One accessory that highlights a man's suit or tuxedo is a handkerchief square, or a pocket square. The handkerchief square is usually made of cotton or silk, and its color should match that of the tie. The square must be folded and placed in the front pocket of the tuxedo or suit jacket. Pocket squares are generally folded one of four ways -- one corner, two corner, three corner and with a straight fold. Folding the square only takes a few minutes to learn, and you mastering the different techniques allows you to vary your style.
Instructions
One-Fold Square
1. Place the handkerchief on a table or desk so that one corner is facing up. From above, the square should resemble a baseball diamond.
2. Fold the square in half horizontally. Grasp the bottom corner and fold it up. Match the bottom corner with the top corner so that only one peak is visible. The square now resembles a triangle.
3. Fold the right corner in toward the center of handkerchief. The folded corner should resemble a right triangle.
4. Fold the left corner in toward the center. The left-corner fold overlaps the right-corner fold.
5. Place the handkerchief in the jacket pocket. Adjust the square as necessary to ensure that only one corner peak is visible.
Two-Fold Square
6. Position the handkerchief on a table or desk so it looks like a baseball diamond.
7. Fold the bottom of the square up to the top. Do not fold the bottom corner up to match the top corner perfectly, but have the bottom corner slightly skewed to create a second peak that is roughly 1/2 inch below the other.
8. Fold the right side in toward the center of the handkerchief.
9. Fold the left side of the handkerchief in toward the center to overlap the right side that has been folded.
10. Slide the pocket square into the jacket pocket. Adjust the square so that it looks crisp.
Three-Fold Square
11. Rotate the handkerchief on a table or desk so the corners are at the top, bottom and sides.
12. Fold the bottom corner of the handkerchief square up toward the top corner. Fold the square horizontally at an angle to form two peaks.
13. Fold the left corner toward the center and up to create a third peak at the top of the handkerchief pocket square.
14. Fold the right corner in to the center of the handkerchief square to create a right angle.
15. Put the handkerchief square in the tuxedo or suit jacket pocket. Fix the square so the three corners that form the peaks are straight.
Straight-Fold Square
16. Place the handkerchief square on a table or desk so it looks like a normal square.
17.Fold the square in half vertically. Match the corners, and create a sharp crease at the fold.
18. Fold the bottom of the pocket square up toward the top. Make this fold so the handkerchief is the height necessary to keep the square visible when placed in the jacket pocket.
19. Put the pocket square in the jacket pocket. Adjust the square so it is evenly displayed out of the pocket.
Tags: pocket square, bottom corner, toward center, handkerchief square, jacket pocket
