I seem to remember reading that Victorian dresses had slits in the side, through which the wearer could reach an inner bag or pocket suspended from an inner skirt or petticoat (don’t know the proper name). Given the size of Victorian skirts, a lady could be packing an economy-sized bottle of smelling salts, a Webley revolver, and a litter of kittens without a bulge showing.
10 Likes
And for the badger
1 Like
When can we get ties with tiny pockets in make them usefull?
4 Likes
“Is that a badger in your sporran, or are you glad to see me?”
3 Likes
You gonna make me cry. That’s an otter. An OTTER!!!1!! What the fuck is wrong with these alleged Scottish people?
@jsroberts: OMG…The gal in my roommate’s band back at uni who wrote a song about turning her big fat cat into a hat when he died finally carried out her evil plan. 
6 Likes
one of our lab managers wears this combination mostly exclusively, in winter with thick colourful woolen socks. when he’s equipped with Halbschuhe (don’t know a good translation, like this) some important meeting happens
4 Likes
I can’t give first hand confirmation of this, but it would seem to be reflected in what I’ve seen around here.
At one point, I started trying to figure out why and how my mind classifies people by gender at first glance, and, examining how it worked, it seemed that, if I’m seeing someone bundled up sufficiently that the more obvious characteristics are hidden, one of the secondary cues was that the shape of women’s legs seemed different than men’s.
I then examined that deeper, and it wasn’t anything to do with the shape of the legs at all, but the fact that I could see the shape of women’s legs. The women I’ve observed tend to wear clothing that fits tightly around their legs, whereas men (including myself) tend to wear straight-legged pants which obscure the shape of the leg.
And, given that when I wear pants that are too small, it’s really uncomfortable to fit anything into the pockets, I have no problem believing that the cut of women’s clothing would prevent extensive use of pockets.
That said… It’s now fall (jacket season!)! I pulled my jacket out of the closet for the first time since spring , and OMG pockets! It’s so much nicer to carry things in the seven pockets that my jacket has than the four (only two of which I don’t sit on) that my pants have.
8 Likes
our minister of peace war defence has a adjutant carrying her purse in a backpack. so she has a guybackhandbag?
3 Likes
You may be remembering houppelande sleeves? They often functioned as pockets (still do, for many medieval recreationists). There’s also the lirepipe, which is a hat you can keep your money (lire) and other small objects in, that doubles as a pretty good blackjack.
@dweller_below, stop posting our secrets in public, you squealer!
So basically no downside.
That’s only because modern young women have a cell phone glued to their hand at all times, and thus can’t open doors if they are also carrying a clutch. 
1 Like
Bring back the chatelaine. Problem solved.
You’re welcome, ladies.
Also, there’s something really hot about a woman rocking a chatelaine with iPhone, multitool, spork, and USB charger. What would you wear on your chatelaine? (Extra points if it’s available at the BoingBoing store.)
16 Likes
Whenever I see a dainty little number on the subway struggling to maintain her grip on a book or cup of coffee I always offer to carry it in one of my many voluminous cargo shorts pockets. She may decline (“I’m reading this” “What? No. Get away from me.”) but at least I’ve done my job.
4 Likes
Oh man getting to this one late, @IronEdithKidd that vest rocks!
Yeah I never got the no pockets thing other than women all carry purses so why have pockets. Which is of course dumb.
And fashionable or not I love cargo shorts and even more the previously mentioned utilikilt cause seriously guys anatomically why the hell do we not wear skirts all the damn time.
9 Likes
They already do have a pocket. 'Cept, because of the way they designed them, the stuff keeps falling out.
/maybe it’s the way we tie them?
1 Like
Girl jeans have comically short and useless pockets though.
8 Likes
I absolutely agree that sexism in design is a big part of the problem, but it’s also partly a problem of manufacture. All pockets are not created equal.
Today, nearly all garments are made in piece-work factories where the workers make one thing - say, a pocket lining with facings - over and over, and are paid by the piece. Those individual units are then assembled by further piece-workers. That means that each step in sewing a garment must result in an item that can be folded and placed in a box for the next worker to take.
At one time clothes were made step-by-step by a single person. (That doesn’t necessarily mean they were custom tailored garments.) I’m a custom clothier & dressmaker, and I have some experience examining ready made and pointing out the differences.
As an example, when I make a hip pocket on a pair of trousers or a skirt, that pocket has 3 layers of fashion fabric and 1 of pocketing, between the outside and the inside. It goes: Fashion fabric -> pocketing -> fashion fabric (facing) -> fashion fabric (inset). That makes a somewhat floppy pocket, so the edge is reinforced either with stay tape (a stiff, flat tape used to sharpen an edge - its what makes the lapel of your suit roll over) or clear bathing suit elastic (used in the same way as stay tape for stretch garments). This type of pocket is only possible if the sewist is assembling the pants front, pocket, facing and inset, and pants rear all at the same time, since the processes are integrated.
For that same pocket an average ready to wear garment would have 5 layers of fashion fabric and three of pocketing - making it more than twice as bulky. Add to that the fact that I’ve never seen a ready to wear garment with graded seams (grading makes seams less visible by trimming the fabric, making the transition gradual). Also now you have the pocket fabric caught in the side seam rather than enclosing it softly.
The pants pocket that is created by a sweatshop and sold at H&M (or Nordstrom for that matter) is a bulky bunched up mess. The last place anyone wants one of those is on their hip, where it would ruin the line of any garment. Women’s trousers fit more closely than men’s, so often the pockets are left off.
There are similar differences in the way welt pockets (pants rear and suit pockets) that make them much more flexible and softer in non-sweatshop clothes.
If you got a garment with sewn-shut pockets just open them up with one of these (a seam ripper). As others have mentioned, a basted-shut pocket is that way to prevent damage or shifting. Assuming it is a real pocket it’s easily opened up.
11 Likes
"so basically no downside"
Except for the intended recipients of the food and medical aid. And the families and friends of the people killed guarding it.
1 Like
Hey that’s my wife’s favorite seam ripper. She has a drawer full of them. Incredibly useful tools, those.
1 Like
I rave about Clover tools in general, everything they make is fantastic!
2 Likes
Hmm… an imitation gas mask bag.
1 Like
Those look like normal dress shoes to me; this is the style that seems to upset people:
I think if you’re walking, the combination keeps you from getting sunburned, lets your feet breathe and reduces odour. It may be ridiculed elsewhere, but it seems to have the German middle-aged man seal of approval.
I don’t think the rule is as fixed for women though (not that I would know either way):
7 Likes
