Knots & folds
How to fold a pocket square
Five folds will finish every jacket you own. Flat for the office, points for a little ceremony, a puff for the evening.
Start the stepsAt a glance
- step by step
- 5 folds
- our silk pocket squares
- 30 × 30cm
- the most formal fold
- Presidential
- the easiest and most forgiving
- Puff
A pocket square needs a breast pocket and a minute. The rule is simple: the more formal the day, the neater the fold — flat for the office, points for a little ceremony, a puff for the evening and the country.
For the flat and pointed folds, lay the square face down on a clean surface; for the puff, face up. Our silk pocket squares are about 30 × 30cm. Those in tie sets are often 24 × 24cm, so you may not need to fold the sides in.
The presidential fold
The flat fold: a straight band of cloth parallel with the pocket. It is the most formal fold, right for the office, interviews, funerals and black tie. White cotton is the safe choice; a plain silk in a colour from your tie is the next step.
Fold the square in half, left side over right.
Fold it in half again, top edge down to the bottom, so the fold is at the top.
Fold the sides behind until it is a little narrower than your pocket.
Slip it in, fold uppermost, so a straight band about 1cm deep shows above the pocket.
Point folds: one, two and three
Points add a little ceremony — right for weddings, and for a plain square with a plain tie; see our wedding pocket squares. Cotton holds a point best; silk will do it, but softly.
One point
The tidiest of the points: one clean triangle, right with a plain tie at a wedding or a smart dinner.
Turn the square to a diamond, one corner pointing towards you.
Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner, making a triangle.
Fold the left and right corners behind until the width fits your pocket.
Slip it in with the point upright, folding up the bottom first if it sits too high.
Two point
A little less formal, and easier to get right — the second point hides small errors.
Turn the square to a diamond, one corner pointing towards you.
Fold the bottom corner up to just right of the top corner, so two points stand side by side.
Fold the left and right corners behind until the width fits your pocket.
Slip it in with both points upright.
Three point
The most decorative of the folds; save it for parties and weddings, where a little show is welcome.
Turn the square to a diamond, one corner pointing towards you.
Fold the bottom corner up to just right of the top corner, making two points.
Fold the left corner up so its point sits just left of the other two.
Fold the right corner behind until the width fits your pocket.
Slip it in with the three points fanned upright.
The puff
The easiest fold and the most forgiving: soft, rounded and casual. It is made for silk, and right for evenings, weekends, the country and the races — a racing green herringbone silk puffs well with tweed.
Lay the square flat, face up, and pinch it at the centre.
Lift it by the centre and let the corners hang down.
Gather it loosely in your other hand, about halfway down.
Fold the hanging corners up behind the rounded top.
Push it into the pocket, rounded side up, and loosen it with a fingertip.
Which fold, when
The office, interviews
- Fold
- Presidential
- Pocket square
- White cotton or plain silk
Funerals
- Fold
- Presidential
- Pocket square
- Plain white
Weddings
- Fold
- Presidential, one point or puff
- Pocket square
- Silk in the wedding party’s colours
Black tie
- Fold
- Presidential or puff
- Pocket square
- White silk or cotton
Evenings and parties
- Fold
- Puff or three point
- Pocket square
- Patterned silk
The country and the races
- Fold
- Puff
- Pocket square
- Paisley or country silk
The occasion sets the fold; your tie sets the colour. The square needn’t match the tie — let it share one colour with it. There is more in how to match a pocket square to a tie.
At a wedding, the groom chooses first. The best man and ushers take his colours and, ideally, his fold, so the line-up matches in the photographs.
Silk or cotton
Cotton holds a crease, so it is the cloth for flat and pointed folds. Silk is soft and a little slippery: it makes the best puff and a softer point. Patterned silk — paisley, polka dot, country designs — wants a puff, which shows off the colours better than a single band.
A plain white silk pocket square earns its place in any drawer — flat for black tie, puffed for a wedding. Our cotton pocket squares come in boxed packs of five, such as the five-colour polka dot set: a week of flat folds in one box.
Questions
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How much of a pocket square should show?
About 1cm for a presidential fold. Points and puffs can show a little more, but never more than a few centimetres.
Should a pocket square match my tie?
It needn’t — let it share one colour with the tie. A matching set looks best folded flat or in a point, so only a little of the pattern shows.
What is the most formal pocket square fold?
The presidential, or flat, fold in plain white — the classic for black tie, the office and funerals.
Can I wear a pocket square without a tie?
Yes. With an open collar, a puffed silk square does much of the work a tie would.
What size is a pocket square?
Our silk pocket squares are about 30 × 30cm. Those in tie sets are often 24 × 24cm.