Classics are forever. Simple, handsome and timeless—these are the qualities that make a classic enduring. Over the next several days, we'll be sharing some of the classic, Mother-of-Pearl cufflinks now in-stock at LEO Design. Click on the photo above to learn more about it.
In the 1930's, when most people lost their valets and lady's maids (those, that is, who had them to begin with), middle class people needed to start dressing themselves. Corsets disappeared. Evening dress was streamlined. And cufflinks were re-designed to make them easier to insert singlehandedly. One such design development was the creation of "snapping" cufflinks. Such cufflinks were to be inserted into the shirt sleeves before the shirt was put-on. Two halves went into one sleeve, two halves went into the other sleeve. Because the shirt was not yet donned, the wearer could insert the parts (into their buttonholes) with two free hands. Once the parts were installed, the man would put-on the shirt, button-it-up, and simply snap the cufflinks closed. This made dressing alone much easier than the old way: struggling (with one hand) to feed a cufflink through four plies of cuff material.
These Art Deco snapping cufflinks were made by Baer & Wilde in the 1920's or 1930's. A polished Mother-of-Pearl face is punctuated with a central seed pearl. Interestingly, the cufflinks still have their original manufacturer's card upon which they were shipped and originally sold. Click on the photo above to learn more about these handsome (and easy-to-use) cufflinks.
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). 917-446-4248UNFINISHED (12 November)