How to Rock It (featuring Past the Pocket)

Last month, Past the Pocket was kind enough to send us one of their fabulous pocket squares for a review. This month, we're bringing their square back to the blog as we feature it in two different outfits. Hopefully these styling examples will give you some inspiration for rocking a similar square yourself. If you like what you see, pick up the 'Some Kind of Blue' chambray pocket square from Past the Pocket for the everyday low cost of $10.

In last month's review, I expressed my opinion that "the best thing about a solid chambray pocket square is it's versatility." With that spirit in mind, I wanted to show you just how versatile this square is by working it into both an all-decked-out ensemble and a laid-back-casual 'fit, side by side.

Admittedly, some chambrays are inherently more rough and rugged, but that's what I love about this fabric from Past the Pocket. It's just soft and luxurious enough that it doesn't look out of place when worn next to sleeker, dressier fabrics like the white twill shirt and blue wool suit.

I picked the wool tie to give this a more seasonal feel (photographed on a beautiful fall day) and to accompany the heartier textural element that the square brings to the look. Also, the sky-blue pin stripes really add to the blue theme of the look. The suit is actually my new made-to-measure number from Dragon Inside (further review to come), and the shirt is another new purchase from Modern Tailor (always highly recommended, use this link for $20 off your first purchase). I'd feel comfortable wearing this to a business meeting, a posh dinner date, or even a wedding.

Not headed to a business meeting, posh dinner date, or a wedding? Dressing for casual Friday in the office, or a trip to that new craft beer bar? No problemo. The square is just as easy to dress down. I picked a simpler fold and tucked it into the pocket of my brown blazer from Frank and Oak.

This blazer can be dressed up as well, but the flecked coloring does lend well to a more casual feel. To keep it dressed-down, I skipped the tie and wore this dirt-cheap Target OCBD, which as actually become one of my wardrobe favorites (despite some previously-mention issues with the armholes). The stripes play well with the color of the pocket square, while the fabric choice helps nudge the square towards casual territory. Not shown in the picture, I rocked this with a simple blue-jeans and boat shoes combo, which is my go-to casual gear. Piece of cake.

How would you wear it? Share your thoughts in the comments, or shoot me an e-mail!

Past The Pocket - Reviewed

Before diving into this post, I just want to point you all to EffortlessGent.com. Effortless Gent is a great blog and a fantastic resource, and I'm honored to be doing some work with Barron (founder) and helping out with the blog. To kick things off, EG is featuring a guest post by yours truly on picking the right undershirt. Check it out, and keep following Effortless Gent, Barron's got some great stuff coming up.

OK! On to the review: A few weeks ago, Ebony of up-and-coming accessories label 'Past the Pocket' was kind enough to send a pocket square my way for an in-person look. Not only was I pretty darn pleased with the square, Past the Pocket really piqued my interest as a brand, so I figured I'd feature them in a quick review here on the blog.

The Brand:

Past the Pocket is the baby of founders Ebony Brown and Corder Hudson, and is based out of Orange County, CA. The site sells exclusively pocket squares, and Ebony personally picks out every fabric herself. Rather than having a continuous stock of each square, Past the Pocket offers a quickly rotating selection, with new fabrics released every day and usually only offered for 24 hours. A select collection of more popular/staple squares are available permanently in what they call the 'Timeless Collection.' This rapid-fire rotation, along with the low $10.00 price-point makes Past the Pocket a great resource for adding some variety to your pocket square collection. There's always something new to check out, and you aren't making a big financial gamble if you decide to grab some patterns or colors outside your regular comfort zone.

Another aspect of Past the Pocket that really grabbed my attention is their partnership with charity group, 'Working Wardrobes.' Ebony explained to me that, "Working Wardrobes helps people who are unemployed get back to work by providing them with proper interview attire, and interview coaching along with many other essentials required to get back into the workforce," and a portion of the profits from every square sold is donated to the cause. These days, social responsibility goes hand in hand with brand's success, and it's awesome to see even a smaller, boutique label doing their part!

The Square:

Ebony sent me a pocket square out of their 'Timeless Styles' permanent collection. I let her pick one out for me, and she selected the 'Some Kind of Blue' square in a fantastic blue chambray cloth.

The fabric itself is great, super soft with a rich hue. I honestly wish I could wear it as a shirt. As a pocket square, it hits all the right notes. The best thing about a solid chambray pocket square is it's versatility. The slightly rougher texture makes it easy to dress down and wear with a sport coat and jeans. At the same time, this particular fabric is still a luxurious enough fabric to be paired with a suit.

My only complaint is that the needlework at the edges is a bit rough in some places, but honestly, at $10.00 a square, this complaint is pretty negligible.

I just fold it in a way that the edges aren't showing, and it looks great.

I've been wearing this pocket square almost every day for a week now, whether it's with a blue unstructured summer blazer (still warm here in Chicago), or my more formal brown wool blazer.

Some of my other favorites include the 'Hansel and Gretel' square, with a subtle tan landscape printed on a white background:

or the 'Black and Tan' with it's classic gingham pattern (in black and tan, duh):

 

Keep your eyes open for this square to be featured later this month in a 'how-to-wear-it' post. If you have a product or brand you would like to see featured on the blog, just shoot me an e-mail at WideEyesTightWallets@gmail.com!

This was a sponsored review, and the products reviewed were provided to me free of charge. The article, however, remains objective and unbiased and is published without prior editing or review by Past the Pocket. While I love to be given products to review, don't worry, I will never endorse a product I wouldn't wear myself.