Another righteous Sunday morning.
Here are some things you can say about pocket squares:
- A well dressed man wears a pocket square.
- I love pocket squares.
- Pocket squares really complete the look of my outfit.
- I turned my car around when I realized I forgot my pocket square.
- I feel naked without my pocket square.
Here is one thing you cannot say about pocket squares:
- Pocket squares are trad.
This is true in general but an exception can be made for white squares using either of the folds shown to the left. (Images taken without permission from Sam Hober. ) And in my always humble opinion that is trad only when wearing a dark suit.
I'm not generally one to complain about the state of affairs over at AAAT, but anyone reading the trad forum would likely get the impression that all manner of pocket squares are trad. They aren't. I wouldn't go so far as to say that they are somehow un-trad, that they diminish your tradness, but they certainly don't help (with the exception mentioned above). The are at best trad-neutral.The pocket square properly belongs in the provenance of the dandy. There is nothing wrong with a trad borrowing from the dandy, just as there is nothing wrong with the trad borrowing from the redneck. It happens all the time. Dandy's have been known to borrow from the trad every once in a while also. It's what makes getting dressed fun. But pocket squares don't make you more trad.
I just had to get that off my chest. Thank you.
12 comments:
Beautiful format, mate. Very clean.
I detest pocket squares and think them foppish. Certainly not Trad. Having said that, I have 15 or so. Never wear 'em just buy them.
I gotta get rid of 'em as well as this bizzare habit of buying them.
They're either stuffed down so far you only see a tiny bit - - or, "it's flapping about like a wind sock." Pierce Brosnan in, The Tailor of Panama" but he wasn't talking about a pocket square.
I like them and don't care who knows it. See Leo McKern as Rumpole. Not that I go that far.
Congratulations, you were just de-nominated as trad spokesman. Shame too, seeing how you were the only contestant in the running since Joe Tradly turned us down.
the search continues,
Chops
Tintin, I've got no use for them either. I think the format looks good with Hober's graphic. I hope it still looks good when they scroll down. Or I could do everyone a favor and just stop now.
pls and chops, The reason I started a blog was so that I could put my opinion in big letters with pictures on the front page and people like you would be relegated to this little comment box with small letters and nobody looks at anyway.
Chops- In respects to Trad - - Joe Tradly couldn't pour pee out of a topsider with a direction arrow on the heel.
I don't know about that, TinTin. I met Joe Tradly and he's got it all down pretty well.
This little comment box is new, too. I didn't know us Google bloggers could do this.
And Chops, I am de-lighted to be de-nominated.
Good night.
pl- I'm trying to save you from a paying gig. Chops is loaded.
I rather like Joe Tradly too, but I think each man should be his own spokesman - Which is why I like Longwing's blog so much.
I think the notion of a 'leader' is to be avoided. If you follow another's lead you'll just create another false orthodoxy for this style of dress we all love. One person's rules are not those of this style, it's all just too diverse in reality for that.
Best -
Russell
In prep school, we would have called pocket squares "disco." Trad clothing is basically pretty utilitarian, and pocket squares seem emphasize more decoration than utility.
I'll stuff a white linen square in a suit coat pocket, TV fold, when feeling frisky. I tried something more flamboyant once for a "What Are You Wearing You Tradly Stud?" photo (a sloppy four point fold) but it never made it past the front door. I've come to term with my limits.
"the trad borrowing from the redneck"
Care to expound on this?
Just a joke to myself. I think I irritated a few people a while ago when I came down hard on southern trad. Never one to let a sleeping dog lie. It's a problem.
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