“Pocket squares should never match your tie, only complement it”
I get “matching” means same or similar color and style, but what does “complementing” means? How do socks complement your pants?
In: Other
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complementary_colors
Now that the obvious word association is out of the way, in fashion the term is used in a broader sense of colors, textures, and elements.
One might be striped while another is plain. One is blue while the other is gray. One is shiny while the other is matte.
So the phrase means the two items shouldn’t be made of the exact same fabric(cut from the same cloth), but they should be coordinated.
Example: Neil deGrasse Tyson is wearing a black-blue tie with bright cartoony planets on it. His pocket square can be a simple dark gray-blue fabric with a hint of texture and sheen, but that decision also has to coordinate with his shirt, vest, and jacket, which are a more subdued gray tweed and white cotton.
The nicer shiny fabric makes the pocket square stand out from his jacket and vest, while bringing in some blue from the tie and not trying to compete with the tie. I’m describing one of his suits from a Colbert LSSC appearance BTW.
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