“French cuffs,” also known as “double cuffs” to folks who call their fried potato strips “freedom fries,” are shirt cuffs that are folded back and fastened together with cufflinks in the “kissing” style, where the insides of the cuffs face each other. This style is more formal than barrel cuffs, although not as formal as “single-linked cuffs,” a “kissing,” cufflink-requiring style that doesn’t need a fold-back.
Most menswear enthusiasts think French cuffs are “too formal” to be worn with anything other than a suit. Even rules-shirkers like me would admit that French cuffs are simply not that convenient. The two-layer cuff style is cumbersome and look awkward when not under a jacket, and the need for cufflinks makes rolling up the sleeves difficult. On the other hand, though, French cuffs allow the wearer one more accessory to express his personality, and there are few things in menswear that look more elegant than a cufflinked-French cuff peeking out from under a well-tailored jacket.
Another point in favor French cuffs is that shirts with them are more often discounted or under clearance – probably because button/barrel cuffs are more versatile and thus sell better. I’ve gained from this fact, and have been filling my wardrobe with more and more French cuffed shirts – both in solids and patterns, never paying more than $25 apiece. Versatility was never a concern in school – everyone already knew me as the guy who dresses way-too-formal for the occasion, so nobody really batted an eye when I would show up to class wearing cufflinks under my navy blazer sleeve.
However, now that I’m entering the workforce, things are a bit different. As it turns out, French cuffs, because of associations with formality and elitism, are also as a status symbol in the professional world. At C-suite or partner-level, they’re certainly seen as appropriate, but people might frown on an associate-level person like me showing up with cufflinks, regardless of what kind of deal I might have gotten on the shirt.
So, I’m conflicted. There’s probably now a good quarter of my shirt collection that are high quality and in perfect, well-cared-for condition, that I won’t be able to wear regularly for at least the next few years. Do I regret purchasing them? Probably not – the amount I paid for them probably made them worth the purchase even if I wore them only once a decade. I guess I’ll just have to hope that I find engagements outside work soon enough that will make these shirts useful again.