Dress Shirt Cuffs/Sleeves

Cuff Type
On a dress shirt there are two main types of cuff. The first is known as the button, barrel or single cuff. This type is fastened with one, two or sometimes even three buttons. The the corners of the button cuff are typically finished with a corner or rounded cut.

The second type of cuff is known as a double cuff, or sometimes as a French cuff. This cuff requires a cufflink to fasten it since there are no buttons. The term "double" comes from the fact that the cuff is basically twice the length of a typical cuff, but folded back on itself so that the cuff link actually holds together four layers of material. French cuffs can be finished in several ways; corner, rounded or bevel.

Cuff Size
The interaction between the sleeve and the cuff is important, since the size of the cuff dictates how far down the wrist/hand the overall sleeve will fall. Thus, the cuff itself should be tight enough so that it can’t slip too far down the hand, but not too tight that is appears to constricted or too short. As Antongiavanni writes: "When the cuffs are buttoned, they should rest at the base of your thumb with the excess sleevel length gathering above". If positioned correctly approximately half an inch of shirt will protrude from underneath a jacket.

Sleeve Length
Again referring to Antongiavanni, "With the cuffs unbuttoned, they [the sleeve] should cover a third of your hand". As a result, when the cuff is fastened a small amount of excess sleeve should gather above the cuff. This ensures that there is sufficient room for the wearer to move and bend their arms without the sleeve riding up.

Cuff to Sleeve
Although a minor consideration, some attention should be paid to how the sleeve is joined to the cuff. The reason for this is that the end of the sleeve is typically wider than the cuff. This requires the tailor to sew one or two pleats into the sleeve where it is attached to the cuff. This pleating should be done neatly and symmetrically so that the joins on each arm look the same.

Short Sleeve / Long Sleeve
Generally speaking, long sleeves are deemed to be more formal than short sleeves. This is primarily because formal dress has its roots in covering more, not less, of the body. Long sleeves also present the wearer with greater flexibility; they can be rolled/folded up when it is warm, they allow the wearer to add an additional element of style into the outfit by wearing cufflinks and they simply look better when worn with a suit/jacket. As the Financial Times wrote, "The length of the sleeve seems to be one area in which a man's fidelity is rock solid. Like the political party they choose, to support their entire lives, their allegiance to the long-sleeved shirt shows no sign of swaying" (Financial Times, July 26/27 2008). Subject to uniform requirements, most would agree that short sleeves should be reserved for t-shirts, polo shirts, Hawaiian shirts and shirts made for sports.