For the past four decades, if men regarded the breast pocket on their suit at all, it was as an extra place to store sunglasses or business cards. In fact, some men don’t even undo the stitching in the pocket that comes with a new suit. “However, men are once again rediscovering the art of sporting a pocket square,” said Rohan Khattar, founder, Minizmo. Here are five simple folds, suggested by Khattar, that every man should master to carry the look.
Horizontal Peak: Let’s begin with a classic fold. This is often called as the Presidential Fold. It is one of the easiest ways to fold a pocket square. This fold is best for an elegant attire varying from formal business dress to black tie. Typically a classic white pocket square made from silk or linen is used for this fold.
• Lay the pocket square on a flat and clean surface.
• Fold the pocket square in half.
• Fold one side up. How much of the pocket square you fold in is depending on how deep your jacket’s pocket is.
• Fold the fabric in thirds horizontally so that it will fit your suit pocket. About ¼ of the pocket square should be visible.
One Corner fold: Another classic fold that is easy and also pretty common. With this fold, you’ll have a small peak of fabric coming out of your pocket.
• Lay your pocket square on a flat surface
• Bring the bottom point to the top point so that you create a triangle.
• Bring the left corner of the triangle to the right corner, and the right corner to the left corner. You should end up with a long rectangle with a point at the top.
• Place it in your suit. Adjust until you get the desired amount of point coming out of the pocket.
The Puff Fold: With this fold, the desired result is to have a small puff of fabric coming out your suit pocket. Here’s how to fold it.
• Lay the pocket square flat.
• Pinch the middle of the fabric, allowing the folds to come in naturally.
• With one hand firmly holding the pocket square, use your other hand to gently gather it together.
• Now gracefully gather up the bottom of the pocket square.
• Place it in your suit. Fiddle with it until you get the desired puffiness.
Something unique: If you think the above option is rather boring and your date night demands some drama, then this fold might be perfect. Also called two tips up, it’s rather formal and sophisticated.
• Start by laying it flat.
• Fold one side over so that you get two triangles that overlap. One tip higher than the other looks smarter.
• Now fold one side in.
• Do the same on the opposite side.
• Place your folded pocket square in your breast pocket and you are good to go.
Three Stair Fold: This maybe one of the more challenging folds, but when executed well, can give your jacket an excellent edge. Patterns ideal for this particular fold include polka dots and paisleys. Geometric patterns also work extremely well with this fold, giving a stunning contrast.
• Lay your pocket square on a flat surface.
• Fold one side in so that you have the look of two triangles - creating two tips.
• To create the third tip, fold the adjacent tip so as you have three triangles.
• Fold in the opposite side and make sure to create a strong fold with the palm of your hand.
• Place the folded pocket square into your pocket and you are done.
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