The American Idol Pocket Square Incident

Last night on American Idol Crystal Bowersox became emotional while singing a lovely version of "People Get Ready."  During the post-song interview she attempted to pluck the handkerchief from Ryan Seacrest's breast pocket, but quickly discovered that the pocket square would not budge.  Seacrest then said, "actually I think it's taped," while physically jerking the immobilized hank from his pocket.  Bowersox then used the dislodged pocket square to dab the tears from her eyes.

Two comments.  Don't tape your pocket square into your breast pocket.  Just don't.  And a properly prepared gentleman will have two handkerchiefs; one goes in his breast pocket for display, and the other in his back pocket for a delicate lady's tears.  Or as the old adage goes, "one for showin' and one for blowin'."

Reader Question

Can you recommend an online resource for affordable pocket squares?

Pocket handkerchiefs are widely available online in the twelve to thirty-five dollar range from suppliers like The Tie Bar, Southern Proper, Howard Yount, Kent Wang and Sam Hober.  Pricer squares may be found at Ben Silver, Paul Stuart and Mariano Rubinacci.

Reader Questions: Women's Attire

What do you think of women wearing jackets with pocket squares?

I don't see anything wrong with a woman wearing a pocket square, assuming that her tailored jacket has a breast pocket in which to display it.  Imagine a winter outfit consisting of a slim-fitting tweed tailored jacket, light blue blouse, charcoal skirt, brown heels and a silk paisley pocket square.  I think that would look pretty sharp.  An alternative to the pocket square is a silk scarf around the neck.  However, I would go with one or the other; a scarf and a pocket square together might be a bit much.

Have you ever considered writing another blog called A Southern Lady?

I certainly pay attention when I see an attractive woman in beautiful clothes.  And I have female friends who love to drag me out clothes shopping because I'm not afraid to tell them when an outfit looks atrocious.  But I don't pretend to be much of an authority on women's attire.  Instead of starting another blog, I might recruit some of the sharply-dressed Southern ladies around me to author guest posts on topics of interest to my female readers.  If anyone has an idea for a topic they would like to see covered in a guest post, send me a message at the blog email address listed in the sidebar, or post a comment below.

Southern Proper

I hope that everyone is enjoying the holidays.  Yesterday I received several lovely, thoughtful and stylish gifts that will be fodder for a number of posts in the days to come.  I received three pocket handkerchiefs as gifts.  Two were white linen hanks that are always appropriate and infinitely useful.  Both pocket squares were purchased in South Carolina; one came from Ben Silver in Charleston and the other from Rush Wilson in Greenville.  The third is the pictured pheasant-themed plum and olive pocket square from Southern Proper, headquartered in Atlanta, GA.  Southern Proper, run by two proper young Southern belles, markets clothing that could best be described as Southern preppy.  Here is some background on Southern Proper from their website:

Men of the south have always been noted for their distinguishable décor and dress. Their honey-soaked accents and captivating manners charm women from all parts of the world. However, it's the tradition of sophisticated and influential attire that completes their status as gentlemen; for field or fancy, men of the South are always well-dressed. Furthermore, southern men with their modest but strong sense of style have admittedly been dressed by the daintiest of hands.

With this in mind, and after several years of dressing their own southern beaus, Emilie Claire Henderson (fondly known as Emmie) and Reagan Elizabeth Hardy, decided it was time to take their respect for men and their love for fashion to a new level; combining elements of southern heritage and classic haberdashery, they developed Southern Proper, a southern-inspired line of clothing, neckties, bowties and accessories for men who have a deep appreciation for style and heritage. Complimenting the southern gentlemen's courteous manners and sweet humility, this line of clothing is pleated and tied, crisp and certain.

If women can be described without insult by a recipe, then Emmie has all the ingredients for a cool, glass of lemonade. Her style is classic and refreshing, with a touch of prim sweetness. Born and raised on a farm in Ripley, Tennessee, Emmie's demeanor is as soft and simple as the cotton she helped harvest during her childhood. Whether she's planting or politicking, Emmie casually flips her collars and delicately drapes her sweaters.

With a twist of pearls and a twang of spirit, Reagan is all sass and shag. Her eclectic wardrobe is silky and strawberry, with a little bit of posh tucked in the corners of her closet. Raised in Kinston, North Carolina, Reagan spent most of her time on the front porches of the Carolina Coast. Her graceful and extravagant style is best for walking after midnight, and if you meet her on the path, you realize she might still have a little sand in her too-high heels.

Using elements of their own distinct styles, Reagan and Emmie, women who believe in old-fashioned love and new-fashioned trends, have created a company for the southern men they adore. As the old saying goes, "Look your best, but more importantly, hang your arm on someone who looks his best too." These belles of the barn and beach tie together timeless with down home southern heritage like a well-knotted bow tie. Reagan and Emmie are all things southern, and certainly all things proper.

The Presidential Fold

There is anecdotal evidence that the Presidential fold of a pocket square got its name around the time that President Harry S. Truman was in office.  The sober Presidential fold (also known as the flat fold) is quite similar to the TV fold in that both reveal a straight narrow strip of fabric above the breast pocket.  While the end results are similar, the execution differs.  As I explained in my last post, the TV fold is done on the diagonal.  In contrast, the Presidential fold is done on the square. 

To execute the Presidential fold simply fold the square into quarters.  Make sure that the hand-rolled edges are at the top and right.  Depending on the size of the hank, it may be necessary to fold the left edge under to make the handkerchief narrow enough to fit into your breast pocket.  Fold the bottom up an appropriate amount to accomodate the depth of the pocket.  Finally, arrange the folded pocket square in your breast pocket so that a straight narrow strip of fabric is revealed.

The TV Fold

There are quite a number of different ways that a man may fold a pocket square before he stuffs it into his breast pocket.  The so-called "TV fold" is one of the more understated (some would say boring) methods of displaying a pocket handkerchief.  The fold's roots can be traced to the pioneering broadcasters of the 40s and 50s.  Above is an early photograph of Walter Cronkite displaying a white linen pocket square folded in this style.

To execute a TV fold first fold the pocket square in quarters.  Then fold the square diagonally to create a triangle.  Fold together the two bottom points of the triangle so that they overlap in the center.  Flip the handkerchief so that the remaining point is facing downward and the smooth side of the hank is facing out.  Arrange the folded handkerchief in your breast pocket so that about a quarter of an inch of straight fabric is visible above the top of the pocket.

Fall Pocket Square from Ben Silver

Ben Silver is located on historic King Street in Charleston, South Carolina.  The Ben Silver Collection, available online and through print catalogs, is a tribute to classic style.

I recently purchased this wool and silk tapestry theme fall pocket square from Ben Silver.  The Moghul Knights Game Hunting pocket square is woven for Ben Silver by Drakes of London.  It is from the same collection as the Bird of Paradise hank that I featured in a previous post.  Both patterns were inspired by paintings from India's Moghul period.

Contrast in Texture

Texture is one thing to consider when selecting the day's tie and pocket square combination.  A contrast in texture adds interest to your attire.  If you plan to wear a lustrous silk tie, consider a matte pocket handkerchief like linen or cotton.  It is hard to go wrong with the classic combination of silk tie and white linen pocket square.  On the other hand, the dulled surface of a wool or linen tie benefits from the sheen of a of silk hank.

Pocket Handkerchiefs: Coordinate, Don't Match

Your pocket handkerchief should not match your tie.  Instead, your pocket handkerchief should coordinate with some other element of your attire.  For instance, you may wish to coordinate your pocket handkerchief with a secondary color from your tie or a stripe in your shirt.  A solid colored tie might coordinate with a patterned pocket handkerchief.  You could display a white linen pocket square to complement a contrast collar dress shirt. 

Coordinating a pocket handkerchief with your attire is admittedly a challenge, primarily because there are no hard and fast rules to guide you in the selection; once again, that selection must be an expression of your own personal style.  I encourage you to experiment with your attire.  Display a pocket handkerchief that you believe coordinates well with your outfit and then listen to the comments that you receive, both positive and negative.  Through that experimentation process you may begin to refine your own personal style.  But along the way, keep this advice in mind:  coordinate, don't match.

A Pre-Folded Pocket Handkerchief Lacks Sprezzatura

I mentioned in a previous post that one issue you must consider in the display of a pocket handkerchief is the manner in which you fold it before placing it in your breast pocket.  I intend to discuss in future posts a number of possible folds that you may employ; some are quite conservative, while others could be considered flashy.  In the end the choice of fold is a matter of personal preference.  Remember that part of dressing stylishly involves making clothing choices that reflect your personality.

I would recommend that you avoid using a pre-folded pocket handkerchief.  A pre-folded pocket handkerchief is a piece of fabric that is pristinely folded and attached to a piece of cardboard that holds the cloth perfectly in your breast pocket.  Using one is akin to wearing a clip-on tie.  The problem with a pre-folded pocket handkerchief is that it is too perfect.  It lacks the carelessness necessary to be stylish.

Count Baldesar Castiglione in The Book of the Courtier (1528) coined the Italian word sprezzatura which generally translates as "deliberately calculated nonchalance."  Castiglione warns that one should "avoid affectation to the uttermost and as it were a very sharp and dangerous rock; and, ... to practice in everything a certain sprezzatura that shall conceal design and show that what is done and said is done without effort and almost without thought.  From this I believe grace is in large measure derived, because everyone knows the difficulty of those things that are rare and well done, and therefore facility in them excites the highest admiration; while on the other hand, to strive ... is extremely ungraceful, and makes us esteem everything slightly, however great it be."

When applied to your wardrobe, sprezzatura means carefully making clothing choices so that it appears little thought was put into their selection.  In other words you don't want to look like you are trying too hard.  A pre-folded pocket handkerchief has that affected and unwanted look.  An imperfectly folded pocket square is perfection.  That is sprezzatura. 

In Support of the Pocket Square

The arrival of a package from Will at A Suitable Wardrobe containing the pictured fall pocket handkerchief spurred me to express my support for this much ignored accessory.  After a survey of his readers last summer, Simon at Permanent Style revealed that seventy-four percent of the men polled did not regularly wear a pocket handkerchief.  Keep in mind that the men who were surveyed are the regular readers of a blog on men's style.

Have you ever wondered why each of your tailored jackets has an empty, lonely chest pocket?  The purpose of that pocket is to display a harmonizing square of fabric.  Alan Flusser, in Dressing the Man, wrote that "[w]ithout some form of pocket rigging, an outside breast pocket appears superfluous, and the outfit incomplete."

There are a number of issues to consider in the selection and display of a pocket square.  These include the mixture of textures, the type of fold, whether to wear one without a tie, and with what other article of clothing the handkerchief should coordinate.  I suspect that many men shy away from the display of a pocket square because of insecurity over these issues and a concern about committing a faux pas and looking silly.  In future posts I intend to discuss these issues with the hope of allaying concerns and emboldening more men to elevate their attire through the display of a pocket handkerchief.