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  • 06 Feb

    Handkerchiefs and Pocket Squares
    by Bryn Keith
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    Handkerchiefs and Pocket Squares

    Handkerchiefs have been around for over 600 years.  Their origin had nothing to do with fashion but merely a means for a gentleman to clean himself (hands and nose).  During the mid to late 1920s, the advent of disposable Kleenex replaced pocket squares (then linen) for utilitarian use.  It was at that point that handkerchiefs became popular in the breast pocket, different folding techniques became prevalent, and silk varieties were added- pocket squares were born.

    Here are a few notes regarding handkerchiefs and pocket square:

    1. Bandanas technically are handkerchiefs yet, they belong with your overalls and jeans, nowhere near dress clothes;
    2. Outside of a wedding suit rental, pocket squares should NEVER be an exact match to your tie… really, NEVER;
    3. When wearing a white pocket square in your blazer breast pocket, if it’s not a clean bright white, it’s better kept in your pants back pocket;
    4. When pairing your square with a tie, choose complementary colors in the pocket square that highlight the tie;
    5. Choose a pocket square with colors that coordinate with the shirt and compliment the jacket, when wearing a pocket square without a tie;
    6. Keep a white handkerchief inside every suit or blazer pocket.  You never know when it may come in handy, whether for you or a damsel in distress.

    If you’re wearing a matching pocket square and tie, STOP!  If you’ve seen your handkerchief on the Beverly Hillbillies it’s a bandana, STOP!  If your pocket square is being used for anything other than an accessory, it’s better suited for inside your blazer or your back pockets.  If you’re having a difficult time pairing pocket squares with your wardrobe or know the best way to fold it, we’re here to help!

  • 19 Jan

    Hang in There
    by Bryn Keith
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    At Bryn Keith, we spend significant time talking to our clients not only about the clothes we craft for them, we also share the right ways to best take care of the garments, not just the ones we hand-craft.  While we talk about the frequency of cleaning for shirts or infrequency for cleaning suits, little time is spent talking about the time between cleaning and wearing… closet time.

    Hangers are as important to your clothes as your cleaning approach.  Choosing the wrong hanger for the job is the equivalent of choosing a ’70 Volkswagen Beetle to drag race a ’97 Mercedes SL500.  Sure they both are cars, 4-wheels, rear-wheel drive, etc. yet there is no real comparison.

    Wire Hangers

    Great for making a make-shift basketball hoop, when your mom confiscates your Nerf hoop— because the lights are flickering from the dunk-contest you and your friends have entered- ala  Jordan, Dominique, and Vince Carter in their primes.  (Note: She took the ball too, though never considered the multi-purpose use of gym socks.  We’ll talk about socks in a later post.)  After a few days, wire hangers leave “poke” marks on anything with a sleeve, shape collars perfectly for anyone with a flat neck, and are likely to lose shape if you hang anything an ounce heavier than it is designed.

    Plastic Hangers

    Plastic hangers hold heavier garb than their wire counterparts and the rounded ends minimize the shoulder poke that wire hangers produce.  Plastic hangers tend to be a little bit bulkier than wire ones and this bulk aids in bearing the weight of heavier clothes.  Depending on the weight and size of clothes vs. these hangers, overtime the clothes may win resulting in a deformed hanger which is as useful as a garden shovel in an avalanche.  Overall, plastic hangers are a good option as they come in various sizes, styles and colors.  They are better for clothes, in comparison to wire hangers, and costs are reasonable.

    Wooden Hangers

    The holy grail of hangers is designed for everything in your closet.  Shirts, suits, coats, dresses even hefty overcoats have a firm place on wooden hangers.  No more shoulder pokes, gone are the days of the square necks; we’ve seen wooden hangers that accommodate size 60 suits. For all that is noteworthy wooden hangers do have some hang-ups (sorry, couldn’t help it).  First, while most large retailers sell these hangers in volume for a good price, they are more expensive than plastic ones and the wire hangers that dry cleaners dispense. Second, wooden hangers tend to take up a bit more real estate in closets both because of their heft and in some cases contoured shape.  Last, for the environmentally conscious, if the day ever comes that a wooden hanger breaks, these hangers are not recyclable and either makes their way into a fire place, sans hook, or the trash.

    In the end, the right hanger for you depends on many factors- clothing style/ size/ weight, space restrictions (or lack of), personal taste, obligation to Mother Nature, favorite color, etc.  Whatever the case, clothes are an investment; the better you treat them, the better they show the world how to treat you.  My home is full of plastic and wooden varieties… and a Nerf hoop- whenever the opportunity arises that my 3 year old questions Daddy’s ability to sky walk!