Where can you get nice pocket squares?

[Zeriman]

I'm looking for some nice, silk pocket squares with some patterns. Everywhere I go they have only very basic, plain solid colors.

 

[EL72]

I hear law school parties are a good source. Look for a guy in a blazer and discreetly lift the square from his pocket while he's looking at the other students' shoes. Don't worry, he'll thank you later.

 

[VMan]

I've seen some at J Crew in the past that were in interesting patterns and fairly reasonable.

Polo Ralph Lauren also has some, though I believe they are priced $40-60, which is more than I would pay. However, Filene's Basement usually seems to have a selection of Polo RL, and other makers, consistently.

 

[josepidal]

How are the squares at Filene's Basement?

 

[Dragon]

I would take a look at Hermes which has very high quality squares. Stores like Borrelli and Kiton usually have some squares. Also, Polo, Zegna, BB, etc. all should have a selection of pocket squares.

 

[VMan]

Originally Posted by josepidal

How are the squares at Filene's Basement?

Decent. The two locations in Chicago sell the Polo RL ones for about $20, and some Geoffrey Beene ones for about $8 or so (which isn't bad, considering it's really just a piece of silk).

However, places like Marshalls and TJ Maxx tend to have a bunch of cotton "hankerchefs" in solid cotton, patterned solid cotton, and cotton with some sort of edge border that are sold in 3 or 4-packs for about $10-$12. These can double as pocket squares using the TV-fold in a pinch.

 

[AlanC]

STP has several at the moment.

 

[josepidal]

I tried ordering one of STP's squares and am waiting to see how they are. What's your review of them?

The Beene squares at Filene's are actually $5 for solid ones, but I always thought the patterns on the Polo squares were tacky or the colors looked washed out.

 

[pejsek]

Okay, but I myself would high-tail it down to the thrift. Almost every thrift store has at least a few pocket squares and you're unlikely to pay more than $2. So go wild. The old ones often had better designs and I myself always feel better with s.thing not so new peeking out of my coat. My grandfather left me a number of pocket squares. Even when I'm not wearing his I always think of the practice as a bit of an homage to him and his era (1930s).

 

[EL72]

Here is a nice lot of 15 vintage pocket squares on eBay win an opening bid of only $5.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-15-Vintage-M...QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Jared]

Why not make your own?

(In all seriousness, I'd love to hear from anyone with low sewing skill who tried it out: is the roll as hard as they imply?)

 

[Vintage Gent]

The Ben Silver outlet has some on sale:

http://www.bensilver.com/fs_storefro...t=330&show=365

Sam Hober is another good option (will even do custom squares):

http://www.samhober.com/store/Mulber...res-c-274.html

 

[tiecollector]

Originally Posted by EL72

Here is a nice lot of 15 vintage pocket squares on eBay win an opening bid of only $5.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Lot-15-Vintage-M...QQcmdZViewItem


Wow, I think I need to get those.

 

[dah328]

So do I.

 

[FLMountainMan]

Originally Posted by Jared

Why not make your own?

(In all seriousness, I'd love to hear from anyone with low sewing skill who tried it out: is the roll as hard as they imply?)

I have very low sewing skill - limited to sewing buttons back on shirts and the like. When I was first introduced to pocket squares, though, my first thought was making it myself. Go to any fabric stores "scraps" or "remnants" section. The roll is hard to make "perfect". However, you can pick almost any fabric you want, the finished product is still unique, and your investment is minimal.