Ever wonder how the pocket protector got its start? Me neither, but any nerd worth his short-sleeved white dress shirt could tell you that it was a promotional product designed to sell slip-on vinyl covers for loose-leaf binders. The good news is that they’re not back. Instead, a pocket protector with a far nobler history (think Louis XVI and Cary Grant) seems to be enjoying a mini-revival: the debonair pocket square. Those in the know advise a “casual, not too studied look” — more pouf-y than flat top. But the suave square’s probably not for everyone—particularly the guy who likes to use that pocket to carry spare change. [photos courtesy Men.Style.com, the Sartorialist and Diary at the Centre of the Earth]
