This is, in part, why I got back into sewing. I’ve yet to encounter a garment pattern with miserly pockets, and if I ever do, I’d just modify the pattern piece before cutting the fabric.
Bonus: pants/shorts/skirts now fit both my waist and hips at the same time, I can choose the fabric (no more poly blends!) and also the colour and silhouette (so it matches my tastes, body type, and existing wardrobe, rather than just being “on trend”).
One of the main things my wife looks for in pants and clothing is real fucking pockets. Like that even pisses me off when they have that fake pocket stitched into clothing. Like what the actual fuck?
If that were true, why aren’t men also victims?
Purses are seen too much as gay, its too uphill of a battle. Although the fashion industry has made progress on this front in the form of across the chest bags.
Remember when purses for men were called ‘briefcases’?
Men’s pockets are for putting expensive wallets and keychains in
So? If Big Pant and Big Purse are really in cahoots, Big Pant would make men’s pockets useless as well so that men’s purses would be for putting expensive wallets and keychains in. Why would you leave half the population out of your scam, and the better paid half of the population at that?
Hmm, making a good point there 🤔 big purse need to break gender norms or expand into big shoulder/waist pouch so big trousers can make pocket size equitable
I haven’t gone clothes shopping in about 15 years, and my pants pockets are fucking gone. Since yhen I’ve also started wearing skirts which don’t have pockets at all.
My solution? Belt of Pickets. molle pouches are excellent and can stack on each other. So when my boyfriend wants to go hiking, I can carry both our phones, a water bottle, can of stimulants, rum flask, umbrella, and more just in my pockets. It’s great.
Went to a clothes shop in Tenerife.
Unable to speak the lingo, the missus picked up a pair of jeans off a shelf.
“Are these for men or women, I can’t tell?”
I put my hand in the pocket. It stopped about 2cm in.
“These are women’s jeans”
Meanwhile, I can fit a full size Nintendo Switch in my cargo shorts pocket.
I used to sometimes put enture 1,5L bottles into my pockets when I went to the store for a snack and I had no backpack. A candy bar or some crisps in one pocket. A huge bottle in the other. Sure a bit of the bottle was sticking out but like 85% fit inside the pocket
I think there is a market gap ready to be filled right here
The username ❤️ rust programmers unite!
A lady colleague of mine was complaining about women’s clothes and lack of pockets and so I asked why. She told me it disturbs the “pants chi” or how it changes the look I guess? It’s not just pants, it’s shirts and even some jackets with fake pockets.
I think it’s a self sustaining thing. My pants don’t have pockets, so I have a purse. Because I have a purse, I don’t need to have large pocket, so I don’t bother looking for pants with those.
And it looks better without large pocket.
This is why I wear mens jeans
But you don’t need to secretly scratch your balls
As if we don’t need to secretly scratch our labia lol
Women are supposed to be objects to admire, and aren’t allowed to have functional clothing as a result. Didn’t you know that?
Also, purse sales would suffer.
Women’s pants should have cargo pockets big enough to fit any grandmother’s purse. If some of my pants pockets can go up to my elbows (not even exaggerating, it’s an embarrassing pain to fish my keys out of those pockets), then women should be able to lose their wristwatch in a cavernous pocket.
Anecdote: Sometimes my wife carries a pair of ankle-high socks in her purse, in case we’re gonna have to take our shoes off or whatever. This sometimes requires reorganizing her bag. When she’s told me to take an extra pair of socks, of which I only have knee-high compression socks, I just match a pair, fold them, and stick them in one of my four available pockets on any of my pants. I do not have a single set of pants incapable of holding a week’s worth of knee-high compression socks.
Oh, I absolutely agree with you. I was being super sarcastic with my above comment. Foolish cultural preconceptions hinder us all. Edit to add that cargo pants with side pockets are the bomb.
You know what? That’s my fault. What started off as a humorous offhanded comment accidentally turned into a rant. Sorry to make you feel like I was talking at you when I was actually yelling at clouds.
No worries, I understand the source of the rant, my sarcasm came from the same vein. Besides, we need to keep those clouds in check!
My Ex had a pair of slacks that had “fake pockets” on it. She would complain literally every time she wore them. One day, it dawned on me that nicer pants and coats for men, sometimes had pockets sewed shut loosely to keep them looking nice in the store (i think that’s the reason anyways). So, I asked her if it was sewn shut, and it was. She was mad at me for not telling her sooner.
Unless it has a lining, you should be able to determine whether the pockets are real or fake by checking the inner side.
She, unfortunately, wasn’t that bright.
sometimes had pockets sewed shut loosely to keep them looking nice in the store
That’s exactly why they do that! I used to be a wedding photographer and had to inform the groomsmen about this detail pretty often lol
I just intentionally leave the outer pockets of my suit jackets seen shut. I just use the inner pockets if necessary.
Could it be because women keep buying them? I’ve never seen my mother wear pants without pockets, and when she bought a new jacket, the amount and placement of pockets was the first thing on her mind.
Only now I realize the significance of that. But still. How hard is it to not buy pocketless apparel?
It’s literally a conspiracy to sell more purses.
How hard is it to not buy pocketless apparel?
The majority of pants on the market for women have these little pockets. It is harder to find pants with deep pockets, so while it may not be the most difficult thing in the world, it is more difficult.
Women don’t ask for tiny pockets. Companies insist on putting tiny pockets in women’s clothing because bulky pockets ruin the look of a garment.
It’s in the same vein as why women’s clothing is made with cheaper materials overall. Companies want women buying more clothing more frequently, they know men don’t shop for clothing as often as women, so the clothing is designed to wear out quicker.
You are a voice of reason in these comments!
I get so tired of being told to go buy pants with pockets or buy men’s jeans, when that has nothing to do with the point. Women deserve pockets in our jeans. Period.
One day, I’m going to go to a few stores with women’s jeans and count the ratio of how many have actual pockets. I already know it will be low. Buying jeans online comes with a whole other set of problems like fit, color, and style not being what’s show in pictures.
Below are 2 pairs jeans I own, similar style and pricing, basic denim jeans. The one on the left, fits most of my hand. The one on the right, barely fits my lighter without worrying I’ll lose it. There is no reason the pathetic pockets on the right should even exist.
Yes! I have jeans that I bought at the same time - same style, same size, from the same store - and one of them has deeper pockets than the other. Madness!
Yep! I keep that picture around for when folks say women’s clothes can’t have pockets because it messes with “the lines” or that pockets don’t fit the style. That argument is perfectly fine for cute tighter dresses, but it’s dumb for things like jeans and regular skirts.
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This is a wild idea but hear me out, you could read the other comments here to realize that there’s less options for women to have bigger pockets and that’s the main issue. Not that there are no pants that exist with deep pockets
Hope that helps.
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You’ve completely missed the entire point that’s been talked thoroughly in the comment section already.
There’s a dearth of options for women’s pants with big pockets.
We’re allowed to complain about it, especially in a place as innocuous as a comment section on a forum.
If hearing about small issues that women grapple with bother you, then you can either buck up or get out.
I get so tired of being told to go buy pants with pockets or buy men’s jeans, when that has nothing to do with the point. Women deserve pockets in our jeans. Period.
What you’re saying is not just that you deserve pockets in your jeans, but that you deserve them in the style that you want, as easily found as other pairs. Which doesn’t sound true to me. Who “deserves” a particular style?
The reason trousers are sold with small pockets is because big pockets look different, especially when full of stuff, especially on tighter-fitting clothing. Do you want to make it harder for people who want those trousers to find suitable ones? Why do your preferences for practicality outweigh theirs for aesthetics?
Thanks for taking the time to tell women what they should or should not desire in clothing options. I’m so glad we have you here to put us women in our place and tell us we don’t deserve pockets.
You can desire whatever you want, and I can desire whatever I want. The only difference (assuming you are agreeing with the person I replied to) is that I don’t go around telling people I deserve what I desire when it is hard to get. There are innumerable ways the world does not cater to my desires - some overlap with the ways it does not cater to yours, some do not.
If your basic human rights are not being met, I’ll come out for you, just as, I’m sure, you’d come out for me. But this is about fashion.
Like, you know it’s pretty easy to get longer skirts and dresses with pockets, right? If it were about pockets, you’d just wear the clothes with pockets.
So if I want pockets, my only choices are dresses or skirts. Because women are not allowed to have choices. Because women are not allowed to have functional pockets in jeans. Because women are not allowed to have functional pockets in non form fitting clothing.
Got it. Thank you, a man, for telling me, a woman, that I do not have other options and that I should just deal with it.
I suggest you go read a book, try this one.
You have the choice to:
- Buy a skirt
- Buy a dress
- Buy sweatpants
- Buy jeans from one of the retailers listed in this thread
- Buy jeans with unusable pockets and alter them
- Buy “men’s” clothes
- Carry a bag with you
You have choices. You are unhappy with the choices available, but are instead saying you have none.
If you complained “I am unhappy with these choices” instead of complaining, “I am not allowed to have choices” you would not get people replying about the other choices you do, in fact, have.
You, a man
No thank you.
Let people complain about annoyances, dude. It’s really fucking annoying to have someone bust in and loudly proclaim that others have it worse so we should shut up.
There’s a world of difference between a complaint that acknowledges the privilege of even being in a position to complain about fashion and one which mistakenly or dishonestly mischaracterises what is wrong as something more severe.
Imagine if I complained I was thirsty all the time because the local shop stopped stocking coke, and that I deserved to have something to drink. Wouldn’t you roll your eyes and tell me to drink water? Wouldn’t you react differently if I said I was bummed because the shop ran out of coke and I just wanted some? Being honest/aware of what the actual issue is makes all the difference.
lol man, I’m not talking about nice trousers, or dressy pants, or skin tight anything. I don’t want big pockets in my form fitting clothes. I don’t wear skin tight clothes all of the time. That picture are 2 pairs of non-tight bootcut jeans.
I’m talking about basic, everyday, denim jeans that have that tiny useless pocket. Even wide leg jeans have that tiny useless pocket. The pockets in these jeans can’t even fit my driver’s license or credit card in them without worrying they will fall out. I don’t want to fit everything that’s in my purse in those pockets. I want to fit my ID, credit card, a bit of cash, and my pocket knife. I want to be able to grab those few things and run into the grocery store or bookstore without always lugging my purse around. That’s it.
I’m a flare and bootcut jeans kind of gal. I want functional pockets in every day normal denim jeans. I want functional pockets in clothes that make sense.
Bootcut men’s jeans:
Bootcut women’s jeans:
I mean sure, you may mean you prefer looser jeans even than those pictured, but do you see how much tighter the woman’s are than the man’s? That’s the current fashion. Even if you actually wear looser ones, the fact that the fashion is for tighter jeans means you might not be wearing the size the designer envisaged, and in any case, the designer imagines that the majority of people buying those jeans also own tight clothing, hence a purse, hence there’s no point putting in a functional pocket.
Yes, it’s annoying when fashion doesn’t cater to you, but it’s still important to recognise that as what’s going on.
Why do you think we aren’t aware of the reasons why this is an issue?
I’m so glad you used pictures of models that have been air brushed for fashion magazines to prove that women are wrong to complain about pockets.
Here’s a real pair of jeans on a real human being. Jeans that I recently purchased at a popular fashion store.
See those pockets? These aren’t even the ones I posted above, these pockets are twice as deep as those and I still barely fit all of my fingers. I cannot safely place my credit card and ID in those pockets without a big risk of losing them. That is why women are pissed about pockets.
You are right that they are loose-fitting enough on to have functional pockets, but I think there’s some more of my comment that still applies. How many women do you think are buying jeans that fit that loosely? A quick dredge through some photos (whether models or selfies) makes me pretty confident it’s a minority.
Your perspective seems to be that there is no reason not to make the pockets bigger, but there is, it’s just a reason that affects people other than you.
If you don’t like tiny pockets, then why did you buy pants with tiny pockets? I seriously don’t understand the logic.
Men’s underpants come with flies and without flies. Those without are usually cheaper. If I want a fly, I buy those with a fly. I don’t buy underpants without a fly and then complain that I didn’t get a fly.
I believe you that pants with big pockets are hard to find and that it’s effort to buy them. But that still doesn’t add any sense to buying pants with tiny pockets.
Because I bought them 20 years ago at a deep employee discount at a time when I needed pants and those were the pants available to me. Retail price of both were about the same, except the bigger pockets were purchased within the last 2 years. It’s not that they are hard to find, they can be impossible to find.
If you had no options other than pants without a fly or digging through multiple stores to find the one style of pants that might have a fly but are the ugliest vomit color green and do not fit comfortably, you would complain too.
You’ve made the point clear to me. Thank you.
Because we still need to wear pants? And sometimes one doesn’t have the time to hunt down the perfect pair of pants that are 1. affordable 2. fits well 3. is readily available and 4. has big pockets.
You are severely underestimating how many pants for women have these tiny pockets.
because bulky pockets ruin the look of a garment.Because women’s clothes with usable pockets don’t force women to buy an expensive purse ontop.
It’s a bit of both. Source: I took a lot of fashion marketing classes in college.
How hard is it to buy pocketless apparel?
It’s actually a lot harder than you think because most women’s clothing do not have proper pockets.
Protip - check out trousers made for rock climbing. Good pockets, full range of motion, tough material that lasts, pretty colours :-)
I was going to suggest hiking pants. Mine have more pockets than I know what to do with.
So cargo pants? I catch grief from my wife and daughters if I wear those.
Tell them to stop bullying your purse pants.
I just don’t care what they think about my cargo pants or shorts. I’m going to wear them anyway.
Similar but not quite. Cargo pants are dorky but hiking pants are cool.
A rose by any other name is still just a slightly different type of cargo pants…
They are generally made from different materials. Cargo pants are heavy and trail pants are generally lighter and can be worn in the heat. They also dry much quicker. If you had to compare them to something you could claim they are closer to 80s parachute pants than the dork pants.
That’s nice. But the materials don’t matter, you could make them out of burlap and they would still be cargo pants. It all about the design.
