The pocket square is the best bargain in menswear. For very little money it does what nothing else in the outfit can, which is to signal that a man thought about how he looks and enjoyed the thinking. It is pure ornament, worn in the breast pocket for no reason on earth except that it is beautiful, and that is precisely the point. A tie is expected. A pocket square is a choice, and choices are where style lives.
There is really only one firm rule, so let me get it out of the way. Do not match your pocket square to your tie. Buying them as a boxed set and wearing them together is the surest sign that a man is dressing by numbers. Let the square complement the tie, pick up one color from it, or contrast with it entirely, but never mirror it. Beyond that, the folds are yours to play with. Here are the four I actually use.
The Presidential, for when you want to disappear in the best way
Also called the flat fold, the straight fold, or the TV fold, this is the quietest option and the most formal. Nothing shows but a clean horizontal band of fabric along the top of the pocket. It is the fold for black tie, for the most serious business, and for any moment when you want the square to whisper rather than talk. Fold the square in half, then in half again into a smaller square, then fold it so it becomes a rectangle, then fold the bottom up so it fits your pocket. Slide it in with the crisp edge showing. That is the whole trick, and it takes ten seconds. A solid white linen or silk square in the presidential fold is, frankly, all most men will ever need.
The Puff, for the man in a hurry who wants to look unhurried
This is my everyday fold, and the wonderful joke of it is that the more casually you do it, the better it looks. Lay the square flat, pinch it dead in the centre, lift it so the corners hang down, then invert it, tuck the pointed corners into your pocket and leave the soft rounded puff on display. It is meant to look a little imperfect. Winston Churchill was a puff man, especially in polka dots, which tells you everything about the confidence it carries. It works best in supple silk, and it is the friendliest fold for a patterned square, because it shows just enough of the pattern without letting it shout.
The Two-Point, for a bit of architecture
When I want a little more structure, a little more of a business look, I reach for the two-point, sometimes called the twin peak. It puts two neat peaks above the pocket, sharp enough to look deliberate but not so fussy that it distracts. Fold the square into a smaller square, turn it to a diamond, then fold the bottom corner up so it sits just beside the top corner rather than directly under it, giving you two staggered peaks. Fold the sides in to fit the pocket, and tuck. It pairs beautifully with a more formal tie and a plain square, and it is the one I trust when a single point feels too relaxed for the room.
The Crown, for when you are feeling like a king
This is the show-off fold, and I say that with affection, because sometimes a man should show off. It resembles a small crown of peaks rising out of the pocket, and it rewards a square with a bit of color or a good pattern. Start face down, fold one end over the other into a triangle, cross the bottom corners up and over each other to make an X, then fold the left side to the middle, the right side over the left, and the bottom up. Turn it round and you have a little crown. It takes practice and it is worth it, because when it works it is the most striking of all.
A tie is expected. A pocket square is a choice, and choices are where style lives.
A few honest notes from the pocket
On fabric: silk is slippery and loves the soft folds, the puff and the crown. Linen and cotton hold a crisp edge and are made for the presidential and the two-point. Keep a white linen square for anything formal and it will never let you down. On size: a bigger square gives a fuller puff, a smaller one sits neater in a shallow pocket, and beyond that it is preference, not law. And on fuss: do not chase perfect symmetry. A pocket square that is slightly alive looks better than one ironed into submission. Adjust it in the mirror, then leave it alone.
If you want to see these folds demonstrated step by step, there are a few genuinely good guides worth a look: Ties.com has the most complete illustrated library, from the classic to the rose and the stairs; Eton covers the three essentials cleanly; Charles Tyrwhitt walks through the puffs and peaks; and Real Men Real Style goes deep on the trickier winged and scallop folds for when you want a challenge.
Dress for yourself, not the room. And put something lovely in your breast pocket while you are at it.
Whatever Suits You · Style. Sound. Substance.