Vintage Pattern Marketplace

Vintage Pattern Marketplace

Monday, September 1, 2014

Free Pattern Friday - The Four-Point Pocket Square Fold Handkerchief

The Pocket Handkerchief
Comb your hair. Polish your shoes and tuck a handkerchief in your pocket. Seems simple enough. I remember my dad had a card with points glued to it that he slipped into his breast pocket when he had to present a more formal appearance. But the well dressed man has many options for the pocket handkerchief, or pocket square. I had no idea how many variations on the theme there were, complete with names.

Our Four-Point Fold, as pictured, is surely classic, but don't underestimate the Three-Point, the Two-Point, the One-Point or the Shell Fold. The Cagney, Cooper and Astaire, no doubt attributed to those handsome and debonaire screen stars from the 40's and 50's, are variations on the Puff. The Dunaway, Crown, Westco and Presidential are a few other folds with flair. One wonders if there is a secret society that allows certain pocket folds and not others. I think of the brooches Madaleline Albright  wore to reflect her moods while Secretary of State. Perhaps the pocket fold is not so dissimilar? 

The January 1955 issue of Workbasket published the instructions for the simple but elegant Four-Point Fold Pocket Square. Download Here.

Courtesy of CynicalGirl on Goodsmiths.


3 comments:

  1. How cool! I knew there were different names for how a man tied his cravat, but I hadn't realized that pocket handkerchiefs had names, too.

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  2. Interesting! Like Deb, I had no idea handkerchiefs were named. Thanks for teaching me something new:)

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  3. Oh, I didn't either. This is awesome!

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