Cuff
A cuff is a layer of fabric at the lower edge of the
History
Between the 15th and 18th centuries, rich men often wore sleeve cuffs ornamented with fine
Shirt cuffs
Except on casual attire, shirt cuffs are generally divided down one edge and then fastened together, so they can let a hand through and then fit more snugly around the wrist. Some sweaters and athletic garments (both tops and pants) have cuffs that either contain elastic or are woven so as to stretch around a hand or foot and still fit snugly, accomplishing the same purpose.
Divided shirt cuffs are of three kinds, depending on how they fasten:
- Button cuffs, also called barrel cuffs, have buttonholes on the one side and buttons on the other (sometimes more than one, so that the fit can be adjusted).
- Link cuffs, which have buttonholes on both sides and are meant to be closed with silk knots. They are most commonly fastened in either the "kissing" style, where the insides of both sides are pressed together, or very unusually with the outer face touching the inner face, as with a button cuff (though this is unorthodox). Link cuffs come in two kinds:
- Single cuffs, the original linked cuff, are required for lounge suitsas well.
- French, or double, cuffs, are twice as long and worn folded back on themselves. French cuffs were once considered to be more formal than button cuffs, although they are seeing a resurgence in cufflinks.[2]
- Single cuffs, the original linked cuff, are required for
- Convertible cuffs may be closed with buttons or with cufflinks.
Anatomy of the single or double cuff: The fabric is folded back onto itself, thus the inside of the shirt sleeve becomes the outside of the cuff and the outside of the shirt sleeve becomes the inside of the cuff.
Trouser cuffs
Most trouser legs are finished by hemming the bottom to prevent fraying. Trousers with turn-ups ("cuffs" in American English and elsewhere), after hemming, are rolled outward and sometimes pressed or stitched into place. The functional reason for the cuffs is to add weight to the bottom of the leg, to help the drape of the trousers. Parents may also use cuffs to extend the life of children's clothes by buying pants that are too long, cuffing the leg and then unrolling it as the child grows. Originally, however, it started as men rolling up their trousers to avoid getting mud splashed on them when roads were still unpaved.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, young people in some countries would tightly fold the pant leg longitudinally along the leg, then roll the bottom of the pant leg to "lock" the long pleat in place at the bottom. This was done to slim the appearance of the legs. Reportedly, this "tight-rolled pants" or "pegged pants"
Jacket cuffs
The buttons and buttonholes at the end of suit jacket sleeves are generally decorative and non-functional. "Surgeon’s cuffs" can be opened at the wrist,[4] and are traditionally associated with bespoke tailoring.
References
- ^ "Baroque fashion – Styles". study.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
- ^ "How to Wear French Cuffs". Archived from the original on 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
- ^ Evi (2011). "Hot or not: Boys met opgerolde broekspijpen - Girlscene" (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ Rosenbloom, Stephanie (February 13, 2009). "For Fine Recession Wear, $7,000 Suits From Saks (Off the Rack)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-02-14.
External links
Media related to Cuffs at Wikimedia Commons
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