Basics Tips And Tricks To Fold A Pocket Square

If you plan to learn how to fold your own pocket squares, congratulations. This is very sophisticated art and you will be heads above your contemporaries if you learn how to do it. The skills are not necessarily more difficult that learning to tie a regular tie, make a Windsor knot, fix an ascot, or tie a classic bow tie. We assume you can do all these things properly.

Is that right? If you are the type of imitation gentleman that uses clip-on ties of any sort, may we suggest you simply buy the fake pocket squares that have elaborate patterns emitting from the pocket yet inside the pocket they are simple cardboard with the silk fabric part that protrudes from the pocket (where it can be visibly seen) being sewn to the cardboard so perfectly and accurately that it looks like a masterful job of folding which it is not, although a good fake and probably unnoticeable to the untrained eye..

It is OK if you don't have the patience for learning the true art of folding pocket squares because almost every mannequin you see in the shop windows with a pocket square displayed is sporting a fake cardboard one folded in China, sewn to the cardboard and made to look like it is a full handkerchief elegantly folded in such meticulous ways. If you want to cheat just buy one of these fakes, if not read on

The basic pocket square is not at all difficult to achieve. You take a fine linen handkerchief or a silken one that is in the shape of a square and you fold it diagonally to form a triangle, then you take the bottom edges and fold them in to match the width of your pocket.

You put the folded result into your pocket so that the angular top portion of the triangle extends out of the top of your pocket and the rest is hidden in the pocket. The only thing you need be sure of is that the goal of the most simple pocket fold it to have a triangular point in the center pointing up out of your pocket and to not see any of the fold that is hidden in the pocket. Simple enough, right? Are you glad you did not buy one of those cardboard cards that are cheats? This is not as hard as it seems.

Now that your confidence is building let's try to make two triangular points protrude from the pocket. This is really simple. Think of it as an offset to the left of the triangle's top center point. When you fold the square diagonally in half offset the tip of the fold resulting in a new triangle tip just to the left of the other one. Fold the bottom edges in the same manner to match the width of your pocket.

Then put the folded handkerchief in your pocket deep enough to hides the folds you made but to also let the now two triangular point protrude from your pocket. Of course there are more elaborate folds you can make, like the three point or four point folds, but the basic one point and two point pocket folds are the most commonly used and with this pocket folding skill in your repertoire, your pocket folds will be acceptable anywhere.