Old school barrel cuffs

[Jovan]

Does anyone know anything about this type of barrel cuff with no real sleeve placket to speak of? I first spotted it in Catch Me if You Can and it intrigued me, because I thought most shirts in the '60s had a sleeve placket and button. I like the no-frills look of it. Interestingly enough, the cuff is wide enough to be double-buttoned, but only has a single button.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[manton]

Are you sure there's no placket? Shirts with a plackey but no button are common. That's the standard Brooks Brothers make.

 

[Mr. Rover]

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I think he's talking about the gauntlet button. My 50s Arrow shirt and 30s tuxedo shirt have no gauntlet button either.

 

[Orgetorix]

Maybe he means the equivalent of a French front on the sleeve?

 

[Jovan]

It looks like there's just some stitching, but nothing to identify as being a placket. The overlap isn't very wide at all. Is this making any sense?

I thought BB put buttons on theirs? Maybe I'm mistaken but that's what I remember seeing on their website last time.

 

[manton]

I thought BB put buttons on theirs? Maybe I'm mistaken but that's what I remember seeing on their website last time.

They may now, but the classic BB shirts never had any. If you want to start a fight, go over to the AAAC trad forum and write a love poem to gauntlet buttons.

 

[Tomasso]

It looks like there's just some stitching, but nothing to identify as being a placket. The overlap isn't very wide at all. Is this making any sense?

.

My father had many shirts that were made without sleeve plackets but (IIRC) they all had French cuffs. These shirts were made in the 50's and 60's by Sulka and Capper&Capper.

 

[Jovan]

Believe me, I don't want any part in that forum...

Here's a clearer picture I just mocked up in lovely MSPaint to show what I mean. On the left is what I observe from Hanratty's (based on that picture and what I remember from the movie), on the right a modern one.

Tomasso: I believe I first saw that on some French cuff shirts in real life, coincidentally enough.

 

[David V]

Gauntlet buttons started turning up on RTW shirts in the late 70's early 80's. Mostly on better quality shirts that were trying to mimic custom. I remember Lands End basic button down touted them, along with the split yoke. thats when I first had owned such a thing. The type of hemmed edge is probably still avaiable on very cheaply made shirts. I still see them on some sport shirts.

 

[Jovan]

Thanks for the info. Thing is, I don't know if I want them now if they connotate cheapness.

 

[herringbonekid]

your diagram on the left looks like cuffs found on many gabardine sports shirts of the 40s and 50s.

 

[herringbonekid]

Gauntlet buttons started turning up on RTW shirts in the late 70's early 80's.

i have 30s RTW sports shirts with gauntlet buttons. i 'm sure they were about earlier too.

 

[Jovan]

Interesting. I still prefer no button there... it's more airy that way.

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Here's the scoop ...


Plackets (which by nature overlap) make sense on shirts with barrel cuffs, since one side of the cuff overlaps the other.


Plackets don't work well (and hence are rarely seen) on shirts with French cuffs, since one side of the cuff presses against the other without overlapping.


.

 

[iammatt]

Interesting. I still prefer no button there... it's more airy that way.

I leave my shirt cuff unbuttoned much of the time. It works very well for air.

 

[Jovan]

I've done that a couple of times, reluctantly. I somehow feel it should be fastened if it's there. [huh] But seeing as I can get shirts for the same price I'd pay retail, it's something I can do away with completely on my next shirt order.