To cuff or not to cuff

[Wild Root]

Dressing the Man & Style and the Man.

Those are good books to learn about traditional men?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s fashion. Lots of English and European fashion. Good guidelines for men who want to step it up a notch.

For me, I have learned some from those books. However, if you look, you will find that most of the suits in those books gravitate towards the 1980's. If you want to get a grasp on the do's and don'ts of 1930's men's fashion, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of Sears Fashions of the 1930's or the 1940's. Amazon.com has these and they're very reasonably priced.

That's my take on it.

Root.

Here is a link to Amazon to see those Sears books.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/048625108X/thecostumersmani/103-0624798-1263030

 

[MrBern]

Theres a classic OddCouple episode where Oscar keeps sand in his cuffs so he can flick cigar ashes into them when theres no ashtray around.

 

[TomMason]

Great discussion of cuffs. I prefer them.

Speaker of other cuffs - I was just in New York and had a hell of a time getting the tailor at Brooks Brothers to make the sleeves short enough on a summer suit to show cuff. This has always been a problem. Something about the visual of the shirt front, the shirt cuffs and the pocket square that just goes together.

Another thing, I don't know where I heard/read it (maybe here) that those high waisted pants of the 30's were said to have a "Hollywoood Waist." Makes sense, all of Fred Aistaire's pictures seem to show that.

Final question: does any know of a laundry that presses handkerchiefs into into that mavelous pattern where all four corners stick out?

 

[Chad Sanborn]

Cuffs here!

I too prefer cuffs. All of my suits have cuffs. 1.5 to 2 inches! Fortunately their is a taylor around here who will make a cuff, shorten a sleeve to any length you want, with no questions asked! She is great and has a good sense for the retro style. Unfortunately she is quite expensive. So I have to save up when I want to take stuff to her. She also stays very busy. I have never been in there when I didn't have to wait 20-30 mins to get fitted.

Chad

 

[BellyTank]

Cuffs are good on a wider legged, vintage style trouser but many modern pairs of pants are too narrow/tapered to give the correct effect. Wide legged pants benefit from the extra weight at the bottom. Tapered pants give an elegant shape down to the foot- cuffs can rob precious inches from shorter or stouter folks. Cuffs are not recommended in modern fashion terms, maybe due to the more modern narrower and lighter pants but maybe just modern fash sensibilities- but- they just look wrong on some pants or some body types.
That's what I say.
B
T

 

[Wild Root]

I agree in some ways with you on that score BT. I have seen some photos of men with out cuffs from the 30's to the 40's but most I have seen (Any body shape and size) all had cuffs. I think it was the fad at the time which lasted from the 20's to the 50's with a small 3 year brake during the war.

I think cuffs look great on any one. Just gives it a more finished look.

Remember, the late teens and early 20's had cuffs and they were more tapered then today’s pants!

Root.

 

[BellyTank]

Well, I think we have more demanding aesthetic sensibilities nowadays and cuffs can cut a short person shorter in those terms- kinda like a DB suit on a short guy can further shorten him. That's what I'm talking about- not what they did way back then.

B
T

 

[Wild Root]

I understand your point. What you say is true do to the fact that today's clothing manufacturers and tailors have lost the true craft of constructing suits to make any style and cut to fit all types. You know as much as I do that most vintage we find is of a smaller size. A vintage double breasted suit looks great on a smaller man as it does on a taller man. But, since coats are WAY too long today, that plays a lot in making any one unable to wear certain styles.

Root.

 

[BellyTank]

'Modern' DB suits do not flatter a fuller figure- they add width.
'Horizontals' such as cuffs and DB styling can 'cut off' a vertical, visually shortening length.
My mention of 'Aesthetics' is as what looks 'right' or not- and why,
due to certain rules of how we see and perceive- in clothing terms that is.
Not all types of clothing suit all types- like it or not- :cry:
Exactly the same as the hat proportion issue- wide/narrow brim- tall/short crown...
But anyone is of course absolutely free to wear what they want-
it may not look good or flatter them or make best of their form though.
B
T

 

[MrBern]

Cuffs do look dressier , but you'll never see them on a tux. I believe cuffs grew out of the fashion of men rolling up their suit trousers to avoid too much mud on them. So its not appropriate on a tux. I read that a long time ago in Esquire.

 

[Wild Root]

Cuffs look dressier? Not in my book. I’ll tell you why.

Over the years of collecting clothes and looking at what had cuffs and what didn’t have cuffs are seen on the “daily suit� a suit that was worn to the office, to the races, or what ever. When people dressed up to go out on the town back then, they would through on a Tux, Tails, or if that wasn’t a part of the individual’s wardrobe, they put on their best suit.

I have seen very un-dressy pants with cuffs! Your average work pants from Sears had cuffs! Khaki, Surge, Corduroy or wool work wear had cuffs!

Like today, it’s up to the individual’s liking to cuff or not to. It was the same in the 30’s and so on. I have seen suit pants with no cuffs and seen mostly with.

I for one love the deep 1 ¾ cuff! Just makes the outfit look old fashioned seeing that the deep cuff is some what indigenous to the 30’s and 40’s.

I think the fact that dress pants today come with pleats and cuffs makes today’s generation feel that the cuff is a dressy addition to an outfit. It’s the way fashion goes.

What was considered work wear or casual then is considered dressy by today’s standards. Don’t ask me why, it just sounds stupid to me.

Cheers,

Root.