Pocket Squares

For most men, a pocket square between 12 and 16 inches (30–40 cm) square is right. Linen and cotton squares are usually 12–15 inches because they are folded flat; silk is thinner and slippier, so some brands make silk squares 16–18 inches (a few say at least 40 cm) to give a puff fold more body. A 13-inch (33 cm) silk square, the size Monzoro makes, suits the standard breast pocket on modern slim-cut jackets; if your pocket is unusually deep, use a wider base fold so it does not sink.

Silk and linen are both good; polyester is the one to avoid. Silk drapes softly with a gentle sheen, so it suits puff and casual folds and dressier occasions. Linen and cotton are matte and hold a crisp edge, which is why they are the choice for flat and pointed folds and daytime tailoring. Polyester looks shiny and plasticky, does not drape and tends to spring out of the pocket. Own one silk and one white linen square and you cover almost everything.

No. A pocket square should complement your tie, not match it. Identical tie-and-square sets look mass-produced, and most menswear stylists and communities agree they read as cheap. Instead, pick a square that shares one colour with the tie or shirt, or one that sits in the same tone family, and vary the pattern. A plain white linen or silk square goes with any tie and is always safe.

With a navy suit, white, burgundy, gold, light blue or a floral with navy in it all work. Grey suits are the most flexible: try burgundy, navy, forest green, pink or a soft pattern. With a black suit, keep it simple with white, silver-grey or a deep single colour like burgundy. A brown suit pairs with cream, rust, olive, mustard and muted blues. In every case the square should complement the shirt and tie rather than match them exactly.

Yes, a pocket square without a tie is completely acceptable and is one of the easiest ways to make an open-collar suit or blazer look finished. Keep it subdued: a white or muted solid, a small pattern, and a modest fold that sits low in the pocket rather than a big puff. Without a tie the square becomes the only accent, so let the shirt and jacket colours guide it rather than choosing something loud.

Show about 1 to 1.5 inches (2–4 cm) for a flat or presidential fold, and a little more, around 1.5 to 2 inches (4–5 cm), for a puff or pointed fold. The square should look as if it belongs there, not as if it is climbing out of the pocket. If it keeps rising, fold the base wider so it wedges in, or tuck a folded piece of card behind it. Adjust once in a mirror and leave it alone.

The puff fold, or its cousins the reverse puff and winged puff, suit silk best. Silk is soft and does not hold a sharp crease, so crisp flat and pointed folds tend to look limp in it; the puff uses that softness to advantage. For a flat presidential fold, choose linen or cotton instead. Silk puff folds work with business suits, blazers and wedding-guest outfits, and a white silk square in a one-point fold is fine with a tuxedo.

A silk square sinks because it is light and the pocket is deep. Three fixes:
1) fold the base wider so it wedges against the sides of the pocket;
2) tuck a folded tissue, business card or piece of thin card behind or under it to act as a shelf;
3) use a pocket-square holder, a small card insert sold for exactly this purpose. A slightly larger square also helps, though a 13-inch square fits most modern jackets without trouble.

Only if the waistcoat has a breast pocket, and most Western waistcoats do not. A pocket square belongs in a breast pocket; without one there is nowhere to put it. If you wear a waistcoat without a jacket, add interest with a tie, a tie bar or good cufflinks instead. A waistcoat worn under a jacket is a different matter: the pocket square goes in the jacket as usual. South Asian waistcoats often do have a breast pocket, and a square works well there.

Yes, and it should be white. Black tie is a uniform, so the pocket square is white cotton, linen or silk in a flat presidential fold or a single-point fold, showing about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Avoid colours, patterns and puff folds; they fight with the formality of the outfit. If you are unsure, a plain white square is never wrong with a dinner jacket, and skipping it entirely is also acceptable.

Yes, if the patterns are different in scale. A small-check tie with a large paisley square works; two medium-sized florals do not. Share one colour between the two so they look intentional, and keep the shirt plain. If one of them is very bold, make the other quieter. When in doubt, a patterned tie with a white linen square is the reliable answer, and a patterned square with a solid tie is the next safest.

No, a pocket square is a normal part of tailoring, not a costume. It looks try-hard only when it is over-styled: matching the tie exactly, a huge puff, or a novelty print with a plain office suit. Keep the fold modest, the colour relevant to the rest of the outfit and the amount showing around an inch, and it simply reads as a finished look. Plenty of men wear one daily with a blazer and no tie.

A pocket square breaks up the block of colour a jacket creates at the chest and adds a small, deliberate detail that shows the outfit was put together with care. Historically it was a decorative handkerchief; today it is purely visual. It also lets you introduce colour or pattern without wearing a tie, which is why it suits open-collar dressing so well. It is not for wiping anything; keep a separate handkerchief for that.

A pocket square is for showing; a handkerchief is for blowing. The pocket square sits in the jacket's breast pocket as decoration and is usually silk, linen or cotton with finished edges. A handkerchief lives in a trouser pocket, is plain cotton and gets used. Sizes overlap, and a clean cotton handkerchief can stand in as a flat-folded square in an emergency, but a silk pocket square should never be used as a tissue.

Three covers most men: a white linen or cotton square for formal, business and funerals; a silk square in a colour that suits your main suit, such as burgundy or blue for navy; and a patterned silk square for weddings and casual blazers. Add more as you find specific gaps, for example a seasonal colour or a second neutral. Quality matters more than quantity; a few well-chosen squares beat a drawer of polyester ones.

Buy a plain white one first, in linen or cotton if you mostly wear suits with a tie, or in silk if you wear blazers open-collar. White goes with every suit, shirt and tie and works for interviews, weddings and black tie. The second should be a silk square in a single colour or small pattern that picks up your most-worn suit. Monzoro's solid silk squares start at £14.95 if you want an affordable silk option.

Wear something with a little colour or pattern that complements, not matches, your tie. For a daytime wedding, a silk square in a soft floral, paisley or pastel tone works; for an evening or black-tie wedding, white is safer. Stick to a puff or single-point fold and show around 1–2 inches (2–5 cm). Check the dress code first, and avoid anything that clashes with the wedding party's colours or looks louder than the groom.

Yes. The groom should stand out from his groomsmen, and the pocket square is one of the easiest ways to do it. Give the groom a different colour, fabric or fold: for example white silk in a puff fold while the groomsmen wear a coloured square in a flat fold, or a patterned square when theirs are solid. Keep everything within the same palette so the group photographs as a unit.

They should coordinate rather than match. Choosing a square in exactly the same shade as the bridesmaids' dresses can look like a rented set, and dyes rarely match across different fabrics anyway. Instead pick a square that sits in the same colour family, one or two shades lighter or darker, or a pattern that includes the bridesmaid colour alongside a neutral. Ties can carry the closer match if you want a direct link.

Either wear a plain white cotton or linen square in a simple flat fold, or wear none at all. Both are correct. A funeral is not the place for silk with sheen, colour, pattern or a puff fold. Show no more than 1–2.5 cm (half an inch to an inch), keep the tie dark and plain, and let the whole outfit stay quiet. If you only own coloured squares, leave the pocket empty.

White, and only white. With a dinner jacket the pocket square is white linen, cotton or silk in a flat presidential fold or a one-point fold, showing roughly an inch. This is one of the few dress codes where the rule is fixed, so resist coloured or patterned squares even at a creative black-tie event. If you do not own a white square, going without is better than substituting a colour.

A plain white square in a flat fold is fine and looks polished; anything more is a risk. Interviewers should remember your answers, not your accessories, so skip colour, pattern and puff folds. In conservative industries such as law or finance, or if you are unsure of the office culture, leaving the pocket square out altogether is equally acceptable. Match the rest of the outfit's restraint: dark suit, plain shirt, simple tie.

Yes, in most offices a pocket square is normal with a suit or blazer. For everyday business wear, keep it understated: white linen in a flat fold, or a solid or small-pattern silk in a modest puff, showing about an inch. Save large florals and bright colours for events. If nobody else in your workplace wears one, start with white so it reads as neat rather than showy.

Yes, a pocket square is a good addition to a prom suit or tuxedo. With a tuxedo, keep it white in a flat or one-point fold. With a coloured suit, choose a square that picks up your date's outfit colour without matching it exactly, or go with white if you want a safe choice. Avoid the pre-folded squares on cardboard that come with rental packages; a real square folded yourself looks noticeably better.

Yes, this is one of the best uses for one. A blazer with jeans and an open collar can look unfinished, and a pocket square fixes that instantly. Go casual with it: a puff or reverse puff fold, a patterned silk or a textured cotton, and colours that echo the shirt or shoes. Avoid the crisp flat fold, which looks too formal against denim, and keep the amount showing modest.

Yes. A pocket square is inexpensive, useful on the day itself and easy to personalise by colour, which makes it a practical groomsmen gift. Give each groomsman the same square so they coordinate, and choose a different one for the father of the bride and father of the groom so they are distinguished from the party. Silk squares in a branded envelope present well; Monzoro's are £14.95–£19.95, which keeps a set of six affordable.