Renee says "Don't Diss My Pockets!"

Anna sends me a link to this site where the OBVIOUSLY RHETORICAL question of "pockets: hot or not?" is being asked.

The blogger (who, I think, is also named Erin, in some bizzarro-world faceoff of Pockets!Erin vs. No-Pockets!Erin) says:

But they [pockets] defy the very purpose of dresses, that is, to make you feel pretty and girly. Jamming your hands deep in the pockets of a dress does nothing for your shape (think hunched shoulders, stumpy arms and two big wads of fabric adding unnecessary bulk to your hips).

Needless to say, I disagree. I think what defies the very purpose of dresses (which is to make you feel happy & most like yourself) is having to haul along a giant shoulder bag: think lopsided leaning, aching arms, and a huge goiter of a bag adding unnecessary bulk to your everywhere.

I also don't think women should have to decide between having a place to put a lipbalm, some ID, and their keys and looking as slim as possible. Jeez, there are worse things in life than bulk on the hips, especially when it's apparent to anyone with the sense God gave a junebug that it's Something In Your Pocket, and not that you were Happy to See a Twinkie. (And, might I add, so what if you were, at one point, happy to see a Twinkie? I am getting so very tired of machinations of the Diet-Industrial Complex ...)

I'd say "go leave a comment" but the site is all whirligiggy with popup boxes and too many flashing things and whatnot, so don't bother. You can comment here, I don't mind.

[Thanks to Dara for sending the picture!]

Comments

[Nancy Bea Miller]

I am all for pockets, even in ball gowns. Erin, I think you could write a book called The Hundred Pockets, based on this quotation:When one has much to put into them, a day has a hundred pockets.Friedrich Nietzsche

[rka]

I am pro the pockets on dresses, though I dont think I would for example put a bunch of keys into one on such a lovely dress :-) But why bother with a handbag when you for example go shopping and need two empty hands for actually doing something?

[twollin]

isn't it better and certainly more independent to have pockets in one's dresses (and skirts too - let's vote for pockets in skirts) rather than have to drag around a bag or even worse, have your escort drag around your bag or plunk your lipstick, cell phone, keys and teeny wallet into THEIR tuxedo pockets? My dear mama always told me to make sure I had "car fare" (hey, she was born in 1919...they called it "car fare" in those days)in case my escort got "fresh". Where would I have had the room to put said car fare and the lipstick et al. if I had not had pockets (or an evening bag that was bigger than an elongated hamburger which is the size I see these sweet young things carrying about these days)? In the case of this lovely dress worn by Miss Zellweger, I have to say that if she'd put anything larger than a quarter in there, I'm sure we would have been able to see it like an x-ray since the dress has been rather closely fitted for her, but also, I doubt that she was all that concerned that a couple of internal flaps of silk were going to put any viewer in the mistaken thought that she had gained a bunch of weight (please note the rather prominent clavicles and shoulder bone structure which, as we all know now, is the advertisement that the super-thin actresses and models use to let the rest of us know that their body fat percentage is a whole heck of a lot smaller than ours is).

[dawn]

I can't stand not having pockets. I need a tissue available at all times! it's also nice to have a couple bucks in case the ice cream man goes by.

[Julia]

I don't like pockets because they flop and jingle when I move. Doesn't that bother you?

[Henriette]

Isn't it great that we can just decide if we like to use our pockets or not - that's a decision which certainly shouldn't bother anyone at all?

[Shauna]

I like having the choice of whether or not I want pockets. Some days I just don't feel pockety, other days I do. There is nothing un-lovely about pockets (in fact, pockets are VERY lovely!), and I am thrilled that I can choose pockets or no-pockets whenever I want to!

[Miz Shoes]

Frankly, I think someone should force-feed Miss Zellwegger a Twinkie or two. Or a cheeseburger. What is wrong with a little body fat? That dress would look smoking on a body with some T&A. As for pockets? I'm with this Erin. There should be more pockets. Patch pockets, welted pockets, pockets on a seam.

[Latter-Day Flapper]

I'm a die-hard pocket convert. In addition to being useful, pockets are a terrific opportunity for decoration (all those 1950's aprons with novelty patch pockets!).

[The Frankenerd]

I find it interesting that they say that pockets belong on pants or shorts only. Pockets on pants or shorts can really ruin a clean line, and many style guides insist that people sew their pants pockets closed to maintain that line. There is room in most skirts or dresses to put a pocketfull of stuff without making a nasty bulge, whereas on pants a pocketfull of stuff can make one look as though one has a tumour.

[Anonymous]

Yes, pockets!! I have all my lovely grandmother's dresses/suits/aprons and they all have pockets which tells me they must be cool because she only wore fabulous things all the time!!Wearing a dress makes one feel like something special could happen and having pockets makes the "mommy I need a tissue" response so much more elegant than looking for a restaurant napkin or what have you!

[Jen]

Good heavens, what silliness! Pockets are a fine thing in a skirt or dress, and far more so than in pants, as Nuala points out.Furthermore, while I'm usually not happy to see a Twinkie, I'm nearly always happy to see ice cream. Or fudge. Or cupcakes.

[Anonymous]

Pockets are a YES.

[canadian sadie]

I love pockets, and I actually love this dress. I hate not having a place for my lipstick and my keys. I HATE a purse more than i hate eating liver, so Pockets? Heck yeah!

[Charles]

What I don't get, is the idea that just because one has pockets on your garment, that it is an Imperative of Nature that one must shove your hands into them and then spend the rest of the day in that posture. Pockets are for stuff. Gloves are for covering your hands.Don't use pockets as gloves."hunched shoulders, stumpy arms and two big wads of fabric" problem solved. :-)

[Archivarian (An Archival Library Mistress)]

I'm a fan of pockets in skirts ever since I discovered they were big in Banana Republic's fall '06 skirt line. I have a charcoal bubble skirt as well as a gold and a black satin a-line skirt (yes I did buy both of them), all with pockets. Perfect for keys, lip balm and I still can carry my cell and other necessities in a tiny clutch (if needed) when I'm out on the town. Since the skirts are are the fuller side, you don't notice any bulk.

[Theresa]

Personally I love seeing that some designers are putting pockets in evening dresses. I properly constructed (and fitted!) dress, skirt, or pants with pockets will not bulge or flop or do anything to ad bulk. I see no bulk on Ms. Zellwegger. I used to buy men's blazers instead of womens becuse they have more pockets. I hate fake pockets - so useless!

[Anonymous]

Because pockets in pants are so icky in the clean line way and because I have bodacious ta-tas, I have always subscribed to the theory that the best pockets are in the "treasure chest."While the diet-industrial complex does tell us we should be as slim as possible, bootylicousness and gravity defying ta-tas are also de rigour. I propose to solve this problem with judiciously placed pockets. An exterior chest pocket augmenting the front of a bodice could be well stuffed with id, cash, plastic card and electronic thing-a-magiggies, and then padded out the front with a supply of kleenex or "sanitary supplies," thus saving us huge amounts of cash in surgeons fees and doctors fees from the later degradation of our intra-chest jewelry.Similarly, a booty pocket could be made to serve the same purpose, (though sitting down would be much more hazardous) but so many more of us already have the bootyliciousness going on, it might only really be in demand for those who have starved themselves so much that they could use a greasy cheeseburger.

[LL]

Hear, Hear! Pockets on everything! A well-executed pocket will not ruin the line of any garment and it is up to the person wearing the dress not to stuff it full of crap and/or not to stand around all schlub-like, elbow-deep in their evening gown.Goodness gracious, people. Women carry ID and money and perhaps don't want to have to hold a damn evening bag all the time. Is it really *that* novel of a concept??

[Christina]

I must say I prefer pockets for chapstick and cell phone, but unless said pockets zip or snap, I'll put my valuables in a purse because I'm paranoid of stuff falling out of my pockets or being stolen.

[Lori Jean]

Yeah pockets, but in the case of this dress, I don't think it was necessary to embellish so heavily to draw attention to the pocket seams. Subtle decor or decor elsewhere to draw attention *away* from the pockets would have been a better way to build it... in my humble opinion. :)

[Lisa]

Totally off topic but why can't they ever seem to make decent pockets on pants? If the pants fit then the pockets aren't really useable but if the pockets are functional the pants fall off you! I'm pro-pocket. Especially those cute little patch pockets on dresses and skirts. They look so nice and work so well without getting twisted or looking bulky. :)

[Moonwishes]

I love pockets also, but pockets in the particular are that they appear in Renee's dress and a few patterns I have seen presents an image of a woman scratching her 'private parts'. These pockets are way too far in front. I also think a grown-up doesn't need to have her hands in her pockets at all times either.But I do love pockets on the sides or patch pockets in the front. I guess the way hers are constructed remind me too much of major league baseball players when they forget the camera may be on them.

[Anonymous]

I heart pockets, and was really cheered to see many ads in Vogue this past winter featuring dresses or skirts with pockets. Real ones, you know, that you could actually put things in. Not that I'll be buying the Vogue dresses, but I hope to see this trickle through the fashion industry.As someone who usually carries a purse, I am always asked by my boyfriend and various friends if they could just stick their wallet/keys/inhaler/gloves in my bag, so they don't have to carry them around. I do it, but it drives me nuts. goldilocks

[Laura]

I discovered the wonderfulness of pockets two weeks ago while visiting my best friend. I borrowed a dress for a night out, an adorable little soft cotton black swingy thing with pockets sewn on the front. I held one of the pockets shut with a cute pin and it was just the right size for my id, cash, and lip gloss. It was so great not to worry about lugging around a purse while dancing and I had the best time! Hooray for pockets!