With the men’s fashion revolution truly underway and in full gear, the pocket square has become an indispensable item in the discerning gentleman’s wardrobe. Whereas ties used to be used to add color, the modern sartorial gentleman displays his sense of style and flair through not only ties, but other accessories such as my much adored colorful socks, and yes, you guessed correctly, the pocket square.
What used to be an after thought has now become a staple. It adds to one’s sense of refinement and really helps polish off that sophisticated look. I mean, seriously, what’s there not to like about a pocket square? With that said, here is your pocket square primer to getting started on embracing this colorful, stylistic and now necessary item to your wardrobe!
Your pocket square should not exactly match your tie
Given that the pocket square provides an elegant finishing touch to your suit, contrary to popular belief, your pocket square should not directly match your tie! A pocket square can be worn equally well with a sports jacket or open suit as it is worn with a fully geared up suit.
Your pocket square, if worn with a tie, can either complement your tie or your shirt. A great and effective way of complementing your tie is to have the background color of your tie as the predominant color of your pocket square. Alternatively, you could use a color wheel to pick either contrasting or complementary colors for your pocket squares!
When not wearing a full suit with a tie, matching a pocket square becomes an even easier task, as colors in your pocket square could complement either that of your shirt or socks. There really are no rules set in stone when picking an appropriate square. Just please (for repitiition sake!) do not directly match your tie to your suit.
So what are the different ways in which a pocket square can be worn you ask? Let’s have a look
Square Fold
A square fold works well with linen or cotton squares given that their fabric structure is stronger than silk or wool. Hence, a square fold is perfect for more formal / business settings.
- Lay your pocket square flat on the table
- Fold the lower third up
- Fold the top third down, forming a rectangle
- From there, fold the sides in until the pocket square fits into your breast pocket. Given different pocket squares have different sizes, generally ranging from a 12” square to an 18” square, how many times you will need to fold it in from the sides will completely depend on the size of your pocket square and the size of your breast pocket.
The Puff Fold
The Puff is achieved by laying your pocket square flat on a table and pinching it up from the middle. Once you have achieved this shape, neatly tuck in the corners so that the puffed portion of the pocket square sticks out of your pocket! Simple enough, and works great with both wool and silk pocket squares, as you are trying to give off a less formal/ rigid look, yet one that displays style and sophistication.
To view The Dark Knot's range of beautiful hand made Silk Pocket Squares, please click here.
The Edged Puff
The Edged puff is a slight variation on the regular puff, but yields a far more elegant look. As with the puff fold, you pinch the middle of the pocket square and drape it upwards. However, when placing it into your pocket, fold the corners up behind the puffed area, so that the pocket square is now layered as it sits elegantly in your jacket breast pocket, allowing you to flaunt all colors of the square along with some added depth and additional fabric!
And that's a wrap for this one! I hope that you have enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it!
Please feel free to view The Dark Knot's range of exquisite hand made Linen & Silk Pocket Squares!
Are you confused as to what type of Pocket Squares to wear with your Ties, Suits and Shirts! Worry Not! The Dark Knot's Starter Kits are here to alleviate your stylistic concerns. Each Starter Kit comes with a Free Style Consultation, where we help you choose accessories based on your existing wardrobe, planned wardrobe purchases & lifestyle needs. Please feel free to learn more about our Starter Kits here, where you will also receive a 20% discount on top of our existing discounted prices!
