Whether you know it or not, it was only a matter of time before the the invention of the cufflink. After all, we have seen it appear in different forms in the world of fashion. Before there were cufflinks, buttons were used purely as ornaments and clothes were oftentimes pinned together with pins and straps. In the 1200s, clothesmakers realized that buttons made excellent fasteners. During the period of the Renaissance, the button rosed in popularity due to the emergence of the stitched buttonhole. But it wasn’t until the post-Renaissance period in the 1600s that two ornamented buttons, attached in the middle with a link of chain, became de rigeur among the upper classes of Europe, especially Great Britain.
Jewelry makers proceed to create what would be known as sleeve buttons in silver, gold and precous gems. Nobility and royalty celebrated important events with them and soon cufflinks became an indespensible item in a gentleman’s wardrobe.
The French Cuff Shirt
Glass buttons came on to the scene in the 1600s as a lower cost alternative to diamonds. In the 18th century, glass paste, consisting of crushed glass resembling gems, became widely used. Paste became a popular material for covering cufflinks and buttons. From England to France, fashion spread and was adopted by the nobles. In 1788, the first known record of the word “cufflink” was found.
Not Just for the Rich
In the 1800s, cufflinks became quite the rage. Imitation gems such as glass paste, micah and crystal, as well as gold and silver plate and base metal alloys were all employed by jewelers to make cufflinks affordable to the masses. After a while, cufflinks and shirt studs became a staple in every gentleman’s ensemble. The cufflink design had not changed much since the 17th century. Soon men would have an simpler time getting dressed in the morning.
In the 1920s, the T-post and flap hinges were invented and soon followed by the snap together in the 1930s. Low-end manufacturers like Swank, Anson and Hickok turned out millions of inexpensive cufflinks in standard designs from the 1930s through the 1960s. In the 60s and 70s, the demand for cufflinks waned as shirts that did not need the studs gained traction. In the 1980s and during the past five years, French cuff shirts again returned to men’s wardrobes, and are now extremely popular, especially with young professionals trying to stand out in a sea of “business casual” attire.