Pocket square in overcoat?

[gregor]

Do you guys do this?
I have seen it on a few people and in a few advertisements.. is this sf approved? If so, are there do's and don'ts?


Gregor

 

[The Silverfox]

I recently noticed that on the crombie website and thought it was strange as well. I've never seen it in person and to be honest to me it seems a bit silly.

I mean... on the one hand aesthetically it does the same job of adding colour to an otherwise often austere look, but to me it just seems too strange. It doesn't make any sense for anyone to keep that kind of thing in their outerwear, so while a normal pocket square has its origins simply as a handkerchief carried in a convenient location and being slightly visible, I'm not sure the same holds for a pocket square on an overcoat. Seems artificial to me. If you insist on having something there for colour, a nice pair of cognac or perhaps even honey-coloured leather gloves in the breast pocket of an overcoat looks good. And... gloves are appropriate accessories to an overcoat, whether they be on your hands or in the pocket.

 

[Henry Carter]

too studied for me personally.

 

[lee_44106]

Originally Posted by The Silverfox

I recently noticed that on the crombie website and thought it was strange as well. I've never seen it in person and to be honest to me it seems a bit silly.

I mean... on the one hand aesthetically it does the same job of adding colour to an otherwise often austere look, but to me it just seems too strange. It doesn't make any sense for anyone to keep that kind of thing in their outerwear, so while a normal pocket square has its origins simply as a handkerchief carried in a convenient location and being slightly visible, I'm not sure the same holds for a pocket square on an overcoat. Seems artificial to me. If you insist on having something there for colour, a nice pair of cognac or perhaps even honey-coloured leather gloves in the breast pocket of an overcoat looks good. And... gloves are appropriate accessories to an overcoat, whether they be on your hands or in the pocket.

bolded and underlined for the complete nonsense.

so you accept gloves in the breast pocket but not pocketsquare?

Really? Have you tried to stuff a pair of gloves in the breastpocket? Now THAT takes effort and seems competely pointless to me. How about gloves in the hand pockets?

 

[JayJay]

^^^I'm not a fan of gloves in the breast pocket either.

 

[gregor]

I have this topcoat in black: http://www.jcrew.com/mens_category/o...7934/17934.jsp

and I was thinking about putting my new TF pocket square that is coming in the mail in the breast pocket that looks like this:

Would that look okay? I would post pictures but I don't have it yet and most of my other pocket squares are blue, brown, pink, or they are cotton and I don't like the look of cotton folded pocket squares with this coat.

 

[lee_44106]

If you gotta ask about rules and do/don't, and have to solicit opinion online prior to doing it, then

DON'T DO IT.



You will look uncomfortable, self-conscious, constantly fuss with the square.

Which will only highlight the fact that you would be trying too hard.




At some point when you can wake up and say "what the hell, I don't give a ****...", then you are ready to sport a pocketsquare in your overcoat breastpocket.

 

[artoftime]

 

[SpooPoker]

DO IT if you will appear in an advertisement.

DONT DO IT any other time.

 

[Manton]

I will shortly be receiving my first pocketed overcoat. Plz let me know via PM how this threak shakes out so I know what to do.

Thx.

 

[amplifiedheat]

More pockets >> less pockets.

QED.

 

[The Silverfox]

Originally Posted by lee_44106

bolded and underlined for the complete nonsense.

so you accept gloves in the breast pocket but not pocketsquare? Really? Have you tried to stuff a pair of gloves in the breastpocket? Now THAT takes effort and seems competely pointless to me. How about gloves in the hand pockets?
Hand pockets are where I keep mine. I've never tried getting any gloves into the breast pocket, and as I usually wear quite thick winder gloves, being from norway and all, I doubt I could get even one in. Obviously it would depend on both the gloves and the coat, but there are coats with larger than average breast pockets, and if the gloves are quite thin and unlined, I would imagine they'd fit without too much trouble. My point isn't that this is something one should necessarily do, but rather that gloves would be a more appropriate thing to go with outerwear than a pocket-square. If it as a practical matter is worth the effort or if you can make it work without it looking stuffed or too deliberate is another matter. I've seen people do it though, and in my opinion pull it off quite well. I don't know the dimensions of the pocket or the type of lining in the glove, but to me it looked neither unnatural nor studied. Just looked like someone who liked to keep his gloves where he could reach them in half a second without fishing around in the pocket and hassling with the flap. And as an added bonus, they added colour and made the whole look more interesting. Thought I had a pic of it somewhere, but I can't seem to find it. Think maybe the sartorialist had something a while back of someone doing this, if you care to look. EDIT: Found it, not sure if it's the one I was originally thinking of, but it serves the purpose.

 

[Ianiceman]

This was a common look in the early seventies in England when some skinheads became a bit more dandified, grew their hair out to a Blackburn cut and took some style cues from city gents and A Clockwork Orange. They wore heavy brogues, bowler hats, rolled umbrellas (with the metal tip sharpened to a point in case of trouble) and navy or black crombie coats with a red spotted bandana in the breast pocket. There was a bit of a revival in the early eighties and cheap Melton wool crombie knockoffs were available in the high street shops with red satin pocket linings that could be pulled out to display.

I think if it's a real crombie with a real bandana it's a good retro look but as an ageing mod I have an affection for the suedehead scene. If it's a cheap knockoff with satin lining pulled out it looks shite.

I have inherited my Dad's genuine Crombie in midnight blue with three buttons exposed and notch lapels but it doesn't have a breast pocket. It's never cold enough in Houston to need such a heavy coat, and it's a bit broad for me. I've considered having it slimmed but haven't got round to it.

 

[Mr. Mystery]

I think it would be more appropriate with a slim fitting overcoat, the kind that wouldn't cover a suit.

I was actually thinking about this recently, glad it came up here.

 

[Ianiceman]

Originally Posted by Mr. Mystery

I think it would be more appropriate with a slim fitting overcoat, the kind that wouldn't cover a suit.

Good point. IIRC the suedeheads would usually wear a waisted chesterfield style (minus the velvet collar) over a Ben Sherman shirt and cardigan, tonic or sta press strides, red socks and brogues or loakes royals. Doc Marten shoes were popular too. Not SF approved but Iceman approved!!