ShareThisBy LaMONT JONES
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Cuff links, traditionally a chic finishing touch for the sartorial guy, are now enjoying a surge in popularity.
Many younger men, slaves to casual attire, have begun to wear them with open-collar French cuff shirts, sans jacket.
Links are an easy way to express the wearer's personality.
K. Chase Patterson, 23, of North Point Breeze, Pa., said he's been wearing cuff links at least a decade and has more than 20 pairs _ including a congressional pair given to him last year by U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Ill.
"They give your outfit more maturity," he said. "They give a little more sophisticated flash."
Patterson said he's noticed that more guys his generation have begun to wear cuff links.
"Now you can go buy shirts that have cheap cuff links on them already," he said.
Typically, those links are knotted silk or some other fabric in a color that complements the shirt.
Men once used ribbons and ties to hold together the cuffs of their shirts. But in the 1600s, cuff links were born from a desire for something more sophisticated and elegant. The earliest were small chains attached to gold or silver buttons.
Cuff links go with a tuxedo like high heels go with a little black dress. They're standard at weddings and formal affairs and are a common gift from a groom to his attendants.
Nathan Tim recently launched hand-worked Murano glass and stainless steel cuff links for such occasions. His sets, $395 at nathantim.com, are works of art, and the United Nations recently commissioned him to make a pair for former Secretary General Kofi Annan.
