The London Lounge

Gentlemen,

A recent topic of the "Dressing Room" (entitled "pockets") seems to have revealed what I find to be a very intriguing fact: hardly anyone (LL members!) these days appears to be using traditional, non-disposable, cotton handkerchiefs... Am I under a wrong impression (because nobody mentioned carrying one in any pocket whatsoever), or is it too obvious that we all have it to be worth mentioning? Might it be that many gentlemen switched to the (more hygienic, but certainly less elegant) disposable paper tissues in plastic film 10-packs?
We can admit that, for the prosaic purpose of blowing one's nose, a disposable paper tissue can present advantages, but a cotton handkerchief may also be used to pat one's face dry if one fatigues while eating or after dancing.
What about a clean white cotton handkerchief always in a gentleman's coat pocket ready to be offered to a lady - especially on an elegant evening event when ladies are not supposed to carry purses?

I'd guess that you and I, Costi, are representative of the majority of Loungers in carrying a fresh cloth handkerchief in one pocket or another (for generally-righthanded me, in the inside right breast pocket, as I use it less often than I do my wallet, in the inside left breast pocket). But I prefer finely woven, hem-stitched, linen handkerchiefs to cotton ones. And these seem to be impossible to find nowadays! I'm hoarding a few snowy remnants from my father (who has gone over to the Kleenex, our prototypical paper handkerchief) and even my grandfather (one or two lovely Irish and Belgian examples from the interwar years).

I know I'd be grateful to any Lounger who's found a good (and, one might hope, reasonably priced) source of such fine linen handkerchiefs for men.

RWS, I use Mileta, a Czech company that my mother remembers since her student years in Prague in the fifties. She has several sets of handkerchiefs (ladies') from those times that are still in service today. Fortunately I found someone who sells their products in Romania. Never tried linen, as I couldn't find any.

Dear Gentlemen:
Cotton handkerchiefs have always served me very well over the years. If you fold them right and take good care of them in the wash, they will serve you well for many blows of the nose and dabs on the forehead on hot days.
Bening a gentleman I won't go into great details about the nose blowing, but well... Kleenex tissue is not very strong for my kind of blowing . Having a cotton handkerchief is part of a well dressed gentleman's attire and should not be overlooked.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

In wandering the Web, I've come across one or two promising sources of acceptable substitutes for my nearly museum-age handkerchiefs. I anticipate placing orders this weekend and, should others be interested, commenting upon the results after I've both received and used the handkerchiefs purchased.

Cotton handkerchiefs for day to day usage are never on show, residing always in my otherwise unused right-hand rear trouser pocket. Unlike linens which require thought and attention, cotton handkerchiefs are the one reason I will go to the rather gruesome TM Lewin, who sell them at prices that almost make them disposable. They serve a myriad of purposes.

I use Nautica white cotton hankies in my left breast pocket. This is used for wiping sweat. Should I need to blow my nose, I find some TP or a tissue box.

ray