You can probably find knot cuff links for cheaper than $6.75, just make sure you trust the source you’re handing your credit card information over too. Keep an eye out on Giltman for a great set of 15 for around $30. Now that it’s hot, you don’t want to be wearing anything real shined up while the sun in blazing. So for your summer suits to early evening weddings? Go with simple knots instead. French cuff shirts are a dressed up option that not many men reach for. And that’s fine. So the more relaxed knots are more than acceptable in plenty of situations.
Your thoughts on cuff links in general? Do you wear them? Or are they too stuffy? Leave your thoughts below. And for goodness sakes, if your soon to be in-laws give you cuff links for your wedding day? Wear em’.
Got thirty (30) pairs of the knot cuff links off eBay (through Hong Kong) for less than $10. Took less than two weeks to arrive.
Got thirty (30) pairs of the knot cuff links off eBay (through Hong Kong) for less than $10. Took less than two weeks to arrive.
I have a few pairs from Meritline.com. Most of them run about $10 with free shipping, but they are well-made and of good quality for the price. A lot of what they have falls into the novelty category, but there are a few sharp-looking options. Occasionally they will run sales or have coupon codes for specific ones.
Most of their products ship from China, so they take a couple of weeks to arrive, but I have ordered from them dozens of times, and everything eventually shows up.
Cufflinks are best bought vintage on ebay, or found in your grandfather’s chest of drawers. I prefer a little deliberate flamboyance for my cufflinks. Who’s to say a red cowboy holding a frying pan does not make a good cufflink?
I have to be honest. Knot cufflinks are a pain in the @$$ to insert and remove. I don’t know if it is the size of the knots I bought or the quality or what, but to me they seem like they are only up for single duty and not for someone that may have to roll up sleeves and back down more than once.
Joe, any possibility of a trim fit french cuff shirt bonanza in the future?
Completely agree with Kashuber. My fav cuff links are the inside of a watch. The gears and everything. Circular. And I also have some that are painter boards with a 4-5 different color jewels.
Just go to a thrift shop and buy a pair of vintage cufflinks for $1.
Those Johnston & Murphy cuffs can be found on Amazon (sans the designer name “Quality Stays”) for $19.99. Unless designers are really careful, pretty much anything can be found under Chinese knockoff brands and it is usually exactly the same thing, sometimes made in the same factory.
Since we are in the accessory mood, anyone wear necklaces? I was given a bead necklace and I rather like the way it looks, but I am wondering if my surfer roots are affecting my judgement.
Just went to steinmart, and they have all of there for $9.99 a piece. Much cheaper than the above brands.
Go to Steinmart. There have tons of cufflinks cheap. Around $9.99 each and some of the actual styles above at less price.