Anonymous wrote:I see a fair amount of Internet commentary about women wanting pockets for their clothes. The lack of pockets is usually explained in a joking-not-joking way as a conspiracy of the patriarchy. Is there actually pent up demand for women's clothes that have pockets? If so, it seems like some entrepreneurs could make a fantastic amount of money by offering women's clothes with pockets, and I wonder why they haven't. My guess is that women say they want pockets, but by and large, when they go looking for clothes, they think the stuff that does have pockets is ugly and choose something else.

But I'm just a dude with no background in the clothing industry and who rarely shops for clothes anyway. Anyone with insight into what's *really* going on here?

Yes, there's a demand. Is it really so hard to believe that women mean what they say?

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I mean don’t you carry things on your pockets?? A wallet? Your phone? A mask? It’s a huge pain to have to carry things in your hands or it a bug in your shoulder that (in my case) hurts my back.

Women want pockets because pockets are useful. For holding stuff. So you don’t have to carry a bag. Would you like to walk around all day with zero pockets?

I agree that pockets are fantastic. It just feels like, if the demand was really there, market forces would take care of this. The pocketless items would remain on the shelves and the racks while the pocketed garments got snapped up right away.

Not all woman want pockets and some have probably given up. As a PP said, there are a few companies out there who are great about putting pockets into women’s clothing - especially dresses - and have a lot of brand loyalty. Athleta and Title Nine are two of the best for this. I have a few dresses from T9 in particular on which I receive a lot of compliments; when I tell the complimenter that they also have pockets, they usually shriek with delight.

+1 There's a reason "thanks, it has pockets" is effectively memeified. I refuse to buy jeans that don't have real pockets but it's sometimes hard to find them and I have to compromise between "it fits" and "it has pockets" unfortunately.

I seek out dresses/pants that have pockets. It’s annoying to have to carry things around the building at work when I should be able to stick it in my pocket. I’m not carrying a purse with me all day at work. If I find something I like, and it has pockets, I buy it in multiple colors, if available.

Anonymous wrote:I see a fair amount of Internet commentary about women wanting pockets for their clothes. The lack of pockets is usually explained in a joking-not-joking way as a conspiracy of the patriarchy. Is there actually pent up demand for women's clothes that have pockets? If so, it seems like some entrepreneurs could make a fantastic amount of money by offering women's clothes with pockets, and I wonder why they haven't. My guess is that women say they want pockets, but by and large, when they go looking for clothes, they think the stuff that does have pockets is ugly and choose something else.

But I'm just a dude with no background in the clothing industry and who rarely shops for clothes anyway. Anyone with insight into what's *really* going on here?

When I opened this I knew you were a man. Your guess is wrong for most women. Stick to worrying about other problems or at the very least stop trying to explain what all women want.

There are clothes that don't require pockets and there you don't want or need them BUT there are items where you do want pockets and they aren't there. I am not so brazen to speak for all women but, myself I would like shorts and pants with pockets.

I like having pockets in which to put my hands or a small item I might need to stow for a little while (a key, my chapstick, some spare change, a wrapper when a trash can isn't handy, etc.). But I agree with PPs that pockets are really not a great place to be putting your wallet, phone, house keys, etc.

I wear a lot of menswear style pants that have perfectly functional pockets. I'm not talking fitted jeans where you can't put anything in the pockets. I mean like a proper pair of trousers. But I don't keep my phone in them! It's too heavy. Same with a wallet. I might throw my house keys in them for a minute.

All my coats/jackets have pockets. This resolves the pocket issue for much of the year. If I go for a walk or am doing something where I don't want to bring a purse, I just wear a coat. Especially helpful if I'm doing something outdoorsy like going hiking -- I just wear my fleece, which even has a pocket on the sleeve if I don't want to put items in the pockets meant for my hands. I also wear leggings or hiking pants that have pockets.

And yes, purses are useful and I actually feel sorry for men that they are discouraged from using them because they come in handy. My DH carries a backpack for his commute and it's basically a purse. He's not putting his iPad or his book in his pockets.

Really the "why aren't their pockets??" complaint primarily applies to evening wear (mens suits/tuxedos have pockets, most women's cocktail dresses and evening gowns do not) or certain skirts/dresses where it would be so easy to put a pocket in but the manufacturer is being cheap. Like any dress/skirt with an a-line or full skirt can easily accommodate pockets without changing the shape of the outfit, it's just cheapness/laziness on their part. But I'm not devastated about it, and you actually can get pockets put into a lot of dresses or skirts if you are so motivated. Or learn to do it yourself. It's one of the easiest things to do because generally the seam is already there and you just have to make a pocket and attach it.

I do not buy casual clothes that do not have a pocket for my phone, preferably one that zips. Fortunately, I can now find some business casual dresses, skirts, pants and jackets with pockets. But I do not wear tight clothes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I see a fair amount of Internet commentary about women wanting pockets for their clothes. The lack of pockets is usually explained in a joking-not-joking way as a conspiracy of the patriarchy. Is there actually pent up demand for women's clothes that have pockets? If so, it seems like some entrepreneurs could make a fantastic amount of money by offering women's clothes with pockets, and I wonder why they haven't. My guess is that women say they want pockets, but by and large, when they go looking for clothes, they think the stuff that does have pockets is ugly and choose something else.

But I'm just a dude with no background in the clothing industry and who rarely shops for clothes anyway. Anyone with insight into what's *really* going on here?

Not only no pockets but no knitted cuffs in long sleeve tees. Also, socks for women have built in obsolescence for around 6 months whereas socks for men last years. I stopped buying women's socks decades ago. As long as we're on the subject, I also buy men's shirts because they are made better and much less expensive.

There is no end to the many ways women are discriminated against. I want a true revolution NOW!

I buy women socks and they all last for years. My DH goes through his socks faster, but he also goes through shoes faster. He's just hard on his feet.

I also buy womens shirts and look for quality. Probably the reason you have found a lot of poor quality women shirts in the past is that a lot of women clothes have a high lycra content. This is true of women's clothes in general and is a major reason they don't last as long -- added stretch in the fabric weakens the integrity of the fabric, plus wearing clothes that are designed to stretch and be form fitting puts more pressure on seams. If you prioritize fabrics with lower lycra content, and look for brands that tend to have high quality stitching and seaming, you will find women's clothes last as long as mens.

I mean, you are welcome to buy menswear if you want to, but if you actually want a "revolution", you would do better to research and buy women's clothing that meets your standards, as this will improve sales of those items and incentivize the industry to make more of them. If you just buy menswear, they don't know that you're buying it and continue producing menswear and womenswear with different fabric content and quality.

I'll tell what, when you start paying for my clothes then I will be forced to listen to your lectures. Until then, I will purchase what I want and like. Okay?

Weird way to recruit people for your "revolution" but okay.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why women want pockets. This is what purses are for. At an absolute minimum, you need to carry a wallet, keys, phone. These are bulky items that would require not only a large pocket but a lot of room in the clothes themselves. This doesn’t work in most women’s pants.

But really, the things I actually want to carry daily are my wallet, phone, keys, chapstick, a lipgloss or lipstick, face sunscreen, gum, floss, sunglasses. I have no desire to try to stick all this in pockets.

You can’t understand that there are things that people might want to do — including work, sports, or eating a meal — without carrying a purse with them at all times? My wallet, phone and keys will all fit in the pickets of a pair of jeans or a reasonably designed jacket. I like my things close, safe, and accessible. I get that some might not have these same priorities, but it’s hard for me to understand that someone might not be able to even understand them as possible priorities.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand why women want pockets. This is what purses are for. At an absolute minimum, you need to carry a wallet, keys, phone. These are bulky items that would require not only a large pocket but a lot of room in the clothes themselves. This doesn’t work in most women’s pants.

But really, the things I actually want to carry daily are my wallet, phone, keys, chapstick, a lipgloss or lipstick, face sunscreen, gum, floss, sunglasses. I have no desire to try to stick all this in pockets.

So you don't carry your keys or phone when you go walking or running or go outside?

I put everything in a purse or backback when I am going out or going to work, but I do want pockets for my phone, keys and tissues when I am walking, or even going different places or meetings in my office building.

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Anonymous wrote:I mean, I don’t mind pockets but I put my stuff in my purse. It’s a cleaner line. Have you seen most men? Their pockets are bulging with wallet, keys, phone, chapstick etc etc. If I were a man, I would want to carry a purse myself.

I DO think little girls’ clothes should have pockets just as boys do. They have nowhere to carry any little thing, which is just nuts.

DH carries a small backpack when we're on trips or at amusement parks. He's also willing to carry my purse (when I'm right next to him ha). He likes to stuff things in. My purse basically becomes his snack car.

Hah. I am reasonably secure with myself and don't get overly concerned about displays of masculinity, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel incredibly awkward when I'm called upon to hold my wife's purse. Completely irrational.

Anonymous wrote:I mean, I don’t mind pockets but I put my stuff in my purse. It’s a cleaner line. Have you seen most men? Their pockets are bulging with wallet, keys, phone, chapstick etc etc. If I were a man, I would want to carry a purse myself.

I DO think little girls’ clothes should have pockets just as boys do. They have nowhere to carry any little thing, which is just nuts.

DH carries a small backpack when we're on trips or at amusement parks. He's also willing to carry my purse (when I'm right next to him ha). He likes to stuff things in. My purse basically becomes his snack car.

I don't like pockets. And I feel like anytime pants have pockets, they're worthless. Because my pants are tight, anything I put in them falls out.

I do like my leggings with pockets. I also use my coat pockets nonstop in the winter. In the summer I use my bum bag. I love that bum bags are back. Keeps me hand free going to the park.

I mean, I don’t mind pockets but I put my stuff in my purse. It’s a cleaner line. Have you seen most men? Their pockets are bulging with wallet, keys, phone, chapstick etc etc. If I were a man, I would want to carry a purse myself.

I DO think little girls’ clothes should have pockets just as boys do. They have nowhere to carry any little thing, which is just nuts.

I don’t understand why women want pockets. This is what purses are for. At an absolute minimum, you need to carry a wallet, keys, phone. These are bulky items that would require not only a large pocket but a lot of room in the clothes themselves. This doesn’t work in most women’s pants.

But really, the things I actually want to carry daily are my wallet, phone, keys, chapstick, a lipgloss or lipstick, face sunscreen, gum, floss, sunglasses. I have no desire to try to stick all this in pockets.

My wife gets low key angry at me when I wear my cargo pants, coat, and a hoodie. The pocket space in that combo is unreal.

I'm almost 70 and my entire life I won't wear clothes without pockets. I often buy men's clothes even though I do have hips and a butt and am not skinny. I only buy women's pants after checking to make sure the pockets are not so shallow anything you put in them will fall out when you sit down.

I do have a small backpack I sometimes use as a purse but I keep my DL, a CC and some cash in one pants pocket and my phone in the other, at all times.

I don't care that much how pockets make me look, I'm not trying to impress anybody at this point in my life. Back when I was trying to impress people the pockets did not seem to have a negative effect.