5 Cuff Design Options for Dress Shirts
Cuffs, being one of the most significant parts of your dress shirts, are responsible for adding a sober yet stylish aesthetic to your outfit. Each type of cuff radiates a specific sort of energy, making them ideal for a specific occasion. That's why it's important to go through all the offered cuff design options so you'll always look appropriate, everywhere you go, rather than being overdressed or underdressed.
So today, we are going to walk you through the most common cuff designs for dress shirts. In addition to discussing how each cuff style looks, we'll also discuss when and how to wear them. Let's start!
Cuff Design Options: Dress Shirts
1. Barrel cuff
Barrel cuffs are what comes to your mind at first on picturing dress shirt cuffs. That's why it is considered the standard cuff type that is most commonly found in men's shirts. Barrel cuffs feature buttoned closure and have the same width and thickness all the way around.
Generally, two buttons are given on the cuffs so men can achieve a relaxed or snug fit, as per their preferences. That's the reason why barrel cuffs are also known as button cuffs.
However, you can choose to either go with stiff or soft barrel cuffs - of which, stiffer barrel cuffs are generally more common. The reason why most dress shirts are manufactured with stiff cuffs is to ensure that the cuffs sit properly and stay practical by being hardwearing. Thus, to make barrel cuffs stiff, an interlining is adjoined which, when iron, returns to its original crispness after every wash.
To make barrel cuffs look more stylish, some fashion variations are introduced. For example, you'd see some barrel cuffs have sharp angles at corners while in some others, rounded edges are made.
Whatever the type of barrel cuff you opt for, make sure it's properly ironed to look neat. This cuff design works with almost all formal and semi-formal occasions, but one should avoid wearing this to black tie events or under tuxedos.
2. French cuff
French cuffs feature much more stylish and elaborate design details than the standard barrel cuffs. These, unlike barrel cuffs, come with buttonholes on both ends which are secured with cufflinks. In addition to this, the width of the cuff band is twice that of the normal cuffs, which is folded back on itself to make a graceful fabric fold. That's the reason why French cuffs are also referred to as double cuffs.
On both ends, four buttonholes are given to adjust the sleeve fitting. Some high-end dress shirts also feature a hidden button, along with four buttonholes, to fasten the cuff ends securely and snugly.
Considering the details and sophistication, French cuffs are preferred to wear at black tie events, wedding ceremonies, job interviews, theatre nights, anniversaries, or exceedingly formal business meetings. However, one should never wear such dress shirts to casual settings or with open ties as these complement tuxedos and bow ties better.
3. Single cuffs
Single cuffs resemble highly to barrel cuffs with just one exception; the former one comes with four buttonholes and is required to be fastened with cufflinks. Since, unlike French cuffs, this cuff type doesn't feature a fabric fold, it's called a single cuff.
Single cuffs come in a variety of band shapes including angled, round, and square. Some single cuffs also feature one-button fastening, but such shirts are made with casual fabric, so these can be easily worn for everyday use.
Such a cuff type is usually provided in dress shirts having wing collars, making them extra classy. Due to this, these dress shirts are considered a great choice for white tie events. However, you'd rarely find a dress shirt with this cuff design off the rack - not even in the store of luxury shirt brands.
4. Convertible cuff
As the name implies, convertible cuffs are those that can be easily converted from barrel to French cuffs and vice versa. These come with two buttonholes, one on each end, so cufflinks can be used. At the same time, each end of the cuff contains one sew-in button, so it can be used as a barrel cuff as well.
This way, a dress shirt with convertible cuffs can be worn both casually or professionally. Their amazing versatility makes these dress shirts wearable on almost all kinds of occasions, be it a date night, business meeting, wedding, or Sunday brunch.
Despite their unmatched flexibility, we'd suggest you not fully rely on convertible cuffformalitynts, which demand utmost fidelity and attention to detail. In such settings, you'd always go wearing French cuffs or barrel cuffs.
5. Cocktail cuff
Cocktail cuffs are another hybrid of barrel and French cuffs and feature a wide band that is folded on itself and buttoned. Considering this unique construction, cocktail cuffs are considered less formal than French cuffs but more formal than barrel cuffs.
Cocktail cuffs make a good choice for weddings, parties, and other smart casual setups which involve friends and fun.
