Magic in a Square: Vintage Handkerchiefs How & Why to Use Them

Bruce Helander's latest book presents an artist's view on the amazing creative designs found in vintage handkerchiefs and celebrates their inherent and utilitarian beauty. Helander shares his love of useful designs and how and why to utilize a vintage hank in your wardrobe. He also examines the inherent attractiveness of functional repeat patterns and the beneficial accessory requirement for a totally well-dressed man. Among his related projects is his wife's wedding dress, which was hand-sewn out of antique white handkerchiefs. This book includes feature essays by Anthony Haden-Guest, who offers an informative perspective on the historical aspects of handkerchiefs, beginning with the British dandies of the 18th century. Elizabeth Sobieski, who outlines the creative use of a pocket square and the growing popularity of 'hanks' worn by the famed Hollywood stars of both television and movies.

Bruce Helander is an artist who writes on art. Since 2010 he has regularly contributed numerous reviews for The Huffington Post. His essays also have appeared in ARTnews, Forbes, Sculpture, and Palm Beach Illustrated, among others. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Art Economist. For several years his collage illustrations were commissioned by and published in The New Yorker. In 2014, he was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, an honor that he shares with other writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams and artists Robert Rauschenberg and James Rosenquist. As an artist his work is in over fifty museum collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. His most recent books include Chihuly: An Artist Collects (Abrams, Inc. New York) and Hunt Slonem - Bunnies (Glitterati Press). He is an avid collector of objects and memorabilia, as well as vintage materials including hundreds of handkerchiefs. He lives and works in West Palm Beach with his wife, Claudia, who is an accomplished garden designer and committed co-conspiratorial collector of utilitarian objects and works of art. In between writing assignments Helander also is the co-director of Ben Brown Fine Arts in Palm Beach (Worth Avenue), alongside his esteemed colleague Raul Suarez, formerly of Sotheby's. Helander's next book in the works is "Bowling for Dollars," about his collection of vintage shirts.