I’m equally unsure of when I began wearing it. None of my friends ever did. Nor do I run in the kind of corporate circles that require one. I was, in this respect, a bit of an innovator and now I find that I cannot give it up.
To be fair, a silk pocket square, for that is the ‘it’ in question, is going to have a longer life expectancy than say, a pair of shoes or a shirt. Unless it gets lost, wear and tear is virtually zero and thus my wonderfully crumpled navy blue square with its exquisite white micro-polka dots has endured.
As I approach 50, the tie, a staple in most men’s wardrobe, the ultimate symbol of decorum (there are still restaurants in London that will not let you in without one) has been all but banished from my life. I have only worn one once this year. But the pocket square, the mark of the dandy, is the Bonnie to my Clyde, the Engels to my Marx, the Jerry Lewis to my inner Dean Martin. If my breast pocket does not have a silk flourish, I feel naked and lost and I defy anyone to try one and not feel the same way. It is, if you like, the crack cocaine of accessories.
And if Keats could hang a career on praising a vase, surely I can be permitted 600 words to preach the joys and delights of embellishing one’s jacket or coat for that matter, with a pocket square.
First off, size does matter. Anything too mean is not going to have enough ‘grip’ and more often than not, is likely to slip down into the pocket and kill the whole exercise. Still determined to go micro? Then one way to get around the small square syndrome is to use two. Not only does this create the volume required to fill the pocket but it also has the added advantage of lending you the air of an innovator. “Hmmm. Two in one eh? Intriguing.”
Personally, I find this involves too many variables so I prefer to make sure when buying a square that it’s at least 35cm2. If you’re looking for the workhorse that will never let you down, 40cm2 is the way to go.
As for material, your choice is really either silk or cotton. Linen versions are becoming popular and while I may yet be tempted, I’ve yet to be fully persuaded. Colour and design are basically a matter of taste but bear in mind that a square that looks good out of the pocket may not be given full expression when it is on duty. My suggestions? A floral design can be very powerful, especially on a white background and also uniform patterns like the trusty polka dot, a splash of geometrics or paisley but I really don’t see the point of a square with the face of a young Marilyn Monroe (as I saw being sported recently). By the time she’s folded up, you’d never know she was there but maybe the appeal is all about knowing she’s close to your heart. As it were.
Double-sided is best. Many manufacturers of pocket squares will skimp and just have one side printed. Ultimately, this isn’t really an issue as the square must always be presented with one side but to have one that is ‘complete’ is pleasing and no doubt appeals to obsessives such as myself.
Folded or not? This is a tricky one. Many men will affect starched, one cm horizontal white flash above the breast pocket. This requires the square to be neatly folded and ideally, made of a hardwearing poplin. It’s a bit too corporate for my liking. I prefer to pick the flat silk square from the middle and, holding it between my fingers, stuff it into the pocket so the centrepiece pokes out of the top with the corners crushed towards the bottom. If the square has a pleasingly contrasted piping around the edges however, then the opposite motion is required so that the edges, not the middle, protrude.
Intrigued? I gave one to a friend, who never in a million years would have considered wearing one and now he’s such a believer, that like me, he now admits to feeling underdressed without one. Go on. It’s summer. Give one a try.
