The fashion industry “assumes women are going to carry handbags and doesn't want to (put in) the extra work and cost,” Carlson said. Pockets continue to be seen as an interruption, too, as designers have emphasized clothing that elevates the contours of women's bodies at the expense of carrying space.
Why did they stop putting pockets in women's clothing?
“People blamed fashion and women's vanity for a lack of pockets,” Ms. Carlson wrote, because pockets could mess with the line of a dress or garment, especially if they were filled with stuff. “Activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton had to plead with her dressmaker to include a pocket in her gown.
The fabric used for women's clothes is generally thinner and thus more brittle. As pockets need to be reinforced, it just isn't practical to have one small section of tough fabric in an otherwise ethereal-looking piece.
The main reason is aesthetics. For the last several decades women's fashion has focused on showing off a woman's form. Therefore pockets tend to be shallow or decorative. Her hips, bun and legs are supposed to be the focus. Thus her clothes are made to highlight these areas. Large pockets would conceal them.
It's not about convenience. It's about style, and culture. Women's clothes are generally constructed in a way as to give smooth lines. Often, they follow the curves of a woman's body fairly closely. A pocket (or rather, things in a pocket) would interrupt those lines, and be fairly unattractive.
The reason why pockets on jackets are sometimes sewn shut is because as tailors, we need the jacket to keep its shape and hold itself together when we're giving it a final press, when we're checking it over to make sure that the fit, shape, etc. is correct.
Simply put, it's designed to provide protection and breathability, making your underwear more comfortable and hygienic. The little pocket in panties is sewn around three edges, with an open seam at one end.
Why are women's pockets so much smaller than men's?
Slimming silhouettes provided a difficult backdrop for large pockets, causing them to shrink and become more decorative pieces rather than utilitarian. Men's clothing still used pockets as a staple, but women began their full transition to the handbag which continued on until the 1920's.
The style resurfaced in the late 2010s and early 2020s alongside other baggy attire; possibly due to the shift to more comfortable clothing during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and retro revival fashion trends that started in the late 2010s like the Y2K which took inspiration from late 90s and early 00s fashion.
You know, the tiny one inside the actual jeans pocket, on the right side. Well, you probably won't be the only one. Nowadays, it has no actual use, but back then, in 1873, to be precise, the jeans inventor Levi Strauss solved a particular problem with this tiny pocket: to safely keep the pocket watch.
“One excuse for the lack of pockets has always been 'but women have handbags,'” says Hannah Carlson, author of Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close (2023) and senior lecturer in apparel design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
The reason for the crotch pocket is simple: A small piece of extra fabric—called a gusset—sits in the crotch of your undies to provide reinforcement, breathability, and moisture-wicking.
Why are men's pockets bigger than women's? Of course, everything changed when WWII ended, and men returned to their jobs. An ultra-feminization of women's fashion, led by Christian Dior's 1947 New Look, shrunk or removed functional pockets in women's clothing.
As the fit of men's dress shirts move to a more tailored look, the loss of the pocket aids in a cleaner, slimmer appearance. And perhaps in this age of the smartphone, fewer men are carrying pens in that chest pocket.
After decades of perfecting Hot Pockets, we've achieved a breakthrough that allowed us to remove the sleeve, while delivering an even better tasting product. By eliminating the sleeve, we're reducing 3,300 tons of waste and improving our product by giving you more of what you love, like 30% more pepperoni.
She explained that wearing baggy jeans to bars and clubs serves as a subtle rebellion against societal expectations of “dressing up” in the same way previous generations did, such as the millennial trend of opting for business casual for nights out.
Wide, baggy, loose jeans have been absolutely everywhere for well over a year now, and they're going nowhere in the coming months. The look is evolving a bit for fall 2025, though; mid- and low-rise cuts are overtaking their high-rise cousins, lending the season a relaxed, lived-in air.
Starting in the late 2010s, straight legged jeans would increase in popularity and lead to a steady decline in skinny jeans popularity. Stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a trend toward more comfortable, loose-fitting clothing and athleisure apparel.
A distinction was created between the functions of each gender's version of a “pocket.” Men's pockets were a seamless part of their fashion. They were made to be functional and convenient. On the other hand, the pouches women carried were essentially ornaments.
A men's medium clothing size often translates to a women's large. This conversion is based on general sizing trends where men's sizes tend to be about one size smaller in label than women's sizes. For example, if you wear a men's medium shirt, the equivalent is usually a women's large.
As Business Insider explains, suit jacket manufacturers sometimes sew the pockets shut to keep them looking fresh and tailored. When customers try on a jacket and put their hands inside the pockets, it can stretch out the fabric and make it look rumpled. And no one wants to buy a frumpy-looking suit.
It dates back to the time when they were called drawers, because they were two separate legs held together with string around the waist and you pulled the string and legs together, (hence drawers) and they were tied in a bow, so it's a nod back to those times, a symbolic gesture, and on the subject of knickers, the ...
When you start your cycle, you'll use period underwear to catch the blood. You'll put them on just like a regular pair of underwear. They're usually made with a moisture barrier designed to keep you feeling dry. Plus they have another layer to prevent leaks.
A gusset is that strip of fabric that lines the crotch on a pair of panties. Typically, gussets are made from breathable, absorbent materials like cotton, which help to manage moisture and promote hygiene. They're not only important to prevent chafing and irritation but also as a backbone of the panty's structure.
