How to fold a pocket square | easy and quick ways

How to fold a pocket square

In this guide, I will show you step by step how to properly fold your pocket square for events like wedding. There are several easy and quick instructions here on shifting folding techniques. You will learn to fold the pocket square correctly. It is an important accessory and belongs in the outfit of the wedding guest. The pocket square not only passes on some of your personality, but also emphasizes facial features and enhances the outfit. There are many techniques for folding the pocket square. It´s important that these are mastered and used differently depending on the occasion.

A pocket square made of linen, silk or thin wool is recommended so that the cloth at the wedding is airy, sits lightly in the breast pocket and the cloth unfolds its full effectiveness. This pocket square is perfectly suitable.

Below you see the step-by-step instructions explained with very good photos. With these folding instructions you can easily learn and fold the pocket square by yourself. In addition to the photos, I described the individual steps.

All the best for the next big event. See you soon.

How to fold a pocket square: The fan fold

The fan fold looks very cool and is easy to fold yourself.

A rubber band makes your work in the end easier and creates better stability in your breast pocket. For pocket folding, the pocket square is folded over and over again and then folded in the middle. You see it on the pictures. Since this technique looks very cheerful, it is perfect for casual occasions.

This fan fold technique looks best with a colorful pocket square that has different prints or patterns. Use bright colors for summer and darker colors are perfect for winter.

a man Holds a red pocket square in his hand.

Step 1:

We spread the pocket square on the table in front of us and smooth it. It is important that the better side looks down to the table, because it will point outwards after folding.

Step 2:

Then you start folding the accordion. To do this, fold down your pocket square by one centimeter and put it back on the pocket square. Over and over again.

a man Holds a red pocket square in his hand.
a man Holds a red pocket square in his hand.

Step 3:

You repeat this process until the pocket square is completely folded. Make sure that the distances is always the same.

Step 4:

As soon as the entire pocket square is finished in a long fold, gently press it flat on the table and check again that you have folded everything evenly.

a man Holds a red handkerchief in his hand.
a man Holds a red pocket square in his hand.

Step 5:

Then fold your pocket square like in the picture in the middle by placing the two outer edges on top of each other.

Step 6:

Finally, you make a rubber band in half so that the fold remains in its shape. Link I said in the beginning. To make the folding look even more fluffy, bulge the pocket square up a little further.

a man Holds a red pocket square in his hand.
the fan fold in the breast pocket of a jacket
Ready is the fan fold. All you have to do now is put it into the breast pocket of your jacket with the rubber band facing down. If you have difficulty doing this, or if your pocket square moves out of your breast pocket, use a pocket square holder.

The Puff fold

The pouf fold does not need any special knowing and is made very quickly. It is very elegant and therefore perfect for the wedding. With this folding technique, you should use pocket squares with patterns or other eye-catching prints. Best with bright colors.

With this folding technique, you don’t really fold, but pull the pocket square through your finger and thumb and then put it in the breast pocket of your jacket. You can read the instructions below or watch our video above.

Step 1:

You place the pocket square on the table in front of you. If it is not completely smooth, it is not a problem, because later it will be puffed up again and so its looks perfect.

folding a red pocket square with two hand on the wooden table
folding a red handkerchief with two hand on the wooden table

Step 2:

Than you grab the pocket square with your right hand in the middle of the pocket square and pull it through your left finger and thumb.

Step 3:

Then the pocket square should look like the one in the picture here. In the end, you can make it even more beautiful by removing small edges and corners and puffing up the entire pocket square a little more airily.

folding a red pocket square with two hand on the wooden table
A red pocket square is already folded in a blue sacko.
The puff fold is very quick and easy. The pocket square now only needs to be inserted into your breast pocket of the suit. You are welcome to correct the cloth a bit until you like the shape. Optionally, you can use a pocket square holder should the pocket square fall out of your pocket or should it not fit as perfectly as you would like it to.

How to fold: The three point fold

The three point fold looks at the pocket square with three pointed corners from the breast pocket of your nice jacket. The technique for folding the pocket square is not difficult and you can often get it right away. This technique is ideally suited for weddings or birthdays or.

With the fabric, you should pay attention to somewhat firmer fabrics so that the edges do not collapse while sticking in your suit pocket. It is also a good idea to use a cotton or linen cloth. A silk pocket square would be ideal for folding the pouf but it would be too thin here.

A yellow pocket square is folded to a three point fold.

Step 1 to fold:

To get started, put the pocket square on the wooden table in front of you like a diamond and smooth it carefully with your hands. It is important that the better side of the handkerchief looks down.

Step 2:

Then you take the right corner of the pocket square and fold it once onto the other, opposite corner. Now you have folded a triangle out of your pocket square.

A yellow pocket square is folded to a three point fold.
A yellow handkerchief is folded to a three point fold.

Step 3:

In the next step you take the lower corner and place it slightly next to the upper corner, as in the picture. So you already have two peaks in your pocket square.

Step 4:

To make another corner, you take the lower corner again and place it to the right of the two upper corners. Smooth it down a bit with your hands and it’s almost done. Do not apply too much pressure when smoothing to avoid wrinkles in the pocket square.

A yellow pocket square is folded to a three point fold.
A yellow handkerchief is folded to a three point fold.

Step 5:

At the end you fold the protruding, lower right corner onto the rest of the pocket square so that it fits better in the breast pocket of the jacket. Another advantage of this is that it makes the pocket square more stable.

The three point fold into a suit
If you have folded everything correctly you can carefully insert the pocket square in the breast pocket. The three point fold is finished. If the pocket square does not hold so well, or if you are afraid that the elaborate folding technique will go apart, I recommend this handkerchief holder.

Pocket square: The double puff fold

The double puff fold is very easy and quick. You may already know the simple puff fold. The double puff fold is very similar, only that you need a second pocket square. So there is not just one pocket square in your breast pocket, but two. This is why this folding technique looks all the better if you combine two different colored pocket squares.

The double puff fold is perfect for casual occasions and festive weddings.

A handkerchief is folded according to the instructions for double puff folding.

Step 1 How to fold:

You spread the two pocket squares in front of you on the table. It is perfect for the look if the pocket squares in the colors are complementary to each other. You can read what that means in our article about the color choice.

Step 2:

You take the first pocket square and grasp it in the middle with your right hand. Then carefully pull it through your index finger and thumb of your left hand. Make sure you don’t pull too far. It’s similar to the normal puff fold.

A handkerchief is folded according to the instructions for double puff folding.
A pocket square is folded according to the instructions for double puff folding.

Step 3:

You now repeat step before with the other pocket square. You can also pull it through your index finger and thumb. Be careful because the other handkerchief is already there.

Step 4:

Now you are almost done and it should look like this in the picture to the right. The two pocket squares were folded to double the pouf. Although you can’t really say folds. Was too easy to say it was fold. But you did a good job.

A handkerchief is folded according to the instructions for double puff folding.
A handkerchief is folded according to the instructions for double puff folding.

Step 5:

Then you can use a rubber band for the fixation, so that the two handkerchiefs hold even better and do not separate from each other in the breast pocket. So you can even vary the height of the two pocket squares.

Folded double puff fold with yellow and red.
The very pretty and easy to fold double puff is finished. With the elastic band you can get them perfectly in the breast pocket of the suit.

How to fold the rectangular pocket square

first step to fold a pocket square

Step 1 for the pocket square:

To start with the fold, you put the handkerchief on the table in front of you and smooth it softly. The nicer side looks down to the table.

Step 2:

Than you put the right side of your pocket square on the left side. So you folded the pocket square in the middle of itself. Now looks like here in the right picture.

rectangular pocket square folding
third step to fold a pocket square

Step 3:

Then you fold the left side to the right up to half of your cloth. So you don’t go the whole way back, but half of it.

Step 4:

Now you take the top side of the pocket square and fold it down to the other side. The upper side is therefore exactly on the lower side. Now it should look like the one in the picture.

Folding step for step a cloth on the table
Folding the rectangular folding

Step 5:

So that the pocket square fits well into your breast pocket of the jacket, you have to fold down the lower, open corner again. Not surprisingly, the pocket square was turned before we made this step. Because of that it looks as if it was folded in from above. If you don’t turn it, you would fold from down to up.

thy typical folding in the pocket Brest
You see, rectangular folding is now done. All you have to do now is carefully insert it down into the breast pocket of your nice jacket. You can then vary the width of the rectangle fold. Use a pocket square holder if you need more stability for your pocket square.

The Shell Fold

a colorful pocket square is folded on a wooden table

Step 1:

You put the handkerchief on the table or other flat thing in front of you and smooth it softly with your hands out. To make it easier to fold, you can lay it down like a diamond. The “nicer” side looks down to the table.

Step 2:

Now you take the right corner of the pocket square and place it on the left corner of it. Make sure that your cloth is straight and then smooth it out a little with your hands. But not too much.

a colorful pocket square is folded on a wooden table
a colorful pocket square is folded on a wooden table

Step 3:

Then you take the lower corner and place it on the upper corner. The triangle became a smaller triangle.

Step 4:

If the handkerchief is not in this position like in the photo, I recommend the step-by-step the video from above.

Otherwise, go ahead and fold the top corner down to the middle of the pocket square. Make sure that you don’t smooth the handkerchief too much so that there are no permanent kinks.

a colorful pocket square is folded on a wooden table
a colorful pocket square is folded on a wooden table

Step 5:

In the final step you repeat step number 4, with the other side and fold the left corner of the pocket square also in the middle, to the other corner. Than your did it. The pocket square is ready folded.

The Shell fold in the pocket brest
And ready is the shell folding. Now you place the pocket square in the breast pocket of your suit. The perfect width can then be adjusted. You can also open the middle a little with your little finger so that a better shell look is created. If you want to stay the pocket square really good in your pocket, I recommend a pocket square holder.

The two peak fold

Folding a pocket square with instructions

Step 1:

You put the pocket square on the table like a diamond, smooth it with your hand and then you can start folding the handkerchief straight away. It is best to take a pocket square that has two “good looking” sides.

Step 2:

In the next step, you fold the lower corner of the pocket square about one centimeter next to the upper corner. My tip here: Put the corner to the right so that it looks even better and more dynamic in your breast pocket later.

Folding a pocket square with instructions
Folding a pocket square with instructions

Step 3:

Then you fold the right corner about one third or 5 centimeter over your pocket square to the other left corner. This should look like the picture on the left.

Step 4:

Repeat step 3 with the left side of the pocket square. Put the corner over a third too to the other side. If you did everything good, I should look like this. The both sides down have the same length.

Folding a pocket square with instructions
ready pocket square made of cotton
And ready is the two peak fold. If you have problems with the stability, or should your pocket square slip frequently, I recommend one of the best pocket square holder.

The Triangle fold

A square becomes a triangular fold on a table

Step 1:

For the Triangle folding, place your handkerchief flat on the table in front of you and make sure that the better side of your handkerchief lies down to to the table. Let’s start now.

Step 2:

You take the lower corner of the pocket square and fold it directly on the upper corner. After that, you created a triangle. Smooth it carefully than. Do not apply too much pressure when smoothing, otherwise permanent folds will appear in the pocket square. That would not look so good.

A square becomes a triangular fold on a table
A square becomes a triangular fold on a table

Step 3:

After the second step you fold the left corner a third over the pocket square towards the right corner. Now the pocket square should look like the picture on the left here.

Step 4:

In the last step, you take also the right corner and fold it over the handkerchief as far as you folded the left one. Now the pocket square has a tip in the middle at the top and the two sides are the same length below. Smooth it out a little more and then carefully insert it into the breast pocket of your jacket.

A square becomes a triangular fold on a table
ready triangular fold in the pocket brest
To make it easier to put the triangle fold in the pocket, I still fold it about a centimeter from below to the top. I can also recommend using a pocket square holder. This keeps the pocket square always and on every party in place and slips less.

If you think your friends can use a few tips on how to fold their pocket square, I would be very happy if you would recommend my site to your friends and family. Feel free to send me a message about what else interests you about the pocket square. I will include the topics in upcoming posts.
Wish you all the best on the event.

If you want to know something about the tracksuits from the film “The Gentlemen” you can read my article about this.