Pocket squares don’t have to fit you like a shirt or suit would, but sizing them right can still be tricky. A lot depends on how you wear your square (folded neatly? Stuffed spazzaturrally?) and the fabric. A large, heavyweight cotton handkerchief does not make for a good fit in a breast pocket. Put This On’s squares are 16 x 16 inches, larger than many and in my opinion pretty ideal; Italian luxury tailor Rubinacci’s pochettes are 17 x 17. But I’m not trying to compare ‘chief sizes here.
The photo series above illustrates Italian tailoring dreamboat Luca Rubinacci’s method for folding one of his namesake business’s large silk squares. (Which, by the way, are relatively affordable now [<$100] with the strong dollar.)
- Pinch the center of the square with your thumb and forefinger. Let the corners of the square hang.
- Straighten the square so you have a sort of tube of fabric
- Fold the whole thing lengthwise, so you effectively have five “points”–the corners of the square plus the pinched center
- Place the whole thing fold side down in your breast pocket. How much you leave showing is a matter of taste.
- Bask in Neapolitan sunlight.
–Pete