I made a New Year’s resolution to take my personal style to the next level. I just didn’t know how that was going to happen at the time. Over the past few years I took several definitive steps to sharpen my skills in putting great outfits together such as:
- Learning about the proper use of color matching and coordinating and patterns to put an ensemble together
- Going through my closet and eliminating clothing that was too aged and ill fitting
- Taking any item of ill fitting clothing (dress shirts, pants, sport coats) to the tailor to get the perfect fit
- Making an inventory of what key items of clothing that I was missing from my wardrobe and then putting together a plan to obtain them
- Experimenting with my outfits via accessories (watch, scarves, fedoras, driver caps, etc.)
- Taking great care of my clothes, shoes, and accessories to preserve and extend their durability
However, after I felt that I had become sufficiently skilled at these steps, I started to get bored and less motivated in this area of my life. I needed to evolve. That’s where the pocket square, poked its head out of a sportcoat pocket and begged for my attention.
At first, I was hesitant. I thought that a dress shirt, sport coat, and tie was more than enough for an outfit. But then I started wearing sport coats and suits on a more frequent basis for my career and wanted to set myself apart from the other ‘suits’ in the office.
BAM. Pocket Square FOR THE WIN.
I just went from Neanderthal to Homo Sapien. From Ken Jeong to Jeremy Lin. From weight watchers to P90X. From Justin Bieber to Johnny Cash. As it was a new type of accessory for me, I wanted to start with the basics and most of all, cheap, in case I did not like how it worked with my outfits. I looked online for prices, different styles, folds, and how to videos. Through my research I’ve found two options.
- Regular Pocket Squares.
- Pre-folded Pocket Squares.
In my opinion, both are viable options. Let me break down the pros and cons for both and list a couple of websites where you can purchase your own.
Regular Pocket Squares
- Pros – Full length and width handkerchiefs, customizable to any fold that you want
- Cons – Need ironing, learning curve for different folds, time consumed in folding, expensive
- Websites – www.amazon.com, www.saksfifthavenue.com
Pre-folded Pocket Squares
- Pros – No ironing/folding necessary, no learning curve, time saver
- Cons – Not a full handkerchief, cannot be folded into another shape, possible fashion faux paus depending on your opinion
- Websites – www.pocketsquarez.com, www.pockerchief.com
Here are some pictures of my pre-folded and regular pocket squares coordinated with an outfit.
Happy pocket square shopping!
by Joe Kang
