Red Carpet Accessories for Men: Cufflinks, Tuxedo Studs & Lapel Pins

A tuxedo doesn't need much. It needs the right cufflinks, the right studs, and one lapel detail that matches the collar in front of it.

Red carpet accessories for men aren't one set worn everywhere. Black-tie accessories change with the jacket, the collar style, and how much shine the room calls for. What pairs with what comes down to those three things.

The Classic Black Tuxedo

A true black tuxedo is the safest choice on any red carpet, and the easiest to get wrong with the wrong metal.

The HAWSON Black Onyx Cufflinks and Studs Set matches it exactly.

Black onyx against a silver-tone setting reads as formal without competing with the jacket, which is the whole job of tuxedo cufflinks on a classic black look.

Does silver work better than gold here? Almost always. Gold reads warmer, and warmth is the wrong note against true black.

The Midnight Blue Tuxedo

Midnight blue photographs better than black under flash and stage lighting, which is exactly why so many red carpet tuxedos aren't black at all.

The HAWSON Cufflinks and Tuxedo Studs Set in transparent blue enamel picks up that same undertone instead of fighting it. 

A black onyx set on a blue jacket looks like a mismatch under the wrong light, even though it reads fine in a mirror at home.

Matching the accessory tone to the jacket, not just the shirt, is the detail most guides leave out.

The White Dinner Jacket

A white dinner jacket needs the lightest accessories of any tuxedo style, since anything dark reads as a smudge against all that white.

The HAWSON Stripe Silver Cufflinks and Studs Set stays light without disappearing entirely.

Its mother-of-pearl and black stripe detail gives it just enough contrast to register at a distance, which matters more on a white jacket than on any other.

Save the darker sets for black and midnight blue. This one has a single job, and it does that job well.

Studs Bought on Their Own

A formal shirt doesn't always need a matching cufflink and stud purchase. Sometimes the cufflinks already exist, inherited or gifted, and only the studs are missing.

The HAWSON Crystal Shirt Studs Set solves exactly that. Genuine Swarovski crystal on six studs pairs with almost any silver-tone cufflink already in a drawer, no full replacement needed.

Tuxedo shirts have used detachable studs instead of sewn-on buttons since the 1800s, so buying studs separately from cufflinks isn't unusual. It's closer to the original idea than a matched set is.

Peak Lapel or Shawl Collar

A peak lapel has a buttonhole built in. A shawl collar, the rounded style closest to the original 1886 tuxedo, usually doesn't.

That buttonhole decides whether a lapel pin belongs there at all. The Crystal Lapel Pin for Men and Women sits cleanly through a peak lapel's buttonhole, but on a shawl collar it has to clip through fabric instead, which shows on close-up photography.

Crystal lapel pins read best on a peak lapel for that reason. Save the shawl collar for cufflinks and studs alone.

French Cuff or Barrel Cuff

Cufflinks only work on a French cuff, the kind that folds back on itself and fastens with a link rather than a button.

A barrel cuff, closed with an ordinary button, can't take a cufflink no matter how good the set is. Check the shirt's cuff style before ordering, not after the box arrives.

Every tuxedo shirt worth wearing on a red carpet uses a French cuff for exactly this reason. It's what makes tuxedo cufflinks possible in the first place, not just decorative.

A Softer, Warmer Option

A red carpet look doesn't always run stark black and silver. Some call for something warmer, closer to jewelry than hardware.

The HAWSON Mother of Pearl Cufflinks and Studs Set does that with rose gold and natural mother-of-pearl. It photographs warm under the same lighting that makes silver look cold and clinical.

This is the set for a tan or midnight blue jacket, not true black. The rose gold needs a warmer background to make sense.

The Versatile Starter Set

Building a full formal wardrobe from scratch doesn't need four separate sets on day one.

The HAWSON Square Cufflinks and Round Studs Set comes in black-silver, rose gold, sky blue-silver, and black-gun tones, covering most of the looks above in one purchase. It's the practical starting point before building out the rest of the collection above.

One set, four color options, most formal occasions covered without buying five separate pieces first.

Keeping the Set Sharp for Photos

Red carpet lighting is unforgiving on fingerprints and dust, more than any lighting at home ever shows.

Wipe cufflinks and studs with a dry cloth right before stepping out, not the morning after. A smudge invisible in a bathroom mirror shows up clearly under a step-and-repeat's flash, and there's rarely time to fix it once the car has arrived.

The Vintage Red Carpet Look

Old Hollywood glamour calls for something that looks like it's been worn before, not fresh off a shelf.

The HAWSON Retro Anti-Silver Cufflinks and Studs Set has that built in. Its antiqued finish reads as inherited rather than bought yesterday, which is exactly the effect a vintage-themed red carpet look is going for.

Pair it with a classic black tuxedo for the strongest version of the look. A newer cut with an older finish is the contrast that makes it work.

Matching the Set to the Invitation

Eight looks, eight different jackets and moods, built from formal accessories for men rather than one generic set worn everywhere.

Start with the jacket color, then the collar style, then the room's formality. That order gets to the right set faster than starting with the accessory itself.

The full range lives at hawsonvip.com, worth a look before the next black-tie invitation shows up.