The Victorian era (and before) was chock full of ladies’ pockets. It’s just that they weren’t sewn into the garment – you’d have a slit in your skirt, and use a waist pocket like this that was separate and worn beneath your outer clothes as an undergarment. You’d line up the slit in your pocket with the slit in your outer garment.
A bonus was you could misalign the slits to easily thwart pickpocketers whilst travelling.
Women losing pockets to fashion is a fairly recent thing, actually – since the early 1900s when slim, body-conforming things like pencil dresses and trousers entered the scene, and natural, non-bustled hips being on display became cool. The secret pocket turned into a handbag, because women were still expected to carry all and sundry in order to keep their face and hair fresh all day; men weren’t required to carry more than a few paper goods, whereas if a woman couldn’t reapply her face and lips all day, a scandal might ensue. Lipstick, powder, and other accoutrements take up more space than a pencil dress allows without ruining the silhouette, so handbags were just assumed. And if you assume handbags, what use are pockets that might ruin the figure?
Nowadays, couture fashion assumes handbags for the same reason architecture assumes lifts. Why ruin your design with 12 staircases?
I want pockets, too, but anyhow, thanks for coming to my TED talk.
Womens clothes with pockets are still available, but usually harder to get and less stylish, and thus women often end up picking other preferences over large pockets.
They might want pockets, but they end up preferring easy availability, style and low price over pockets.
The same thing can be seen in other product categories too. People (used to) often say they want a small phone, keyboard phone or phone with really long battery life, but in the end nobody would pay more or sacrifice other qualities over one of these types of phones and thus they went out of fashion.
To be fair, it’s really hard to design fashion that’s stylish AND has pockets.
It’s hard enough to design something that looks good on a variably sized and kinetic shape. Now make it look good and have storage.
So… you dress “like a man”?
Don’t get me wrong, I like it. But, there should be a middle ground where someone can not completely abandon the modern standards of feminine clothing, while also having decently sized pockets. The problem seems to be that every time women are asked to choose between style and pockets they choose style. Every time it’s between cost and pockets, they choose cost. If it’s between availability and pockets, they choose the thing that’s more easily available.
BTW, have you heard of Articles of Interest? It’s a podcast from a former 99 percent invisible producer(?) who went on to make a podcast about clothing. The first episode is all about how military clothing came to influence almost all modern non-military clothing.
It very much depends on what’s meant by “stylish”.
If the style means “no pockets”, yes, that’s very much contradictory.
But the point remains: If you want pockets but you want to have a pocketless style more, then you won’t have pockets.
Nowadays, couture fashion assumes handbags for the same reason architecture assumes lifts. Why ruin your design with 12 staircases?
Wait, are there places in the world with high buildings without staircases?! What if power goes out?
Bc capitalism, ofc.
I’ve seen some men’s clothing without pockets as well.
They wouldn’t exist if people refused to buy them. Vote with your wallet.
Yes. They’re out of business now.
People like to bitch, they don’t actually want the thing they’re bitching about.
Yes. They’re out of business now.
Who is this “They”?
People like to bitch, they don’t actually want the thing they’re bitching about.
I know someone who made themselves a pouch in order to remedy this, so it honestly sounds like you’re pulling this out of your ass
In the town I grew up was a tailor who only sold jeans and would fit them to you right there. Every single women I knew went their for pants because you could get pockets put in and a proper fit. I still have three pairs.
RIP
Or, hot take, a company that sells clothes with pockets makes less money than a company that sells clothes without pockets and then offers ladies $50-150 purses to compensate. If you think the fashion industry hasn’t noticed that, you’re crazy.
It’s like how the American auto industry noticed they could make more money selling big vehicles and so all of them just stopped making smaller cars. Plenty of Americans say they want smaller cars, but the American auto makers don’t care.
Fishing vests are unisex.
Now that I think about it neither my wife nor I own one - a christmas opportunity lost
Tactikool pants also have big pockets, even the women’s version.*
Find them wherever cops get there uniforms at. (Galls comes to mind.)
*Not necessarily fashionable.
I told my partner at the time about this and he didn’t believe me.
We got up early on our day off for a mission to the mall to find two things: Knee length women’s shorts with pockets, and women’s pants with pockets that fit my phone. After five hours we found neither.
I bought slim fit men’s pants, like I always do, and took in the waist. Oh, and hospital scrubs.
Ladies, I’ve turned my mother and several friends onto doctor pants — they’re plain in every colour, full of pockets, stain resistant, dry quickly, have drawstring/elastic waists, and people ask you for medical advice at the pharmacy.
Women’s sizes are nuts. That was the other thing we discovered — my ex was just straight up medium shirts, same pants size in every store. I had no idea men had somewhat standardized sizes. Women’s sizes are basically astrology.
Plus, I have hella hips and a narrow waist, so depending on where the pants sit I either have a delicious muffin top or I’m swimming in them. Thus: Hospital pants.
Yeah, I really don’t get the sizing thing. I’ve heard it’s because if the manufacturer makes a bigger size but labels it a smaller size, some women will enthusiastically buy it because they’re happy to be wearing a smaller (labelled) size. But, that sounds like BS to me.
I think maybe a difference is that men tend to rarely wear tight clothing, so even if the arms are a bit too long, or the chest is a bit too tight a medium still works. But, for women, because it’s designed to have a body-hugging style, if it’s too tight anywhere it’s too small. Like, I can’t imagine any men’s shirt that would result in a muffin top. For a guy, that might mean you’re off by two sizes, not just one.
Good news; I found an outfit with pockets.
Bad news; it’s a romper.
I know it’s counter intuitive but women are allowed to shop in the men’s section if what they want is boring functionality.
Same applies to men. My favorite jacket was found in the women’s section.
Though I understand that if you want pockets on a dress, like a cargo dress, that will have to be a DIY item.
I have a fancy purple dress I bought to wear to a function. Got so many compliments the night I wore it. Everytime, I’d respond by putting my hand in the large pockets, “thanks, it has pockets” with a big ole smile
They’re out there, rare, but out there