A brief history of pockets
The other day I thought about tracking down the "algorithm" of pocket styles in fashion - how often they change, how drastically and what's the logic behind the said changes. After a bit of thinking I came up with the idea of making a small post about the history of the pockets itself to begin with.
So, without further ado, let's jump straight into it.
Looking back into history of fashion, it turns out that pockets didn't always look the way they do now. Back in the day pockets were not sewn onto the garment, but worn separately as another layer of women's clothing; while men's pockets hung from the belt. The word itself comes from an old French word for a bag. But unlike women's fashion, men's pockets soon became part of the clothes, much like modern pockets. Women's fashion, traditionally, was "more slow" and if men's pocket integrated into their garments around the 17th century, women's were kept separate until late 18th-early 19th century.
So. What were pockets exactly? They were reasonably sized bags sewn from fabric and worn under the petticoats. They functioned as handbags and were used to store and carry around everyday items.
As seen in the pics above, pockets were tied around the waist and could be accessed through slits on the both sides of the skirts. Pretty convenient and more or less secure from being stolen. But I got to add that the fact that pockets were hidden under the skirt, it didn't really save the owner from pickpockets - street thieves, who cut and took away pockets - hence the name.
Now that we know how pockets looked in the early years of their history, how did they turn into the structures we know now?
The change wasn't quick. First came the Empire silhouette (1790s-1820s), which got rid of the wide skirts to hide pockets under. In this period the pockets modified into tiny bags - the reticules, which served the same purpose, but had to be carried around in one's hands, like modern handbags.
In the 1830s-1840s skirts gradually became wider again, giving space for pockets again, the reticules weren't forgotten, though, they were carried around as accessories.
Next big step was made in the 1870s, when small watch pockets appeared on women's dresses. These tiny pockets were still accompanied with much bigger "classic" underskirt pockets and purses.
As much as I know, modern-looking pockets didn't make it onto women's dresses until late 1910s.
In this period pockets hung from the waist were also in, alongside the sewn-on pockets.
After the 1920s, sewn pockets became a regular occurrence in women's fashion. Also it's important to note that as women started to wear more "masculine" garments - trousers, suits etc. - on a daily basis, the elements of men's fashion, pockets included, naturally made their way into women's wardrobe and secured their place there.
And this how pockets made their long way from bags hanging under the skirt to the fashionable slits on modern dresses andeven evening gowns.
P. S. As I was searching for pictures to add to the post, I came across this nice article on the topic from the Victoria and Albert museum. If you're interested and want to further research the topic, definitely give it a read 😊
So, without further ado, let's jump straight into it.
Looking back into history of fashion, it turns out that pockets didn't always look the way they do now. Back in the day pockets were not sewn onto the garment, but worn separately as another layer of women's clothing; while men's pockets hung from the belt. The word itself comes from an old French word for a bag. But unlike women's fashion, men's pockets soon became part of the clothes, much like modern pockets. Women's fashion, traditionally, was "more slow" and if men's pocket integrated into their garments around the 17th century, women's were kept separate until late 18th-early 19th century.
So. What were pockets exactly? They were reasonably sized bags sewn from fabric and worn under the petticoats. They functioned as handbags and were used to store and carry around everyday items.
As seen in the pics above, pockets were tied around the waist and could be accessed through slits on the both sides of the skirts. Pretty convenient and more or less secure from being stolen. But I got to add that the fact that pockets were hidden under the skirt, it didn't really save the owner from pickpockets - street thieves, who cut and took away pockets - hence the name.
Now that we know how pockets looked in the early years of their history, how did they turn into the structures we know now?
The change wasn't quick. First came the Empire silhouette (1790s-1820s), which got rid of the wide skirts to hide pockets under. In this period the pockets modified into tiny bags - the reticules, which served the same purpose, but had to be carried around in one's hands, like modern handbags.
Next big step was made in the 1870s, when small watch pockets appeared on women's dresses. These tiny pockets were still accompanied with much bigger "classic" underskirt pockets and purses.
As much as I know, modern-looking pockets didn't make it onto women's dresses until late 1910s.
In this period pockets hung from the waist were also in, alongside the sewn-on pockets.
After the 1920s, sewn pockets became a regular occurrence in women's fashion. Also it's important to note that as women started to wear more "masculine" garments - trousers, suits etc. - on a daily basis, the elements of men's fashion, pockets included, naturally made their way into women's wardrobe and secured their place there.
And this how pockets made their long way from bags hanging under the skirt to the fashionable slits on modern dresses and
P. S. As I was searching for pictures to add to the post, I came across this nice article on the topic from the Victoria and Albert museum. If you're interested and want to further research the topic, definitely give it a read 😊
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