When selecting and deciding how to wear your pocket square, there can be a variety of considerations to take into account.
For the most part in recent times, pocket squares are made in a traditional silk twill, which offer bold clear colors and patterns, as well as an elegant and sophisticated luxury to an outfit. However, there are other options for fabrics that can help create other types of looks.
Gravity: Silk/wool blends are a fantastic, elegant and lightweight fabric with that soft coziness that cooler months seem to invite. The lightness of the fabric allows the pocket square to almost defy gravity, and allows the edges and corners to stay elevated and not weigh themselves down. Silk twill tends to be more dense, and because of its smooth (silky!) texture, folds and falls into the pocket more easily. The hand-rolled hems give it some structure and can help it stay elevated, but a wool blend pocket square naturally has this effect, given the structure of the fabric itself.
Texture: Because of the texture, silk/wool pocket squares tend to have a more casual effect than their pure silk counterparts. The luxurious shine of silk twill is often highly desirable in achieving a sophisticated and elegant look. However, sometimes we want to pare our looks back, and go for something that is still elegant and classic, but with a more casual edge. Silk/wool blends are softer, warmer, and have a muted lustre that doesn't draw attention to itself. Pairing the less shiny silk/wool with rougher jacket fabrics like tweed or mohair creates nice balance and not too great of a contrast.
Pattern + Color: the effects of the lighter fabric is that colors typically are slightly less saturated than on a denser fabric like a silk twill and small details can be lost. Because of the larger spacing between fibers in silk/wool, the colors and patterns appear more muted. This makes silk/wool blends great for featuring bolder patterns and colors, and because of the soft, muted texture, mentioned above, the bold patterns are brought into balance.
Ready to add silk/wool blends to your pocket square repertoire? At Antoniella Apparel, we have a brand new design that was created specifically for silk/wool. Available in two colorways, Amaranto and Oliva, our Di Venezia design will give you the casual winter elegance you didn't know you needed.