This week we are showing a handful of handsome vintage cufflinks, recently unearthed—five years after being packed-up when we closed our Greenwich Village shop. See more cufflinks tomorrow and many more in our on-line shop.
Any man who wears cufflinks—especially those who only wear them occasionally—knows that inserting the links takes a bit of skill and practice. The more a man does it, the easier it becomes (just like fastening button-fly jeans). Nevertheless, many men choose to avoid cufflinks altogether.
"Snapping" cufflinks were invented in the early 1920's and they made dressing considerably easier. By this time, valets and manservants had already become a relic of the past. Snapping cufflinks came along at the perfect time!
A snapping cufflink has two separate sides—one "male" and one "female"—which fit together. The two parts are separated (snapped apart) and inserted into the two sides of the cuff before the shirt is donned (which allows the man to use two hands for the operation). Once the four parts are inserted into the open cuffs (two on the left cuff, two on the right cuff), the shirt may be put-on and the cufflinks finally snapped closed. It was an easy, neat and quick way to dress. A perfect invention at the perfect time. They were produced for about 20 years, up until World War II.
Why didn't snapping cufflinks carry-on after the war? I suspect there are two reasons. First, after World War II, even fewer men bothered to wear cufflinks at all. The industry was going the way of the buggy whip and manufacturers re-organized their production. Second, the period after WWII was defined by Modernism—big, chunky, heavy cufflinks which suited the fashion of the times (1950's - 1970's). Such large "sculptural" cufflinks required a more substantial backing to bear the weight of the cufflink front. Swiveling "T-Back" mountings became popular (indeed, necessary). Snapping backs could not have borne the weight and mass of the bigger links.
This pair of Art Deco snapping cufflinks were made in the 1920's They have a discreet, yet handsome style. Click on the photo above to learn more about them.
More "missing links" tomorrow.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Pittsburgh's historic "Strip District" at Mahla & Co. Antiques (www.mahlaantiques.com) or in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248