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I'm boring :'(
Look at this pic of yours truly. That is a sweet J. Crew unstructured cotton blazer (with working cuffs) that I thrifted last week for $4. But what’s missing? Any guesses?
That’s right! A pocket square!
You see, a pocket square is on of those oft forgotten, yet really important pieces of menswear. It’s an avenue of expression, and it really puts a nice touch on your outfit. The essential square is a white linen one, like this one made by Kent Wang. They say that’s the first one to buy. Beyond that, the choices are endless. You can spend $200+ on a silk designer square if you want. Me? I have no money. What shall I do?
Improvise.
I happened to have an old dress shirt in my closet, unwearable because of some stains that somehow showed up after a wash. Why didn’t I throw it away? For a time such as this. Why not make my own pocket square?
stained shirt
This is a cheap-o cotton/poly shirt (it got the job done). The fabric is kind of thick and not fancy looking, so I thought it would go well with the unstructured jacket.
Step 1: Cut ‘er up.
I cut that sucker into a ~11″ square. Pocket squares are typically 10-18″. You can make them whatever size you want, but when you cut the fabric, give yourself a half inch or so on each side for the hem. Since this fabric was thicker, I made it smaller. If you’re using silk, you can afford to make it pretty big without it being too bulky in your pocket.
All you have to do now is sew the hem! Easy!
uhhhh….
Not really.
I’ve never sewn before, and this was harder than I thought it would be. The instructions I was using said to roll the hem and stitch it. Maybe it was the fabric, but that was insanely hard to do, so I ended up folding. Silk might roll more easily. A couple hems turned out better than others. What I had the hardest time with was tying tiny knots with the thread, and getting that tiny knot to be in exactly the right spot.
After finishing one hem, do the opposite hem next.
two sides done
all sides done
Finally finished it. It took me probably 3 hours total. Yes, that’s ridiculous, but it’s the first time I’ve ever sewn anything. Next time, I’m sure it will go faster. Will there be a next time? I’m not sure. One blogger I read buys women’s silk scarves at thrift stores and makes pocket squares with them. I could see doing that if the fabric was something I was looking for. I will probably not make this a habit, but when new pocket squares are anywhere from $20-100+, making one for next to nothing is a great way to boost your wardrobe.
And now….PRESENTING….
THE POCKET SQUARE!!!!
A jacket with a square is a happy jacket.
If you want to read more about pocket squares, I suggest this post at the Art of Manliness. If you want some examples of dudes rocking pocket squares the right way, check out this blog and this blog.
A great addition to your new wardrobe would be a gentleman’s folder, no its not a piece of fabric it is a well oiled very sharp fancy folding knife that goes in your from pocket. It is a gentleman’s folder because it is polished stainless steal and looks very nice clipped to the pocket on your trousers. My recommendation is the Kershaw Crown. Yep, $14 at walmart. It looks gentlemanly in your pants, but could save your life if you left your dueling pistols at home
. See it here: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Kershaw-Crown/17165837
sorry I am a tool man.
Donald, I have recently discovered your blog. It is like opening a portal to a world I had yet unknown existed. I enjoy it immensely.
I do question, however, what a pocket square has to do with manliness, and why you insist on forcing this practice on the rest of us casual dressers?
Jerry, I’m not forcing it on you. Don’t wear one. But, I guarantee, if you wear a jacket, and add a pocket square, you’ll look better than you would without one.
David, a knife? I’ll consider it. Never been a weapon-carrying kind of guy, but a knife is good to have when doing manual work or being outdoors. I will not, however, shop at Wal-Mart.
Don….
Where’dyougetthatcuttingboard?
Also, yes, pocket squares are nice. Nothing says “I mean business” like a pocket square. But I already knew that. I never thought to make my own, (did you use a sewing machine?) Also, this only reinforces that I do not frequent thrift stores nearly enough. I’ve been twice in the past 6 months or so, and have come away with good, practical clothing each time.
It’s Megan’s cutting board. Used for various and sundry sewing projects. I think we got it on Amazon. And I just hand-sewed it. You could use a sewing machine, but I don’t know how to use those, and Megan said it would be hard because of how close the stitch was to the edge.
Good article. I definitely appreciate this site. Keep writing!