A pocket square is not an accessory to the tie. It is a second decision, one that has to agree with the tie. Agreeing is a different thing from matching, and the difference is most of what separates a considered outfit from a kit bought off a card.
Relation, Not Repetition
The common mistake is the matched set: a tie and pocket square cut from the same cloth, in the same pattern, sold together so the buyer need not think. The eye reads it at once, and reads it as a set of parts rather than a man who dressed himself. Aklasu's Pillars of Style puts it in terms of pattern. A subtle pattern repeated in the tie and the square is under-stimulating; two loud patterns together are overdone. What works is balance: an element of interest, presented in an orderly way. The square should echo the tie, contrast with it in texture, or stand apart from it in plain white. It should not copy it.
Start with White
The white square settles most of this before it arises, which is why it is the one to own first. There are two foundations. White linen is matte and lightly textured, better in daylight and with softer tailoring; its hand-rolled edge holds a puff well. White silk is smoother and dressier, the square for black tie and for the evening. Neither competes with the tie. Both frame the face and leave the tie to carry the colour.
Navy, Burgundy, White
The pairing that proves the principle is among the oldest a man can wear: a navy suit, a burgundy tie, and a white pocket square. The burgundy carries the colour. The white square frames it and keeps the outfit from over-coordinating. The navy grounds them both. Nothing in the combination matches anything else, and that is exactly why it reads correct, in a boardroom or at a wedding, in any season. Built as a set, it is the Burgundy Set.
The Set
This is the thinking behind our tie and pocket square sets: each is a tie and a square chosen to relate rather than match, so the pairing is settled once. The Navy Set pairs a navy grenadine with a white linen square edged in navy, the foundation for business and formal wear alike. The Black Set is the formal answer, a black grenadine with a white silk square for black tie and weddings. In each, the square echoes the tie at the edge and stays white across the face, which is the relation done correctly. The full range sits in the Tie & Pocket Square Sets collection.
A tie and a square are two decisions, not one. Made to agree, they read as a single idea. That is the whole of it.
