The Evolution of a Gentleman

brokeandbespoke:

Prepping for fall.

I’m a fan of repurposing found items as usable accessories for your outfits. Pocket squares are an especially easy place to do this. Several of my pocket squares are fabric scraps from when my wife has sewn something, or from the free scraps bin at my local fabric emporium. Some are even cut from decommissioned boxer shorts with whimsical prints on them (like the sumo pocket square I posted some months back, which I got several questions about).

One thing I personally don’t do, however, is use a paper napkin or tie in lieu of a pocket square, or anything that doesn’t look like a pocket square for that matter. In that case, I think you’re better off with a denuded chest pocket, but that’s just me. I encourage you to find whatever feels best for you. If you like the way a tie looks as a pocket square, then more power to you. You’re set because there’s no end to the number of cool patterned ties you can thrift for that purpose. When I see it done I just can’t get past the thought that “that’s a napkin/tie in your pocket,” and assume, at best, that you’re oddly storing your napkin/tie there for some reason. But the truth is most people probably wouldn’t even notice these things. The key is to try not to overthink what other people may be thinking about you, and to just enjoy the process of getting dressed each day!

This black watch pocket square is made up from the bottom of a pair of cotton flannel pajama pants I own. They were a bit too long, and so I chopped about 5” off of them. The result was a nice chunk of black watch fabric with one end already hemmed, which I can now fold and use as a pocket square. The thicker cotton flannel, along with the tartan pattern, makes it an ideal weight and pattern to pair with a tweed jacket.

You need to Rock this for #Blackwatchfriday..