Pockets. Most women want them in their clothing, but some women need them more than others — like conference and event managers. They are the unseen wizards behind the curtain of any conference or event you’ve attended. I did this as a part of my job when I was launching Senza Tempo. The first event I managed, I wore stilettos, a fitted pencil skirt, and a Chanel blazer whose pockets wouldn't hold my phone. That was my uniform in my previous career that suited my lifestyle in part because I always had a purse with me. I never made that mistake again. My new uniform became: low, block heels and a dress or skirt with pockets big enough to hold my phone — which in women's fashion can be a challenge to find. I never really needed pockets before, they were simply a bonus. Now, I actually needed pockets.
The idea of a uniform is something I've explored in journal posts like why you need a travel uniform and on social media, but I've rarely covered how specific design elements like pockets contribute to your uniform. Functional pockets remain rare in women’s clothing despite constant complaints and social media rants. Christina Binkley explored this topic with a number of designers back in a 2016 article for the Wall Street Journal. There's a balance brands have to strike when deciding to include pockets on an item. I often wonder is it more about cost cutting or an active design decision? Indeed, not every style can or should have functional pockets, like pencil skirts. Adding pockets takes additional sewing time and fabric (i.e., money). To get the pocket placement right (a challenge highlighted in Christina's article) brands might have to cut multiple samples — which takes even more money. Regardless of the why, it's simply hard to find functional pockets in professional women's clothing if you don't like men's style suiting. Women may or may not have pockets that might or might not be functional and you simply can't tell when shopping online.
Functional pockets make the Carmel, Lawson, and Diana styles particularly well suited for women who are truly on the go like event and conference managers without being a formal suit.
The Carmel (for reference I'm 5'5)
The pockets in these styles are big enough to comfortably hold an iPhone Plus and sewn in such a way that they don't pull on the fabric and ruin the line of the dress. It's where form meets function, and where having a great patternmaker shows.
The fabric used in these styles (a structured silk wool) and their cut (styles that sit away from the body) is such that the phone or whatever else you shove in there won’t create bulk and ruin the line of the dress. The fabric and pleating create space to move in without being voluminous and overwhelming. It's not the same as being oversized as we see so often in fashion today. It’s a more classical approach, and one that keeps the wearer and her daily life in mind. Excessive fabric gets in the way for busy women with things to do the same way corsets constrict one's movement.
Your clothing should support your lifestyles and shouldn't get in the way of what you need to do.
The Carmel, Lawson, or Diana styles can also truly take you from conferences to cocktails. It’s event wear for any type of event that's naturally wrinkle resistant due to the weave not chemicals. I've had clients buy these styles for semi-formal events transforming the look with their accessories. Some fabrics read purely business formal, while others skew toward evening wear. This silk wool fabric is an underappreciated chameleon. Most clients who have bought one style eventually buy them all — I think because of the pockets, versatility and their long-wearability. They are polished, but forgiving styles.
I often wonder what fashion would look like if more designers worked outside of fashion. I'm sure there'd be a whole lot less fantasy, better options and functional pockets.
Over the next couple of months, I’ll be writing a series of posts on fashion and fashion design for women in the real world. The fashion problems women in the real world face and how good design addresses those problems.
Shop the products mentioned in this post:
$725.00
Inspiration: “It’s such a new look!” exclaimed Bazaar Editor-in-Chief, Carmel Snow, about Christian Dior's debut collection in 1947 which launched the fit and flare dress silhouette. The Bar Suit returned femininity to women's clothing in the post-WWII era and launched… read moreClassic Fit and Flare Dress with Pockets — The Carmel
$695.00
Inspiration: Gamine supermodel Twiggy, neé Lesley Lawson, was face of London's swinging Mod sixties and inspiration behind our mod-style dress. The a-line silhouette was first introduced by YSL in his 1958 collection for Christian Dior, but later designers pared down… read moreClassic A-line Style Dress with Pockets Black — The Lawson
$399.00
Inspiration: "Style: all those who have it share one thing — originality." Named for legendary fashion editor, Diana Vreeland. Our simple and classic a-line pleated skirt with hidden pockets is made with maximum versatility in mind. You'll never have to… read moreClassic A-line Skirt with Pockets — The Diana
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