I hate pocket squares !

[gaseousclay]

I have to agree with the OP. for a brief moment I thought PS's were kinda cool and added a little bit of class to an otherwise plain looking suit. However, since BR started selling their Mad Men collection it has really turned into a ridiculous fad where every Joe Blow wants to dress like Don Draper. I do realize that PS's have been around for awhile but now when I see someone sporting one it makes me think they're trying too hard.

 

[Ivar]

The pocket square is an integral part of the suit-and-tie ensemble. You just aren't fully dressed without it. I sometimes prefer to forgo it when I'm ditching the tie, however, and with casual ensembles, it usually looks misplaced.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Not everyday that I see them, but I do see them regularly. They often move you from the camp of people who are well dressed to those who want to appear well dressed.

I've literally given all of them, except white linen, to my wife; who ties them on her purses occasionally.

I like to keep most of my eccentricities for when I am at home and don't have to be forced into a conversation about my attire with someone in board shorts who thinks it's OK to comment on what I am wearing but would be offended by the situation happening in the opposite order.

pocket squares are usually the thing that someone like that uses as the in to make a comment or ask a question.

 

[FillW]

Really? I get the feeling pocketsquares are a lot less common in the US than in continental Europe. How often would you say you see a person wearing a PS?

Yeah. Let's keep in mind I'm in AZ. PS means a SC/Suit/Blazer. We're more Scottsdale trends. Saran wrap shirts, contrast stitching, dye-injected buttons, boat shoes.

I worked down there one summer. I don't see how you can wear suits or even a sport coat in that heat.

The pocket square is an integral part of the suit-and-tie ensemble. You just aren't fully dressed without it. I sometimes prefer to forgo it when I'm ditching the tie, however, and with casual ensembles, it usually looks misplaced.

I never see them where I work (military base) and usually when I do wear a sport coat with a pocket square (going out at night) I'm the only one.

I like that. It helps me "stand out". One female told me as much.

 

[mrjester]

I worked down there one summer. I don't see how you can wear suits or even a sport coat in that heat.

I bring my one linen blue houndstooth quite a few places at night. Anywhere that's inside is going to be freezing. It may be 115 outside but my girlfriend carries a scarf in her handbag and I carry a sport coat in the car.

 

[YRR92]

I like to keep most of my eccentricities for when I am at home and don't have to be forced into a conversation about my attire with someone in board shorts who thinks it's OK to comment on what I am wearing but would be offended by the situation happening in the opposite order.

That's a fair enough reason, though it doesn't bug me enough to erase my enjoyment of pocket squares. For a while, my thinking was "If I wear a PS, it implies that I'm wearing these clothes because I choose to, rather than (merely) because I have to," but I've long since realized that that's more an issue of being comfortable in my clothing than it is one of wearing or not wearing any single item. I stick with the PSes because I still enjoy wearing them, though my taste is generally fairly subtle.

 

[mrjester]

Not everyday that I see them, but I do see them regularly. They often move you from the camp of people who are well dressed to those who want to appear well dressed.

I like to keep most of my eccentricities for when I am at home and don't have to be forced into a conversation about my attire with someone in board shorts who thinks it's OK to comment on what I am wearing but would be offended by the situation happening in the opposite order.

pocket squares are usually the thing that someone like that uses as the in to make a comment or ask a question.

Damn. This is pretty good.

I wear them some places. I'll probably wear a white linen semi-often as it makes the ensemble appear a little more complete to me. I'm buying a few patterned ones for weddings and parties but I think you have a good point.

@institches would love this post you made. WHERE ART THOU?

 

[Veremund]



Agreed. In fact when I was younger, women were known from time to time to fake a make-up emergency as an excuse to snag the PS of a guy that they were particularly interested in. 

And so that returning it would give them a perfectly acceptable reason to see that guy again.

The issue with pocket squares is that they turn, "wow, that's a nice outfit," into "wow, you're wearing a pocket square."

Only if they're doing it wrong.

 

[keys]

I'm of the opinion that, worn properly, a pocket square can be a definitive benefit to an overall look.

 

[lwmarti]

The best reason yet to hate pocket squares:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2013/06/21/business-gap-order-mixup.html?cmp=rss

 

[mp1472]

I saw a tie and pocket square out in the wild the other day ..... they matched exactly as in they came as a set..... I had the urge to tell this guy how wrong he was doing it but thought better of it.

I think if someone has gone so far as to purchase a tie/ps combo as a set then they are beyond my help anyway

 

[VinnyMac]

I saw a tie and pocket square out in the wild the other day ..... they matched exactly as in they came as a set..... I had the urge to tell this guy how wrong he was doing it but thought better of it.

I think if someone has gone so far as to purchase a tie/ps combo as a set then they are beyond my help anyway

LOL! The first part of that comment is hilarious....the second part is just a nice way of saying "I was afraid of the fight that may come afterwards."

 

[mrjester]

I saw a tie and pocket square out in the wild the other day ..... they matched exactly as in they came as a set..... I had the urge to tell this guy how wrong he was doing it but thought better of it.

I think if someone has gone so far as to purchase a tie/ps combo as a set then they are beyond my help anyway

I went to a wedding a few months ago and one of my friends told me I "looked good but need to work on matching more." He had a grey shirt and black pants, looked like he was ill-dressed for a funeral. I tried to explain men's style isn't about matching, it's about 'going well' together. It was lost on him.

 

[archibaldleach]



I went to a wedding a few months ago and one of my friends told me I "looked good but need to work on matching more." He had a grey shirt and black pants, looked like he was ill-dressed for a funeral. I tried to explain men's style isn't about matching, it's about 'going well' together. It was lost on him.

 

[lwmarti]

I saw a tie and pocket square out in the wild the other day ..... they matched exactly as in they came as a set..... I had the urge to tell this guy how wrong he was doing it but thought better of it.

I think if someone has gone so far as to purchase a tie/ps combo as a set then they are beyond my help anyway

Even worse are people who buy pre-folded, sewn-in-position pocket squares. What's the point? As someone previously mentioned, the whole point of wearing a PS is for those events that happen every few years where you can help out a woman in distress, and you definitely can't do that with one of the pre-folded, sewn-in-position versions.

Come to think of it, as was previously mentioned, women tend to love pocket squares. Perhaps what's really behind this is the fact that by wearing one that you're openly saying that you're there to help them if they need a handkerchief to wipe away tears or to handle an unexpected makeup emergency. And maybe that's as appealing as the spiffy color. In any event, I thought of that because those pre-folded squares definitely aren't useful for that purpose, and as far as I can tell, really deserve to be rated significantly below pre-tied bow ties.