maven&meddler

Suits are not complete - man or woman - without a colorful pocket square. As Mr. Maven and I are down here for the big event, he asked me to create a pocket square for his suit jacket. Being someone who likes just a little flash and bling, even for a formal (meaning this day and age formal) event, I did a riff on the classic three point fold, as shown below.

I learned the art of pocket squares while working for an ad agency that handled a Hart, Schaffner & Marx store in Salt Lake City, many years ago. Karl Matthews was an extraordinary dresser in an age of denim. He was the only man I ever knew that looked completely natural strolling down Main Street with a silver tipped cane, pocket square and cashmere overcoat. He was the modern man’s version of William Powell, right down to the mustache.

Being a maven, I hungered to learn theses types of fine arts.

Pocket Squares: The Folds

There are many different styles of folds. Try for a casual not too studied look for your pocket square:

Four Point —with the pocket square on a flat surface, pick up each of the four ends and fold over leaving the points or ends higher than the middle. Place in pocket so that the points show.

Puff – Pick up the square in the center with the four points hanging down, fold over and insert in your pocket so that just the “puff” is showing and spread it to fill the pocket opening.

Three Point — fold the square into a perfect triangle with the flat side toward you, move the lower left corner to the right of the triangle then move the lower right corner to the left of the top point, adjust the three points so they are even, fold the bottom up less than half way and push into your pocket.

TV Fold – very 1940-50’s! Fold the pocket square to 1/8^th its full size, insert into pocket with ½ to 1 inch of razor straight square showing above the pocket.

Peaks – Start with the square open, fold over diagonally to form a perfect triangle with the flat side to your right. Fold the bottom edge up to the right of edge farthest from you and a little higher, move the left edge slightly higher and to the right of the two peaks you’ve created and you should have three peaks or triangles. Fold the square and insert so that the peaks will show out of the pocket

Puff and Point — pick up the four corners of the square, fold in half and put in your pocket exposing both the points and the puff center.

For the past four decades, if American men regarded the breast pocket on their suit at all, it was as an extra place to store sunglasses or business cards. Some men don’t even undo the stitching in the pocket that comes with a new suit.

However, men are once again rediscovering the art of sporting a pocket square. Peyton Manning rocks a pocket square with his suit, as well as George Clooney and Diddy. Hell, even Saddam Hussein rocked a pocket square when he was on trial–a man should never defend his war crimes without one.

The pocket square is a small accessory that when added to an outfit, allows men to express themselves and vary their look without having to buy a whole bunch of different suits. It can add a bit of interest to your appearance without it looking like you’re trying to hard.

Here’s three of my all-time favorite gentlemen: William Powell, Mr. Maven and Karl Mathews.

The History of the Pocket Square

The origin of the pocket square goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks. Wealthy Greeks carried around perfumed hankies as early as 500 B.C. English and French noblemen carried perfumed and embroidered hankies in order to cover their noses from the stench of the streets and other people.

In the early 1900’s, a dapper gentleman would never leave the house without a pocket square tucked neatly into his suit’s breast pocket. Yet by the latter half of that century, the pocket square began to go the way of the hat. It’s high time we bring both back.

Pocket Square Guidelines

Don’t leave your suit naked. Trent Bridges, a friend of mine at law school, refers to suits without pocket squares as “naked suits.” He argues that a suit just doesn’t look complete without one. I agree. The addition of a pocket square adds some finishing panache to a good suit. So, the first guideline of pocket square usage is to always wear one when you wear a suit or sport coat. It just looks better.

Color co-ordinating. A pocket square can be patterned or solid. The general guideline is that your pocket square color should compliment some color on your tie. So, if your tie has a bit of red, rock a solid red pocket square or a patterned pocket square with some red in it. However, avoid matching the colors exactly. It looks like you’re trying too hard (so never ever buy a tie/pocket square set at your local department store). A white pocket square can be worn with any color tie, making this color handkerchief an essential part of every man’s collection.