Adding a stylish pocket square to your outfit isn’t just about bringing a dash of colour to your jacket, nor is it just about adopting a truly timeless look that never fails to turn heads. Making a high quality pocket square - also known as a pocket handkerchief - into a key part of your look is a simple, devastatingly effective, and endlessly charming way of boosting the power of your own personal sense of style. Pocket squares bring the classic together with the contemporary, the vintage with the avant-garde... and they’re being rediscovered by gentlemen all across the globe, from the loftiest fashion catwalks to the everyday elegance of urbane street style.
When you buy a men’s pocket square, you’re making a conscious decision to do something all too many men - even those who might think of themselves as relatively style-conscious - consistently fail to do: you’re proactively looking for a sophisticated way to stand out from the crowd. With that splash of colour on your breast, and with the inimitable allure of quality silk, you’re accessorising in a way which recalls many of the most enduring male style icons of the silver screen. You’re showing the world that you know your look, and you’re unafraid of making a big entrance. You’re letting everyone know that you’re a man who takes care of the finer details.
Make no mistake; quality pocket squares are very much back in vogue, and they’re allowing men to express their inner elegance in a fun, dynamic way, which is at once utterly contemporary while delighting in the retro. Let’s dive a little deeper into the world of this flawless men’s accessory, and take a closer look at the sheer power of the handmade pocket square.
What is a Pocket Square For?
Like most items in men’s and women’s fashion, there was a time when pocket squares had a more practical usage. After all, pocket handkerchiefs, pochettes, and pocket squares have been around for a very long time, and have played a key role in the clothing cultures of everywhere from Regency France to medieval England, and from Imperial Japan to Tsarist Russia.
They’ve been used, historically, as handkerchiefs for keeping one’s hands or nose clean, for scenting with perfumes, and for decoration… but the elegant pocket squares you’ll find in the jackets of today’s stylish gents are purely aesthetic, and should not be used for any practical purpose. Rather, they sit there neatly folded or beautifully ‘puffed’ from the pocket, acting as a beacon which states that the wearer is a man who appreciates life’s finer things.
When shopping for pocket squares, it’s important to keep this aesthetic sense in mind. This is an item which is purely decorative, and as such, it has a duty to reflect your sense of style and sophistication. From the muted and the understated, to the bold, vivid, vibrant, and eye-catching, there’s a men’s pocket square out there perfectly suited to you, and to the image you’re looking to get across.
Pocket Squares: Providing a Solution for Men Seeking More
It goes without saying that, here at Robertto’s, we take the subject of men’s fashion very seriously indeed. We love the thrill of mixing and matching classic items of menswear with modern flourishes, exploring the potential that comes with reimagining formal clothing, and turning it into something relevant, stylish, and smart. However, even we sometimes cannot get beyond the fact that, for all too many men out there, men’s clothing can be a little limited when it comes to personal expression.
On the one hand, the relative simplicity of menswear (by which we mean the timeless combinations of trousers, shirts, and blazers or jackets) is rather liberating. By this, we mean that for most men, looking sharp before a meeting, a date, or a day out in town isn’t particularly difficult - you just have to slip into a handful of different items that by their very design go well together. However, on the other, it can sometimes be a bit of a challenge to truly stand out from the crowd, and turning your clothing into a statement about you as an individual. It’s in this sense that men’s pocket squares really come into their own.
There is an incredible selection of pocket squares out there, just waiting to be explored. There are the beautiful, understated and simple examples, which make fine use of silk made with a single colour. There are pattern pocket squares, which play with motifs both classical and contemporary. There are those which feature beautifully-drawn animals, geometric shapes, or examples of artistic abstraction… and many, many more besides. With a pocket square which fits your personality as much as it matches your fashion sense, and which harmonises or contrasts perfectly with your jacket, belt, trousers, or shoes, you can inject that flash of personality which men’s outfits often so sorely lack. It’s something which simply never fails to have a powerful effect; instead of trying to jazz up a look with accessories which are based on transient, passing trends (and which you may well cringe at the memory of further down the line), the pocket square gives you a chance to use a timeless item of sophistication to help you make a lasting impact with your style.
Opening the Doors of Colour
On a similar note, it’s well worth considering the significance of colour when it comes to men’s fashion and style. Men’s formal wear, and even most men’s smart-casual clothing, is and has always been based around fairly muted palettes. There’s plenty of good reasons for this; neutral colours are sophisticated and elegant, and allow you to look fantastic without the need to be showy, or too tied to any specific trend. The two or three-piece suit, in black, grey, brown, or navy blue has never gone out of style since its introduction almost two hundred years ago, and for these very same reasons.
However, a coloured pocket square allows you to begin playing with convention, and to start exploring ways of bringing splashes of colour into even the most monochromatic of outfits. Not only can you allow certain vivid colours to make bold statements about your character and personality, you can use them to start opening the doors of possibility when it comes to adapting your style, or bringing complementary and contrasting palettes into your clothing. Pocket squares are, in essence, the ideal opportunity for men to start enjoying the myriad attractions of colour, and to do so in a way which which effortlessly blends the kind of louche charm of vintage Hollywood actors, with all the dynamism of 21st century street style. What’s more, adding a pop of colour to an otherwise inconspicuous outfit is never a bad thing, and never fails to make a considerable impression.
Timeless Sophistication and Famous Pocket Square Wearers
When asked why men should wear a pocket square, one merely has to point the questioner in the direction of a considerable handful of gentlemen who have rocked this distinctive look for decades. Enduring male style icons are relatively few and far between, and those who truly make a splash in the world of fashion, and send out ripples which last for decades - if not longer - have rightfully taken their place on the pedestals of style, and continue to inspire and amaze men across the world. It’s no coincidence that the pocket square is and was a favourite accessory of them all.
Here are just a few of the male style icons of the past and future who wear their pocket squares with pride, panache, and the distinctive swagger of a man who knows how to dress.
Don Draper
Masculine, complicated, talented, and with hidden depths, Mad Men’s Don Draper arrived on our screens as a fully-formed style icon for the 21st century… despite his style being based firmly on the classics of the mid 20th century. With his sharp suits, slicked hair, a close shave and some of the finest male accessorising ever seen, he was a vision of urban class and sophistication. With icons like Draper, it’s no wonder the retro look has come back with such force for men across the world!
Brad Pitt
The world-class actor and Hollywood regular has had many looks over the past few decades, and we couldn’t recommend following all of them. However, as Mr. Pitt has settled into his role of elder statesman of showbiz, he’s been regularly photographed wearing a series of beautifully made pocket squares, bringing a touch of old-school glamour to his otherwise fairly rough-hewn and casual look.
The Hemsworth Brothers
Both of the Hemsworth brothers have undeniably cornered the market in recent years as thoroughly modern style icons. Muscular yet laid back, good-humoured and articulate yet tough to the core, and equally comfortable in a sharp suit as they are in a collared shirt and jeans, they use their style as an extension of their large personalities. In recent years, they’ve often been seen showing off their pocket squares at red carpet events (Liam prefers the puffed look, Chris tends to go for a two-point fold), and have been praised for their use of colour and pattern in their choice of accessories.
Cary Grant
Few actors have, or ever will have, the raw charisma and effortless sense of style and elegance as Cary Grant. You’ve only got to watch the first few minutes of ‘North by Northwest’ to see that this was a man utterly comfortable in his own skin, and willing to add personal touches to the standard two-piece suits of his day in order to bring out a truly iconic effect. It goes without saying that Grant was rarely seen without a men’s suit pocket square; wearing one was something men of his calibre did without a second thought… and it isn’t difficult to see why.
James Bond
The ever-regenerating British secret agent has been a style icon since his earliest years on screen, and his dedication to showing that masculinity and elegance go hand in hand has been an inspiration for many a gentleman. In the vast majority of Bond films, the pocket square makes its appearance - always present, always stylish, and always thrilling to see on the big screen.
To buy a pocket square is to align yourself with such giants of style and sophistication, and to recognise that this highly visible garment is a true synonym for elegance; one with an enviable heritage we should aspire to bring into our everyday lives.
Going the Extra Mile with a Quality Pocket Square
At Robertto’s, we believe that choosing to wear a stylish pochette, especially one made in Italy from fine Italian silk, is a gesture and an action of many different facets. It’s perhaps the simplest way to bring in that dash of unbridled personality to any formal suit, just as it’s also the ideal method for making a casual outfit seem considerably more elegant and refined. Folding a pocket square into your jacket is also a powerful shorthand for someone who knows that the finer details really do matter, and that going the extra mile is something which, ultimately, always pays off in the end.
Wearing a pocket square demonstrates that you’re a man of exquisite taste, who takes inspiration from the icons of the past just as he borrows ideas from the ever-changing present… and yet somehow carves out a style which is entirely his own. After all, fashions come and go, and trends change with the wind. The true style, genuine elegance, and timeless sophistication that pocket squares provide, however - those are things which will simply never fade.
If you’re on the lookout for quality, distinctive men’s pocket squares which truly show off your unique personality and sense of style, then Robertto’s is your one-stop shop for genuinely sophisticated men’s accessories. With an enormous range of beautiful men’s suit pocket squares, boasting a massive array of patterns, colours, and designs, you’re sure to find the ideal item for you. Come and explore, and discover something brilliant today.
