How to Put on Cufflinks and Studs

Cufflinks and shirt studs add the final glamorous touch to men's dress wear. Cufflinks hold the cuff closed while studs keep the shirt shut. In fact, many formal shirts, like some sold for tuxedos, don't come with buttons at the cuff and front, but holes in which to insert your cufflinks and studs. This could pose a problem unless you learn how to put on the cufflinks and studs properly.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Cufflinks
• Studs
• Formal shirt

1. Put on your shirt. Pull your right cuff toward the palm of your right hand and grasp the edge with your right fingers bent toward the palm. Make sure to overlap the two holes on the ends of the cuff. Take one cufflink in your left hand and insert it through the two holes in the cuff. Bend the back of the cufflink flat so the link stays in place. Repeat on the left side.

2. Put on your shirt. Line up the front holes through which the studs will fit. Starting at the top hole, insert the butterfly-back stud from the front with the bar sticking out the back. Pinch the back unit of the stud on the butterfly wings. Place over the stud's bar and release the wings. Repeat for other studs.

3. Lay your shirt flat in front of you. Fold open the side that will overlap the other side. Push the back end of the screw-in stud through the top hole that is waiting for a stud. Screw the front of the stud onto the back, which is already sticking through the hole. Repeat for other studs, working down the front of the shirt. Put on shirt and push the stud heads that are already attached through the front holes. If you have screw-in studs, put them on the shirt before putting on your shirt and cufflinks.

4. Attach any other adornments. Some studs may be meant to be worn through small holes at the tip of the collar to keep the tie and neckline neat. Use the same instructions as in Steps 2 and 3, depending on the type of stud you are using.

Tips & Warnings

• White tie affairs almost always require cufflinks and studs. Get used to them if you intend to be an upper-crust socialite. The shirts that accommodate cufflinks and studs have two holes where a less dressy shirt would have a button and buttonhole.