Kilby, a locally based custom suiting atelier, has a new line of limited-edition silk pocket squares that are ideal for grooms and groomsmen. Handmade in a small studio in Italy, the pocket squares are 100% silk with hand-rolled edges. Designed in-house by Kilby’s team, with creative direction led by consultant and clothier Sonny Mitchell, these small, personal heirlooms add a touch of refinement to formalwear — all with a quiet nod to New Orleans history.
The debut collection, dubbed Carte Postale, features five vintage-inspired prints sourced from hand-colored lithograph postcards of New Orleans, circa early 20th century. The five designs — only 15 pocket squares are available in each design, $95 each — include Morning on Decatur (a mid-1940s view of the original Café du Monde in the French Market), Torchlit Passage (an 1860s-era depiction of a steamboat navigating the bayou by firelight), Summer on Pontchartrain Beach (a 1940s postcard from the heyday of the city’s bygone lakeside amusement park), Rex on Canal (a 1907 Rex parade scene along Canal Street) and Above the Bend (a bird’s-eye map of New Orleans circa 1915, highlighting the Mississippi River’s iconic crescent around the city).
“Each square stands on its own as a small work of art, ideal for adding subtle color, personality or a sense of place to formalwear,” says Kristen Engelsen Collier, co-founder of Kilby. Available beginning May 1, exclusively at Kilby’s New Orleans showroom, 3955 Magazine St., kilbysuits.com.
