In Pursuit of Pockets: A Contentious History

Mar 15

By Fashion Columnist, Meghna Iyer

Throughout the pandemic, I noticed there was something consistently missing from all of my outfits. There were many days I would leave home in a rush to complete an errand or two searching for an easily accessible place to shove my hand sanitizer or keys. My purses could be likened to beautiful designer trash bins of odds and made it impossible to find things quickly. The panic that ensues as I rummage through my purse in hopes of locating my Charlie Card as the Green Line T approaches is completely avoidable, but happens every time I need to go somewhere. After witnessing the fashionable but impractical trend of mini bags, I realized what had vanished. Where were all the pockets?

You never really miss something until it's gone. I searched through my wardrobe in a hunt for pockets of any kind and I came up short. I found a total of 3 dresses, 2 skirts, a sole sports bra, and a smattering of coats that contained a somewhat functional pocket. Pockets on pants were lackluster at best. Workout leggings only have those useless tiny pouches. The sports bra pocket, although disappointing, gets points for creativity. Front pockets were entirely stitched in or too small to be used, while back pockets were non-existent on trousers, too tight to store items in jeans, and wholly dangerous– I’m in constant fear of my phone escaping my back pocket. With every pocket I was disappointed with, I grew more curious to uncover why we were without them.

Pockets used to be small bags that women would tie around their waist and leave underneath their long skirts and petticoats. Their clothes would have a small cut within the fabric to reach this bag, but it was still largely inconvenient. When more fitted clothing became a trend in the late 1700s, these pockets started to disappear, replaced by tiny purses similar to evening bags with very little storage space. These purses were a product of the times; as women were not in the workforce, they didn’t have a lot of items that needed to be accessed on the go. When women finally did enter the workforce around World War II, they started to wear men’s slacks with modernized pockets. Sadly, however, with every step forward, pockets faced two steps backwards. In 1954, Christian Dior canceled the pocket with his famous words “men have pockets to keep things in, women for decoration.” Being the renowned designer and tastemaker that he was, his words impacted the fashion industry for several decades.

After Dior’s public dismissal, it took until the 1970s for the pocket question to be revisited. Since then, pockets have been stuck in limbo between being functional and decorative. Most designers believe that pockets will ruin a woman’s silhouette and prefer them stitched closed if they are included at all. This pattern reinforces and reflects the “thin ideal” that is perpetuated by the fashion industry.

Fortunately, the pocket has made a comeback in recent years. Despite being abandoned by most designers, pockets are now being embraced in the world of high fashion. Many brands have realized that their consumers will pay more for the quality of a well-made item over trends, and pockets enhance this quality by increasing its functionality and use per wear. Pockets were highlighted by Fendi and Proenza Schouler in New York Fashion Week Spring 2019. Fendi dressed it-girl Bella Hadid in a number of pockets, beginning the push for change.

Featuring Bella Hadid | Photo Credits of Harpaaz’s Bazaar

On the other hand, fast fashion is made to follow trends and favor the cheapest garment style possible, meaning that pockets are often sacrificed for a lower price tag. I began to think about pockets in the context of the pandemic after learning how politically charged the history of this seemingly trivial aspect of a garment has been. Pocketless clothing may be well suited for someone with the privilege of working from home today, but they do not serve the majority of the female population, particularly essential workers. Essential workers are what cause our altered world to continue rotating today, and they do not have time to be digging through bags or holding up trains as they locate items. The omission of pockets ignores the multifaceted roles that women hold today and fails to fill the need for functionality in women’s clothing. Our world is changing and our clothes should reflect that. The world needs better standards for our fashion industry, starting with the return of our pockets.