Pocket square
The handkerchief (also Cavalier cloth , handkerchief , French pochette ) is a clothing accessory , which as in the outer breast pocket of the jacket is inserted that it poking out therefrom. It is folded and shaped using different techniques.
history
The pocket square appeared around the year 1830 in the Biedermeier period , but was initially not worn with festive suits, but with riding clothes and was strikingly colored. The jacket was only introduced around 1860 as a day or business suit and optically enhanced with a handkerchief. Some time later, the frock coat and the paletot were also provided with breast pockets. The tailcoat , on the other hand, had no breast pocket until 1930 and was usually adorned with a white carnation on the lapel.
- Quote: "The men's tailors [...] had to do with setting a new distinguished but inconspicuous accent in men's fashion with the decorative scarf, especially since the upper classes replaced the nobility as the leading class in fashion."
In the 1930s, ties (or bow ties ) and handkerchiefs with coordinated patterns came on the market as a set for the first time . From the end of the 1950s, the handkerchief was considered out of fashion and was rarely worn open. It has been socially acceptable again since the 1990s. "Since then, TV news anchors have given their appearance a new accent through the handkerchief." Today it is once again a sign of a well-dressed man.
With the decreasing popularity of ties in the 2010s, there is a tendency to use the pocket square as an alternative.
Occasions and styles
The cavalier scarf is a pure accessory and is not only worn on special occasions. It should give the suit or the combination or the ( tweed ) jacket an elegant touch and an additional color accent. It does not serve as a handkerchief , but is an expression of individuality. Using a pocket handkerchief to blow your nose is - from a cultural point of view - roughly on par with using a tie as a napkin.
The simplest, classic form is a starched white handkerchief made of linen , which is worn with the mostly white shirt . In principle, it can be worn on any occasion. The simple linen pocket square is also available with colored edges. The more expensive versions of the pocket square are hand-rolled. The more elegant variant is a colored silk scarf that is color coordinated with the clothing. Pocket squares can have bold, contrasting colors and eye-catching patterns, or they can take on the basic colors of the mostly multi-colored tie or shirt. For bespoke shirts there is often the option of an additional pocket square made from the shirt fabric. Pocket handkerchiefs made of wool, e.g. B. There are tweeds. There are no hard and fast rules on how to combine the pocket square.
Occasionally, sets of ties and matching scarfs are offered to help beginners choose a tasteful combination. Folded and sewn on cardboard cloths are also available, which only have to be put into the breast pocket to appear perfectly folded. However, in the manual of classic men's fashion The Gentleman says:
- Quote: “With a pocket square, anything is actually allowed, if it looks good. Only the handkerchiefs folded ready for use at the factory should be avoided and also those that come in a supposedly stylish combination pack including a tie. "
For weddings and similar occasions, silk scarves with a golden or silver sheen are often used, often with floral or paisley patterns. Colorful, patterned and strongly contrasting cloths are an option for dinner and evening wear, but for business occasions, more subtle colors and simpler patterns are used.
Folding and shaping techniques
There are many different ways to fold the pocket square. Basically, you can fold up pocket handkerchiefs made of linen and then insert them to match the width of the breast pocket so that an edge of 1 cm to 3 cm still protrudes from the pocket. This folding led to the English name pocket square . Possible variants are rectangular folding, triangular folding and the crown folding; the edge of the rectangular folded pochette can also be aligned at an acute angle to the breast pocket so that the cloth only peeks out of the pocket to the right or left. The fluff fold is particularly suitable for printed silk scarves: Here the towel is slightly crumpled up with the edges either up or down and pushed so far into the breast pocket that it only protrudes a few centimeters. As with the colors and patterns, there are almost no limits to the folding techniques. For one or the other special folding technique you have to help with elastic bands or needles or secure with safety pins, but always in such a way that such aids are covered.
literature
- Ingrid Loschek : Accessories. Symbolism and history. Bruckmann, Munich 1993, ISBN 3-7654-2629-6 .
- Bernhard Roetzel : The gentleman. Manual of classic men's fashion. Könemann, Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-89508-637-1 (ibid reprint 2004. ISBN 3-8331-1060-0 ; updated edition hf ullmann publishing, Potsdam 2014. ISBN 978-3-8480-0197-2 ).
- Florian S. Küblbeck: What a man wears. Well dressed in twelve steps (= Beck'sche series. 6110). CH Beck, Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-406-65415-2 , pp. 183-189.
Web links
- Mathias G. Böhme: Styling Guide for Men: Pochette. Description of folding techniques.
Individual evidence
- ^ Ingrid Loschek: Accessories. Symbolism and history. 1993, p. 231.
- ^ Ingrid Loschek: Accessories. Symbolism and history. 1993, p. 232.
- ↑ Men, wear more pocket squares! January 14, 2018, accessed on October 22, 2019 (German): “If you don't like to wear a tie, you can wear the pocket square individually. As a subtle accessory, it ensures a particularly stylish appearance and can even be adapted to other accessories such as socks, hats or scarves. "
- ↑ Jennifer Wiebking: Pocket squares: A new pattern of masculinity is emerging here . ISSN 0174-4909 ( faz.net [accessed October 22, 2019]).
- ↑ a b Bernhard Roetzel: The Gentleman. Updated new edition. 2014, p. 274.
- ^ Spencer ten Brink: Gentleman Style. Key to elegance. Spencer ten Brink, Nuremberg 2015, ISBN 978-3-00-047539-9 , pp. 68–70.
- ↑ Florian S. Küblbeck: What man wears. 2013, p. 188.