In the 15th century, pockets for men hung like pouches from a belt, which was hidden underneath a coat.
These pockets could be reached through a cut in the outer garment.
Women, who mostly wore tunics and skirts at the time, wore the pocket on their waists between the petticoat and the skirt.
By the 17th century, pockets began to be sewn into men’s clothing, which was mostly jackets and pants.
On the other hand, women’s clothing wasn’t easy for dress-makers to integrate pockets in, so women continued to wear pockets under their skirts.
Then in the 18th century, the women fashion scene changed; with the birth of the first ‘true fashion magazine in Europe’ Cabinet des Modes in 1785, modern fashion journalism originated.
Trends shifted towards slim skirts and tiny waists; fashion journalists began rallying against tie-in pockets in favour of a small hand-held bag called reticule.
Tie-in pockets were said to make the women’s body appear unshapely with a bulge under the skirt.
Gradually towards the end of the 19th century and early 1900s, wearing pants in public*Till this time, in the mainstream cultures across Europe and America, pants were not an acceptable everyday clothing option for women. Only a few tribes allowed women to wear pants, but that was mostly because of their occupations. became an option for women.
Then in 1939, WWII broke out, and there was a shortage of manpower, and women started working in factories, replacing men who had joined the army.
So, women got to wear men-like clothes with pockets, but it was because they were working in jobs previously done by men, and pockets were required.
After America won the war, keenness for domestic life and feminism increased, e.g. pink became the colour for girls, and the focus was back on fashion & slimmer waistlines.
The argument that ‘bulging pockets made the women’s body unshapely’ was back and that ‘pockets in women clothing were for decoration (and not function)’ was endorsed by leading fashion designers.
Another argument about smaller pockets is that the global handbag market is about a $50 billion industry, and designers won’t give big pockets to women to stuff and lose a highly profitable handbag business.
