POCKET PRIVILEGE: JUST A STEP AWAY

One Woman: How far have you reached?
Other Woman: Just a pocket away.

That’s not quite the kind of reply the second lady would have been expecting. But is that a joke or something that pulls out something real, something important and worth talking about. What might be the reason for an answer like that and why it’ the first thing she says. She could have answered it differently but she responded with a particular word in between, i.e., pockets.

Talking about pockets in general, men seem to have them in heap, but when it comes to women in particular, a scene of queries snap up. But shouldn’t there be a sense of equality in something so utilitarian? Over the years, the presence of pockets in women’s clothing line-up sets up a kind of drawback that never fills in with ease. In the late 17th century, tied-on pockets were used to hide food keys, glasses, novels, but everything changed with the arrival of the French Revolution.

The basic silhouettes started narrowing down towards natural waist to slender and body-hugging profiles, leading to the removal of pockets steadily. There’s a quote by designer, Christian Dior that reads, “Men have pockets to keep things in, women for decoration.” This maxim’s been teased and explored by a lot of writers over the years, but it pulls off the notion of words like #maleprivilege, #genderbreaker, and #pocketequality that’s present in almost every culture. One reason can be the surge in profits from the bag industry. Essentials like wristlets, satchels, handbags, totes or hobos, have evolved over the years in every women’s closet, thanks to the absence of pockets and growth in the premium bag segment. The pockets have been considered as something to be paid for, which explains a lot about #pinktax.

This term shows the sexism when a woman needs to pay an extra amount to purchase something as compared to what a man pays. There’s a lot of things that go between the production and supply chain costs, but as per Michael Cone, a trade lawyer, it’s like an “opportunity of mischief”, that’s been misused over the years.

The term The New Woman popped up with the Rational Dress Society, where radicals, bluestockings and suffragettes had faith that they deserve the right to stand next to men, politically and financially. A lot of start-ups over the years have been working towards this issue and have come with varied innovations. For instance, Sali Christeson, cofounder of officewear brand Argent, instills a plethora of pockets in their blazers, which include penholders, space to stash notes, key pockets, and mesh pockets for smartphones.

The installation of a host of pockets in QUA clothing is what differentiates the brand from its competitors in the workwear category. Coming down to functionality and size, the pockets are slightly bigger, apt and balanced as compared to the narrow ones. From straight to tapered to skinny silhouettes, the pockets in QUA ensembles are thoroughly placed and cut, making them a viable option to stow your car keys to phones to other rudiments. The polished use of fabrics like Turkish wool and premium Turkish cotton taps a relaxed flair to every garment of QUA. Considering the waistline and seams, the slant pockets, flap pockets and patch pockets in the QUA clothing line-up are fastidiously sewn. A few other notable mentions are Poche Posh, Sudara, Eloquii, ModCloth, and Azazie.

What’s the use of pockets if they have been sewn shut? Politics and the rich history of pockets is an essential subject, not just because of the absence of a must-have in clothing, but also due to the growth of women in almost every sector, be it a business head, creative director or a single woman. It’s a necessity and not something to be asked for.

Shown: Fog Grey Wide-Leg Wool Trousers, Oxford Blue Textured Crepe Trousers, Fog Grey Stretch Wool Tailored Blazer