There is an increasing number of websites selling good men’s accessories today. But while they are nearly all better than the bog-standard fare we had to put up with on the high street for years, the quality does vary. A new French site (why are they all French – Dandy Store, Chaussettes Rouges etc?) is a case in point.

Pochette Square, launched just two months ago, offers a good range of handkerchiefs at decent prices (€25-€45). While the ‘trendy’ half of the collection is unlikely to appeal to anyone reading this blog, the ‘chic’ side has a good range of basics in silk and linen mixes with some original patterns thrown in.

Having seen a few of them, I can speak to the quality of the materials. The linen and linen/cotton mix both have a good handle. The silk, though, is perhaps not the best: the printing loses something in the detail.

There is similar variety in the construction. The ‘Thin White Line’ model that I saw had hand-rolled edges – the minimum you would demand in a high-quality handkerchief – while ‘Purple Rain’ did not. It was a good machine imitation of hand rolling, with the same swelled-edge effect, but it was not made entirely by hand. I am told that this is reflected in the price – the former is €45 and the latter €30.

It is also fair to say that the size is not ideal. They measure 13 inches to a side, where the best hanks would be 16 or 17 inches. Helps them stand up in the pocket.

So a welcome and original entrant to the market (did you see the rabbit tail one? Apparently it’s the best seller) but with variable quality.