Nelson, Wellington and Tweed from Rampley & Co

Bob's Your Uncle

Take a look at this rather pleasant British-made pocket square in Harris tweed from new friends and pocket square specialists Rampley & Co of London. (Ignore Wellington above us for now.)

Don't be scared about having tweed in your pocket. Rampley & Co have given due consideration to the 'fit'. Unlike their hand-rolled silk pocket squares, the tweed pocket squares use overlock stitches because of the thickness of the fabric, which also means a reduced size so they don't bulge out too much.

I am loath to use the word 'transitional' — it's a word a pompous hack fashion writer  might use whilst pontificating drily on the shirring (pleats) and mappina (folded) sleeves of his Neapolitan jacket, whilst inferring that everyone else is clueless in this regard — but if you are thinking of putting your heaviest tweeds away as the worst of winter retreats, accessories are a way of bringing tweed into the warmer months.

Picture this square with a navy bird's eye jacket or with something like the jacket below — a green worsted twill? — and Bob's your uncle. (Bob's your uncle is a British expression for Et Voila!)

Rampley & Co was founded by Elliot Rampley and Simon Cranston. They started pitching their wares in 2013, I think. Well, their Facebook account starts on the 22nd of April, 2013. Pity — if they had left it a day later they could have started on Saint George's Day and Shakespeare's birthday. Maybe they did launch on the 23rd? I digress...

Rampley & Co are attempting to do for pocket squares what Hermès has done for silk scarves and ties, with clever limited-edition collections (printed in Macclesfield) such as a current set based on paintings from Audobon's famous Birds of America; and also paintings depicting historical events like Turner's The Battle of Trafalgar, as Seen from the Mizen Starboard Shrouds of the Victory (below) and the Sir Thomas Lawrence's Wellington portrait (top), which are both now sold out. (Incidentally, ladies, have you seen the giant body-sized silk scarves by Hermès? Stunning for packing on a summer holiday , no?)

Do take look at Rampley & Co's instructions for all the folds you can adopt for your pocket square. The Puff Fold has always been a favourite with my clumsy fingers. They recommend flat and two-point folds (as above) for the Harris tweed squares.