Pocket Squares are back!

"The brute covers himself, the rich man and the fop adorn themselves, the elegant man dresses!"

-Honore de Balzac

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Guest

Sat Apr 01, 2006 5:04 pm

I noticed a trend in Italy, in the last times. After a long disappereance, pocket squares are back in public life. Politicians, actors, TV men are back in dressing them.

Do you see a similar trend in other countries?
TVD
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Sat Apr 01, 2006 5:12 pm

Amongst the fashionable, well heeled crowd, outside work, yes.

In a prefessional environment they are often deemed old-fashioned or misunderstood. Envy and chips on shoulders have a lot to do with it. To be used with care before you rise to the very top.
Arpey
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Mon Apr 10, 2006 10:43 pm

Jona wrote:I noticed a trend in Italy, in the last times. After a long disappereance, pocket squares are back in public life. ...
They can't be back as they never left.

Take a gander a pictures of President Reagan or the Princes Charles and Phillip through the years. IMO it was Regan's pocket square (always white) that helps to set him apart from others near to him in photos. By the way, JFK also always wore a pocket square.
Cufflink79
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Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:22 pm

Arpey wrote:
Jona wrote:I noticed a trend in Italy, in the last times. After a long disappereance, pocket squares are back in public life. ...
They can't be back as they never left.

Take a gander a pictures of President Reagan or the Princes Charles and Phillip through the years. IMO it was Regan's pocket square (always white) that helps to set him apart from others near to him in photos. By the way, JFK also always wore a pocket square.


I have to agree, pocket squares never left us, its just that a lot of people haven't been wearing them. I do notice more and more men wearing them which a very good thing. However Brian Williams of NBC News used to wear pocket squares all the time and now that he is the Nightly News anchor he no longers wears them. :x

Best Regards,

Cufflink79
JamesT1
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Wed Apr 12, 2006 12:15 am

I agree with TVD's post about how they are often misunderstood. I still think that a white silk pocket square (as opposed to the more puffy variety), tend to create less, if any negative attention.

One trend that does seem to be in, at least amongst those in the world of media, is men with the bottom button of their suit jacket buttoned, I find that I can never take an actor or newscaster seriously if they have the bottom button buttoned.

James
TVD
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Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:56 am

Chap I knew used to button the bottom button of his camelhair greatcoat. Never did it again after I asked him whether he was applying for a job as a trade union leader.
Arpey
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Wed Apr 12, 2006 4:02 pm

Cufflink79 wrote: ... However Brian Williams of NBC News used to wear pocket squares all the time and now that he is the Nightly News anchor he no longers wears them. :x

Best Regards,

Cufflink79
True enough but Brokaw always wore one. Then again, Brokaw always was natty.
JLibourel
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Fri Apr 14, 2006 12:34 am

TVD wrote:Chap I knew used to button the bottom button of his camelhair greatcoat. Never did it again after I asked him whether he was applying for a job as a trade union leader.
Is buttoning the bottom button of greatcoat or other topcoat a sartorial faux pas on the order of buttoning the bottom button of suit/sport coat or vest. If so...Good God, what have I been doing all these years?! :oops:
JamesT1
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Mon Apr 17, 2006 1:53 pm

Just to be on the safe side (and for ease of movement), I have always left the bottom button on overcoats undone.

With three-button suits, what is the general feeling on buttoning the top button. Personally, I don't like it buttoned as it makes one look to rigid, any other opinions?

James
TVD
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Mon Apr 17, 2006 3:31 pm

In general, I am not sure there are any firm "rules" on what buttons to button and which to leave unbuttoned.

However, I should think that where a button is left open, this would be to achieve a relaxed, degagé impression. To give an example, a single breasted three button coat can be buttoned up, or just the middle button can be done up, providing more room and comfort to the wearer and seeming more relaxed.

Elsewhere on this forum, members discussed with great interest the options for a double breasted suit: whether it should button at the top (standard cut today) or at the bottom (Kent model). The conclusion was that it is difficult to find a DB suit that would look good when worn both ways: one has to decide at the start what is desired.

Similarly, I can imagine single breasted coats that could be buttoned at the bottom only and still look good: but it would have to have a high gorge to prevent the buttoning point from being too low (you want to button the coat at the waist, not across the hips, after all), and probably be two button only, because a third button would take the vertical, square expanse of front too high (it would be lacking the pulling together in the centre provided by the buttoning of the middle button).

My criticism was simply of a coat cut to be either worn unbuttoned or completely buttoned, but done up only at the bottom. It looked like unneccessary affectation that the wearer could not pull off. In the same way that a vicuna coat worn draped across the shoulders should only be attempted by mobsters or theatrical impressarios unless the wearer wishes to appear ridiculous.

Obviously, a generalising statement that something should or should not be done quite rightly enrages those who successfully appropriate this very look. And I would obviously be wrong to criticise you for this look, because for you it works. But on a balance of probabilities, most others may be warned to think carefully before trying it, because the chances are high they will fail to pull it off.
Sir Royston
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Tue Feb 12, 2008 4:06 pm

I wasn't aware that they had ever gone away!!
wbpitts
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Thu Feb 21, 2008 8:09 am

I have to disagree with what seems to be the predominate sentiment here. The fact that every tv personality is now popping (usually hideous) silks into their pockets is just diminishing that little extra bit of respect that those of us who have consistently and correctly wore pocket squares have always enjoyed.

Pop culture destroys all that is good. Mark my words that within the next 18 months someone will on this forum will be discussing how they have stopped wearing pocket squares because it seems that "everyone else is doing it."

The only up side is that every time pop culture ruins something for us enthusiests, we seem to dig around through history and find somehting as good or better to replace it.

Which leads me to ask if after watching ANY american sports announcer, does anyone else get the urge to tie really small, ugly knots in their ties? There's nothing as amusing and saddening as seeing a man whose knot is as big as his head.

Regards,

WBP
RWS
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Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:33 pm

wbpitts wrote:. . . . [D]oes anyone else get the urge to tie really small, ugly knots in their ties? . . . .
Ha! Yeeeeessss . . . .
storeynicholas

Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:36 pm

wbpitts wrote:I have to disagree with what seems to be the predominate sentiment here. The fact that every tv personality is now popping (usually hideous) silks into their pockets is just diminishing that little extra bit of respect that those of us who have consistently and correctly wore pocket squares have always enjoyed.

Pop culture destroys all that is good. Mark my words that within the next 18 months someone will on this forum will be discussing how they have stopped wearing pocket squares because it seems that "everyone else is doing it."

The only up side is that every time pop culture ruins something for us enthusiests, we seem to dig around through history and find somehting as good or better to replace it.
Which leads me to ask if after watching ANY american sports announcer, does anyone else get the urge to tie really small, ugly knots in their ties?


It depends whose neck it was around.
NJS

There's nothing as amusing and saddening as seeing a man whose knot is as big as his head.

Regards,

WBP
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