# \[Poll for guys\] Do you have an opinion on shirts with French cuffs? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 13, 2010, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920 "2010-04-13T03:12:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/21 "2010-04-13T13:39:03Z")
French cuffs and cufflinks are in the same ballpark as buying a real badger hair shaving brush and straight razor from Caswell-Massey. Otherwise, you will be using disposable Bic shavers and wearing a poly/cotton wash n’ wear shirt. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/22 "2010-04-13T13:44:47Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I own a tux and several formal shirts, all with French cuffs, requiring cuff links and studs. The only times I wear them are my chorus’ concerts and art gallery openings. Ah but you see, you’re a musician. So am I. Tuxedos are our overalls. My favorite formal shits are those with “single linked” cuffs - not French, 'cause they don’t fold over - but no buttons either. They don’t get in the way as much when hauling gear or playing various reed doubles. French cuffs tend to hang up on your coat sleeves at such times, giving you the air of a small boy or the Nutty Professor. Now gallery openings being formal is a new one on me. But I don’t go to too many unless I know the artist. > [@](#): > > And a great reminder that I’m gaining weight is: the studs keep popping out of the button holes. When the collar’s too tight to play a saxophone in, either it’s shrunk or I’ve grown (usually the latter). ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/23 "2010-04-13T13:47:59Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > My favorite formal shits And here I am asking why wear a tux to an _art gallery_. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/24 "2010-04-13T13:58:02Z")
I like them for work or any time I would wear a suit. Then again, I work in the world of Manhattan investment banks, law firms, Big-4 accounting and management consulting firms so it doesn’t look out of place or extraordinary. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/848f3c/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_Dunlop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_Dunlop)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/25 "2010-04-13T14:09:12Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > I was just wondering. I don’t see a whole lot of guys wearing them. This may be giving men too much credit, but they’re more formal than barrel cuffs and lots of men would be over dressed wearing them to work. If you’re like **msmith537** wearing them is no big deal but I own a small tech startup and they’re way too formal for work. I wear them to social events were I can dress up a bit. > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I find it very difficult to put on cufflinks without help. > [@Autolycus](#): > > I find them difficult to wear when I’m by myself. (What **Tom** said). Have you ever considered putting them on prior to putting the shirt on, while you still have two hands? Do your hands not fit through the cuff or something? ---
**Author:** ![Electric\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9de0a6/32.png) [@Electric\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electric_Sky)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/26 "2010-04-13T14:12:56Z")
I love the look of French cuffs and would wear them more, but a) they’re a bit too formal for everyday wear and b) I can’t stand the sound of the cufflinks scraping against my desk when I type. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/27 "2010-04-13T14:28:23Z")
I have them and wear them occasionally, but I’m wary of wearing them around guys who are a lot older than me…it feels like one of those things that you have to have reached a certain professional level to wear, like those blue shirts with the white collar. With that said, does anyone wear their french cuffs barrel-style? I’ve only seen them “kissing,” which is the way I’ve always done it, but if barrel is acceptable, I’d prefer that, because I have skinny wrists. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/28 "2010-04-13T14:36:22Z")
I do not wear long sleeves. Almost ever. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/29 "2010-04-13T14:42:53Z")
Other. I only have two shirts with french cuffs (not including my two tux shirts). One of those I’ll only wear when I go out, and even then it’s a pain because I have to iron it. The other I wear to work pretty often, but lately I’ve taken to just rolling up the sleeves. When I’m sitting at my computer all day, the scraping of the right cuff link against my desk as I use my mouse gets annoying. But mostly, I just don’t see many shirts like that for sale. ---
**Author:** ![ColdPhoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@ColdPhoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdPhoenix)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/30 "2010-04-13T15:20:21Z")
Most men in my office wear them most days. Most people (majority from the US?) here see them as overly formal. I wonder if it’s a difference between UK and US offices? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/31 "2010-04-13T15:24:16Z")
The boyfriend likes them because there’s not much jewelry men can wear and I keep buying him cool cufflinks. Of course, whenever you pack one, you will NOT remember to pack cufflinks and your girlfriend will have to go make an emergency purchase. (Thank you, Everything’s Ten Dollars Store in our Vegas hotel.) ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/32 "2010-04-13T16:56:25Z")
I chose “other” - I have no idea what French Cuffs are. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/33 "2010-04-13T17:02:11Z")
My wife is slowly but surely trying to ramp up my wardrobe, so I have no doubt a French-cuffed shirt or three are in my future. I’ve worn them before. Cufflinks are cool, but they are also a pain. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/34 "2010-04-13T17:10:58Z")
I didn’t vote, as the OP seems to be looking for males opinions. But I am against them, at least in the day time. I really think that wearing French cuffs before 6:00pm is just pretentious. They also tend to make the arms look too long - almost ape-y. (Yes, I know, I am speaking of the lesser apes.) I’m sure I read this rule somewhere in my childhood, but have never been able to find it since. It may have gone out with “no pearls before 6:00pm,” but my upbringing included quite a few of those archaic rules. (I wore kid gloves to church until the early '80s!) At any rate, if I see them int he office, I have an immediate bad impression. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/35 "2010-04-13T17:27:29Z")
I wear them regularly, and have about 10 or so pairs of cufflinks. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/36 "2010-04-13T18:04:47Z")
No, actively dislike them, although I’ve only worn them on a couple of highly formal occasions. ---
**Author:** ![davekhps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/37 "2010-04-13T18:10:49Z")
I never used to wear them, but have begun to take a fancy towards them in recent years. As others have noted, in 2010 there really aren’t a lot of opportunities for an American man to add character to his wardrobe. Ties, sure. Pocket squares? I can’t pull the look off. Tie clips and pins are obsolete. I love watches but I never use them so I rarely wear them. But cufflinks? Cufflinks are _awesome_. In my day job I don’t always have to dress to the nines-- sportcoat, tie and slacks are fine for an average day-- but I do wear suits every now and again, and french cuff shirts really spruce up the look (just remember never to wear cuff links with a sport coat-- THAT’S tacky, like a tux with sneakers). ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/38 "2010-04-13T18:12:05Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I like them for work or any time I would wear a suit. Then again, I work in the world of Manhattan investment banks, law firms, Big-4 accounting and management consulting firms so it doesn’t look out of place or extraordinary. ditto ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/39 "2010-04-13T18:16:52Z")
I don’t have any, and they would be a little dressy for my workplace (which is “business casual”). But if someone gave me such a shirt, I would wear it in more dressy situations. So I voted twice. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920/40 "2010-04-13T18:48:57Z")
Another vote for “other” as in “I have no opinion about French cuffs because I didn’t know what they are.” Having now read the thread, I guess I understand the concept but I still have no real opinion on them. I wore a uniform at work and dress informally elsewhere. So my opinion on French cuffs is about the same as it is on cravats or spats - indifference. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-for-guys-do-you-have-an-opinion-on-shirts-with-french-cuffs/535920.md?page=3)