How to choose the perfect handkerchief

Since I can’t offer you the opportunity to walk into a beautiful store and touch all my lovely handkerchiefs so that you can unfold them, caress them and compare them, I thought that a detailed explanation of what you should take into consideration when choosing handkerchiefs could be useful. Here are the main elements you should pay attention to!

Fabric

Here at TSHU, the majority of our hankies are made with cotton. But what you need to know is that we have several types of cotton, which have a different feel and thicknesses!

Cotton sateen

Cotton sateen is used on several styles, because it is a soft, silky and slightly shiny material. Rather thin, cotton sateen can be used in the making of single or double ply handkerchiefs.

Cotton Lawn

Cotton Lawn is incredibly lightweight—almost translucent even. It is finely woven and offers great softness. It can be doubled up to offer more absorbency.

Cotton poplin

Quality cotton poplin is a fabric that ages very well, as it is tightly woven in a basic plain weave. It is a lightweight and supple material, which becomes even softer with time.

Cotton flannel

Cotton flannel offers comforting softness like no other material. Similar to the plaid pajamas we wear during the holidays, this fabric is ultra absorbent and thicker than the previous ones.

In addition to our cotton handkerchiefs, we also offer a few styles made with linen. Slightly rougher at first touch, linen is nevertheless an interesting material because it is naturally antibacterial. With time (and washes), it becomes more and more supple, soft and absorbent.

Finally, we also have a silk and cotton handkerchief that is chic, elegant and, of course, silky. 

Sizing

Due to the growing demand for more hanky sizes, we now make our most popular styles in 4 sizes:

Small handkerchiefs: 20 × 20 cm

Standard hankies: 28 × 28 cm

Large handkerchiefs: 34 × 34 cm

Extra large hankies: 40 × 40 cm

The standard handkerchief is the one that is closest to paper tissues in size. The extra large is most similar to traditional men’s handkerchiefs, while the small hanky is closest to classic women’s handkerchiefs. And the large size? Well, it’s my personal favourite :). 

Thickness, absorbency and how fast it dries (or not)

Depending on your lifestyle and how you use your handkerchief, you will want more or less thickness (and absorbency).

Basically, you will find 3 categories of hankies on the online shop:

Thin, low-absorbency tissues

In this category, you will find most single-ply handkerchiefs that are made with poplin, cotton lawn or cotton sateen. These dry very quickly! And the thinner the fabric, the faster the hankies dry.

The “medium” hankies, which are moderately absorbent (it’s obvious, I’m sorry) or very absorbent (ta-daaaa, surprise!)

In this category, I include our lined cotton lawn handkerchiefs (thinner, with medium absorbency) as well as our cotton flannel tissues (thicker, incredibly absorbent). The single-ply handkerchiefs usually dry faster than our thick, two-ply hankies—but in this case, given the lightness of the cotton lawn, I’d say it’s pretty much even-steven.

The thicker, more absorbent tissues

Here you can find all our other lined handkerchiefs, made with poplin or cotton sateen. These are only slightly thicker than our flannel handkerchiefs and offer excellent absorbency, but don’t dry so quickly.

Look

On the shop, I offer a variety of timeless designs that have become our most popular handkerchiefs. These include many plain handkerchiefs and a few timeless polka dot designs.

Then, twice a year, I have fun: I create a line of funky, fancy handkerchiefs with unusual materials, fashionable colours, and patterns that leave no one indifferent. 

And because I love to hear your thoughts, I even invite you to tell me what you like and to participate in the creation process. Cool huh?

Need help choosing?

Even though you know everything now, I’m not leaving you to fend for yourself! If you need help finding your dream handkerchief, I’ve also prepared a little quiz that, by answering a few quick questions, will allow me to recommend handkerchiefs that are perfectly adapted to your needs.