Cufflinks are generally known as classic accessories for men. That’s primarily because we are accustomed to see cufflinks on men’s dress shirts, together with the dinner or sports jacket, business suit, and of course, tuxedo. And it’s been like this ever since so it’s quite understandable why many assume that they’re only for men.
But there are no such rules really. Cufflinks are meant to be worn with long-sleeved dress shirts, either with French cuffs or just button holes. So women who wear such can also naturally wear the same accessory. This practice may not be as common as that of men’s, but the thing is, cufflinks are not exclusively masculine anymore. Women can wear cufflinks just like men, but more as add-ons to their formal professional or business attire.
Cufflinks look great with women’s formal corporate clothes – a long-sleeved blouse with or without blazers, paired with trousers or office skirt. Incidentally, some women’s blouses are designed with double holes or folded cuffs at the end of the sleeves. They may not be as thick as that of men’s dress shirt but they serve the same purpose.
On women wearing cufflinks, the same general rules apply as with men. Firstly, classic cufflinks are best for formal wear, even in the corporate setting. There is a wide range of material and design too for classic cufflinks, but they don’t need to be expensive. You don’t need to wear diamond studded cufflinks really. There are modestly designed cufflinks – the simpler the better. You won’t go wrong with conservative cufflinks. As for the colors, you can choose the same colors as those for men’s. But women now have the liberty to wear colors like fuchsia, pink, lavender, and others that typical men would dare not. Of course, in all this there are obviously feminine cufflink designs now available. Generally, one can spot the difference between a man’s cufflinks and a woman’s.
Just make sure you match the cufflinks with other ladies’ accessories like a lady’s wristwatch, necklace, or even earrings. The dominant color of the cufflinks should blend well with the colors of other accessories – that is, silver-toned cufflinks if you wear silver jewelry and gold-toned cufflinks alternatively if you have gold jewelry.
Next to that, you can also match your cufflinks’ color with your suit’s color. A white blouse can accommodate any colored accessory, but light blue one would probably suit a neutral color like silver, black, or different shade of the same color (like dark blue or navy blue), instead of red or yellow.
There is a new trend for lady neckties as another accessory for professional attire. If you happen to wear that too, you should also consider if the cufflinks match the color and design of your tie.
As for cufflink designs, many cufflinks are now explicitly “girly.” Many cufflinks can be considered unisex, but there are now fabulous pairs designed for women. You can easily find them in jewelry stores both online and offline.
