Cuffs were invented, or at least popularized, in the 1890s by King Edward VII, who reportedly wanted a solution to the problem of wearing his pants in rainy English weather, which made the bottoms all muddy. (In England cuffs are called “turnups”; “cuffs” refer to the turnups at the end of the sleeves.) By the turn of the century and the golden age of men’s wear, they were de rigueur in most suits. That was in part because they provided an elegant trouser counterpoint to the jacket lapel, and because, by adding some weight to the hem, they made pants hang better, keeping the drape straight.