“I love your dress!”
“Thanks, it has pockets!”
If you are a dress-loving-lady, I would bet money that you have been, at least once in your life, on the giving or receiving end of this exchange...or maybe both.
Like closing your eyes to sneeze, loving pockets seems to be embedded in our human script. So why do we get so excited about pockets? Is it that they represent the crossroads between style and practicality, the surprise and delight that comes with discovering them, that they are a guaranteed icebreaker?
It might also be that they are a pretty recent and clearly in demand addition to women’s clothing, that has frustratingly, and kind of unsurprisingly, a sexist and political past.
We could talk about this all day, but here’s a very brief history*:
- In the 17th century both men and women would carry an external pocket that would be tied at the waist. This original fanny-pack could be worn on the inside or outside of your large skirt.
- In the 19th century things started to change. Men’s clothing included sewn in pockets whereas women’s didn’t. Plus, a slimmer style of skirt, not so conducive to concealing your external pocket was more-so in fashion. Of course, to carry money was also a key reason for having pockets - and it was the men who handled the cash.
- It’s really only in the past 50 years that pockets have made their way into women’s clothing. And we can thank early adopters of the ‘60s and ‘70s for making them popular (although sadly these women were at times turned away from establishments like restaurants for such scandalous style).
So really, to wear pockets is a bit of a fashion rebellion - yep this must be why we love them so much. In celebration of pockets, here are some of our newest dresses and skirts that will hold all your essentials and then some.