Collar and Cuffs

While much of women’s fashion seems to be about big statements, new silhouettes, and outlandish experiments, men’s style seems to be mostly in the details. Whether it is crisp white cuffs or a thoughtfully eccentric accessory, it’s the smallest things that make the biggest difference.

Whilst musing over this idea during the weekend, it occurred to me that this idea has been at the heart of men’s dressing for quite some time. The dandy Prince Eddy, known for being dim-witted in almost all departments but dressing, was even known to his father as “Collar and Cuffs” to sum up his sartorial leanings. To step back almost another hundred years, Beau Brummel, in regards to his linen, famously said “plenty of it, and country washing,” since city laundry could leave it looking and smelling less than its best.

The immaculate white of clean cuffs and handkerchief, the position of one’s tie knot, and the crispness of one’s trouser crease all speak volumes about your attitudes towards dressing and presenting yourself to the world. Even a Savile Row suit looks mediocre if dirty and poorly worn – respect begins inside, not out.