   
 The
suit jacket is made with a left breast pocket not to hold pack of cigarettes or
a pair of glasses but to hold a handkerchief. Without one, an outside breast
pocket appears to be an unnecessary detail, and a man looks as if he hasn't
finished dressing.
A simple white handkerchief is all that is necessary to complete the business
ensemble. It is also the least expensive way a man can quickly elevate his level
of style. The handkerchief, like the hose, gives a man one more opportunity to
do something a little out of the ordinary, something a bit more inventive. A
white handkerchief placed in the breast pocket of a dark suit offers a touch of
elegance and is sure sign of a confident and knowledgeable dresser.
The finest white handkerchiefs are made of linen with hand- rolled edges.
While they are difficult to find today, they are worth searching for. The virtue
of linen is that because of its inherent stiffness, it retains its starched
quality throughout the day. It is the only handkerchief fabric that looks as
fresh in the evening as it did in the morning, when it was first folded.
While a white linen handkerchief is the easiest choice for many, since it is
always proper, for those more adventuresome dressers, there are handkerchiefs in
colors and patterns. In this case, it is generally the tie that is the
determining factor in choosing the proper pocket square. The pocket square must
complement the tie, though it should never directly match it in pattern or
color. Some of the nicest colored handkerchiefs are made of linen in traditional
Oxford shirting colors, or in pure white with colored borders. Another
possibility is silk. These come in a wide array of solid colors. But instead of
solids, wear silk in the traditional English ancient madder patterns, such as
paisley or foulard. The colors in these are muted and give a more subtle effect.
If your tie is of silk, a handkerchief of a dry linen fabric looks best,
while if your tie is of wool or cotton, silk in the breast pocket will add the
proper textural balance to the chest area.
There are four ways to fold a handkerchief properly: square-ended,
puffed,
multi-pointed,
and triangle
fold. The multi-pointed and the triangle effect are certainly the most
elegant and are for use with handkerchiefs of linen or cotton with hand-rolled
edges. Silk handkerchiefs look better with the puffed method. The square end (or
TV fold), a popular style in the 1940s and `50s, seems a little staid today. Yet
whatever method is chosen, the placing of the handkerchief must not appear
overly studied. The material should show above the pocket no more than an inch
to an inch and a half.
If you choose to have a monogram on your handkerchief, never let it show.
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Wedding Handkerchiefs beautifully gift boxed with original poetry. Dry your family, friends and attendants tears of joy on your wedding day. Change and personalize any New Beginnings wedding poem to suit your special needs or write your own poem and we’ll print it. More than 15 styles of handkerchiefs to choose from along with more than 50 original wedding poems. All hankies are imported from Switzerland and are of the finest quality.
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