If there is one thing that’s frustrating in this world, it is that women’s pants have little pockets or no pockets. Then, there are fake pockets. What is useful about fake pockets? Women’s pockets are often 48 percent shorter and 6.5 percent narrower than men’s pockets.
Pockets didn’t exist back then because of the fabrics and designs back in the 17th Century. Women used a garment called the reticule, which is a purse where they can store their necessities. Because women had more domestic roles, there wasn’t a need for women to have pockets. It wasn’t until three centuries later that women were able to have pockets for their clothes.
The suffragette suit in 1910 had six pockets. Women were fighting for the right to vote and pants became significant in the Suffragette movement. Later, pockets became larger during World War II because women filled in the roles of men when men were off to battle.
After World War II, there was a desire for femininity to return to women’s fashion, thus bringing clothing styles that hug tightly on the body. Pockets were later erased to push women back to domestic roles.
In addition to this, there is also a marketing tactic for nonexistent pockets. By not having pockets on pants, women would buy purses to store their items.
One brand that revolutionized pants was Boulder Denim. They make jeans for people who like to adventure. The pocket was big enough for women to store their smartphones. The founder originally was going to make men’s jeans, but his colleagues and friends encouraged him to design women’s pants so they can store more items. It is possible that other companies don’t make pockets because they feel it won’t look good with items bulging out. The designer said, “I don’t know exactly why other brands don’t do it, but it was so easy for us to include pockets, it didn’t make sense for us not to.”
Phones have helped evolve the style of pants because as phones get larger, so must pockets. The designer of Toad&Co said, “Pockets have changed because phones have changed. We didn’t have cell phones back in the day, so we didn’t have to put them anywhere. Now I have to think about phones [when designing apparel].”
From buying handbags to making fashion look slimmer, there are many reasons why pockets are nonexistent in women’s pants, but one thing remains that pockets are never out of fashion. Convenience is key and it will surely shine in the next generation of women’s pants.
