Women's Clothes and Pockets

[lpetrich]

I was inspired to post on this by this tidbit from AOC:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "I’ve been watching this on loop https://t.co/tQouO6UB4n" / Twitter noting
Ayanna Pressley on Twitter: "Pockets are everything https://t.co/YpZ4glmLrK" / Twitter
showing a cringingly cute video of Rep. Pressley and a little girl showing off the pockets in their dresses.


Many women in our society have grumbled about the lack of pockets in their clothes -- and pockets that are too shallow to be usable. But that seems to be changing, as is evident in many of the responses to those tweets. One of them linked to Dresses With Pockets- Your one-stop shop for all your pocket dress needs! It has this one for female nerds who like wearing skirts and dresses: Dresses With Pockets - Search Results for Svaha

 

[lpetrich]

This is from my story "Contact across the Solar System" (in Wattpad and Fictionpad), in the late 1960's:

Clothing could be an adventure in itself. Neither Kalna nor Ilmuth liked miniskirts, because it seemed too much like exposing oneself. "If I wanted to wear something that short, I'd wear shorts," Ilmuth once told Kalna. They also didn't like high heels, because they were difficult to walk in, though Kalna conceded that she liked how high heels make her seem taller. After Kalna noticed how expensive some fancy clothes were, she and Ilmuth decided to look for some alternative places to shop. They found some in thrift shops, places that sell secondhand items. However, it was rather hit-and-miss. One day, Ilmuth came home with some minidresses that some store was having a special on. Kalna asked "Do you really want to wear *those*?" and Ilmuth responded, grinning, "You'll see." Kalna decided to let herself get surprised, so she avoided reading Ilmuth's mind.

Ilmuth went into another room and changed, and she came out wearing a minidress -- and below it a long skirt. Kalna burst out laughing, and she asked "Why didn't *I* think of that?"

The two ended up usually wearing long dresses or shirts with long skirts. Shirts including minidresses. They also found some pants that they would sometimes wear. For footwear, they got sneakers and sandals. They often got men's versions, because they were sometimes more pleasant and convenient to wear, like men's shirts often having pockets. They also often wore straw hats to keep out the Sun, and they usually wore backpacks to carry their stuff in.

This was inspired by George Adamski's UFO-contactee stories, though I was careful to get the Solar System right, and I establish that Kalna and Ilmuth are human, but from Venusian and Martian colony cities (I explain that also).

 

[Toni]

Pockets in dresses have been a thing now and are becoming more so. but generally are found only on fuller skirted dresses or are decorative rather than functional.

Women's clothing has often been designed with the idea that women are somehow to be decorative and passive rather than active and self sufficient. Even buttons are placed to imply help with getting dressed. As a small child, I had to wear dresses to school. These invariably buttoned down the back, which was not easy to do by yourself when you were six years old---but my mother definitely expected me to do so. Perhaps other girls had mothers who buttoned them up in the mornings and helped them change into their pants and shirts after school. Still I could accomplish this myself. In bygone eras, women's clothing was designed to be even less convenient, with corsets and many buttons on the back, requiring help getting dressed and undressed.

Men typically carry keys and a wallet in their pants pockets. Their pants are designed for this. In fact, if one gets a suit tailored, men are asked if they tuck right or left: their pants are specifically designed to conceal their penis and to make their pants more comfortable. Additionally, most men are naturally more slim through the hips than are women.

When I was young and thin (and poor), I rarely carried a purse and instead made do the front pocket of jeans, which was convenient. Being thin, having a bit of bulk in didn't really show and wasn't a negative.

At this point in my life,I do still carry keys and some cash in my pockets but like most women, I could not ever fit even a very small cellphone in my pants pockets. And like most women, I do not need to add extra bulk on my hips and thighs and my use of my jeans pockets is limited to what I can carry without creating unsightly extra bulk or telegraphing what I am carrying.

I'm sure that some men will suggest that women simply wear men's clothing but it's not cut to accommodate the shape of most women.

 

[southernhybrid]

I only wear jeans and all of my jeans have pockets. But, since I almost always carry a neatly organized, very small purse, I really don't need pockets. I stopped wearing dresses when I was about 50, because I fucking hate dresses. I wear skinny jeans and nice, cotton tops. That's how I dressed for work in my last job. Nobody ever complained. Sometimes I put my phone in my pocket, but I usually hooked my key ring to one of the belt loops on my jeans.

I hate ironing, so I never do that. I hate using the dry cleaner, so I can't even remember the last time I had to have something dry cleaned. I even have a dress coat that can be washed on delicate. I wear my dress coat with jeans, of course, I just wear more jewelry and nicer shoes, if I want to dress up. Not all women enjoy wearing the same things. I think any of us who care about how they dress, develop their own style, and don't really care if anyone approves of it or not. At least a women with good self esteem isn't going to worry about what others think of her clothing. I like a very simple look, so I would never feel comfortable dressing like Pressley. To each her own.


But, like Toni, we were required to wear skirts or dresses to school way back in the day. That was so sexist.

Two years after I graduated high school, girls were permitted to wear slacks to school.

 

[Derec]

Isn't that what purses are for?

Or, if she doesn't have a purse, she can just have her boyfriend hold the stuff, and he can get a purse.

 

[Toni]

Isn't that what purses are for?

Or, if she doesn't have a purse, she can just have her boyfriend hold the stuff, and he can get a purse.

Purses have both a utilitarian function and a decorative function.

Purses can also be useful for making a man stay where you put him. Unfortunately, I can't find the right clip from Bringing Up Baby to illustrate but I'll bet men with wives or girlfriends can relate.

 

[thebeave]

Isn't that what purses are for?

Or, if she doesn't have a purse, she can just have her boyfriend hold the stuff, and he can get a purse.

Purses have both a utilitarian function and a decorative function.

Purses can also be useful for making a man stay where you put him. Unfortunately, I can't find the right clip from Bringing Up Baby to illustrate but I'll bet men with wives or girlfriends can relate.

You mean like this poor sap?



https://www.talkofweb.com/10-miserable-men-captured-while-their-women-were-shopping/

I don't know why you women do this to men, or why men put up with it.

 

[Toni]

Isn't that what purses are for?

Or, if she doesn't have a purse, she can just have her boyfriend hold the stuff, and he can get a purse.

Purses have both a utilitarian function and a decorative function.

Purses can also be useful for making a man stay where you put him. Unfortunately, I can't find the right clip from Bringing Up Baby to illustrate but I'll bet men with wives or girlfriends can relate.

You mean like this poor sap?

View attachment 23263

https://www.talkofweb.com/10-miserable-men-captured-while-their-women-were-shopping/

I don't know why you women do this to men, or why men put up with it.

Yes although Bringing Up Baby is incredibly funny.

Why do women do this? Well, men frequently often offer to carry bags. What is it that is different about being asked to hold a handbag?

As I mentioned, women carry handbags for utilitarian purposes as well as decorative ones. When shopping in department stores, a purse can get in one’s way examining garments and having someone you can ask to hold your handbag is really nice. Plus it gives men something to do when they’d rather be elsewhere.

FWIW, I don’t go shopping much with my husband and we haven’t shopped together for clothes in decades.

 

[Rhea]

I hate carrying a handbag and will avoid it at all costs.

I despise the design of women’s pockets. While I am glad they are starting to improve on this, it’s not fast enough to suit me. I will drop a brand if the pockets piss me off. This is why I like Lee brand office pants, and LLBean makes the only women’s Chinos with actual deep useful pockets. Lands’ End makes a very decent Chino, but not quite as roomy as LLBean. Lee does the pockets right AND the hips right.


My shopping is 100% about comfort an pockets, style is a distant 3rd place.

One of the reasons I rarely wear dresses or skirts is this pocket issue. I will only wear them when I can get away with keeping my wallet & phone nearby without a purse, like at work where I can put it in my desk, or the beach when I’m carrying a bag anyway. My husband is a dear about carrying my phone & wallet when we go to something fancy and I’m dressed up glam like Lady Gaga, but I hate to ask him and I would rather have pockets instead.

 

[Toni]

I hate carrying a handbag and will avoid it at all costs.

I despise the design of women’s pockets. While I am glad they are starting to improve on this, it’s not fast enough to suit me. I will drop a brand if the pockets piss me off. This is why I like Lee brand office pants, and LLBean makes the only women’s Chinos with actual deep useful pockets. Lands’ End makes a very decent Chino, but not quite as roomy as LLBean. Lee does the pockets right AND the hips right.


My shopping is 100% about comfort an pockets, style is a distant 3rd place.

One of the reasons I rarely wear dresses or skirts is this pocket issue. I will only wear them when I can get away with keeping my wallet & phone nearby without a purse, like at work where I can put it in my desk, or the beach when I’m carrying a bag anyway. My husband is a dear about carrying my phone & wallet when we go to something fancy and I’m dressed up glam like Lady Gaga, but I hate to ask him and I would rather have pockets instead.

Pockets in dresses are a really great feature but they pretty much require a fuller skirt.

I do now carry a purse and actually have multiple purses that I mostly think of as accessories. I'm strongly leaning towards ditching the purse for a small wallet and keys most of the time but I still have to deal with my phone. A purse is a good protector for phones, so there is that.

For the most part, I only wear jeans these days, except when I need to be a bit more dressed up.

 

[Derec]

Purses have both a utilitarian function and a decorative function.

Especially when they cost as much as a compact car.

Purses can also be useful for making a man stay where you put him.

Now THAT sounds pretty sexist ...

Unfortunately, I can't find the right clip from Bringing Up Baby to illustrate

Somebody needs to tell "Sandy" that THIS is an example of an old black and white movie, NOT Breakfast Club.

 

[Derec]

You mean like this poor sap?

This is a better solution:

I don't know why you women do this to men, or why men put up with it.

Pussy? The guy in the picture is obviously bald, so he is kind of stuck.

 

[Derec]

I’m dressed up glam like Lady Gaga, but I hate to ask him and I would rather have pockets instead.

Yeah, putting pockets on a meat dress is difficult.

 

[Toni]

Now THAT sounds pretty sexist ...

It probably is but OTOH, it does work.

As I mentioned before, men often offer to hold packages or carry bags for women. Somehow, a purse is different and men react differently when holding a lady's purse than they do if they are holding her shopping bags. I'm not entirely certain why this is true, but it is.

Men are such inscrutable creatures.

 

[Derec]

As I mentioned before, men often offer to hold packages or carry bags for women. Somehow, a purse is different and men react differently when holding a lady's purse than they do if they are holding her shopping bags.

Because carrying a purse is very effeminate. That was the point of that purse/carry-all joke with Jerry.

 

[Rhea]

Pockets in dresses are a really great feature but they pretty much require a fuller skirt.

I disagree. Just requires a willingness to be creative. There are pockets in yoga pants and bicycle shorts and swim trunks, none of which are a “fuller skirt.”

I’m dressed up glam like Lady Gaga, but I hate to ask him and I would rather have pockets instead.

Yeah, putting pockets on a meat dress is difficult.

I feel like it would be a good application for, say a lung or a stomach, yanno? Meat themed pockets abound.

Again - creativity around pockets is way too stifled here. It’s like people don’t even want to TRY!

 

[Derec]

I feel like it would be a good application for, say a lung or a stomach, yanno? Meat themed pockets abound.

Again - creativity around pockets is way too stifled here. It’s like people don’t even want to TRY!

I stand corrected!

 

[Toni]

As I mentioned before, men often offer to hold packages or carry bags for women. Somehow, a purse is different and men react differently when holding a lady's purse than they do if they are holding her shopping bags.

Because a purse is very effeminate. That was the point of that purse/carry-all joke with Jerry.

Yeah, but Seinfeld. Plus, believe it or not, society has moved a bit forward.

The purse you posted was pretty butch. And now a new trend is purses which are also backpacks. That's kind of masculine.

From the Nordstrom site:



is advertised for women

and this is advertised for men, but I'd totally use it if I needed something like this:



Now, this one is pretty girly:

 

[Derec]

Yeah, but Seinfeld. Plus, believe it or not, society has moved a bit forward.

Has it really?

The purse you posted was pretty butch.

It is also $20k.

 

[Toni]

Yeah, but Seinfeld. Plus, believe it or not, society has moved a bit forward.

Has it really?

The purse you posted was pretty butch.

It is also $20k.

Well, there you go. Women don't have that kind of money to spend on frivolous items. (cough cough).