Monday, February 27, 2017

Pockets around the web: an essay for pocket equality

I found this nice essay while searching around for pocket news.  It has the usual bits of history about women's versus men's pockets, and expands on our usual battle-cry for pockets with a number of good interview quotes from both women and men on how ridiculous the pocket situation can be.

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Pockets around the web: Tilly and the Buttons Zadie dress sewing pattern

I keep seeing pictures of the Zadie dress and it looks like a knit version of my favorite frankensteined pocket-dress.  The pockets look generous.  Has any pocket-reader made it?  Are the pockets as glorious as they look?

Monday, February 20, 2017

Pocket review: Lee Women's Relaxed Fit Straight Leg Jean

More pants from loyal blog reader Mary!  The Lee Women's Relaxed Fit Straight Leg Jeans (Model 305183C, in size 6 petite) are stretchy jeans with amazing jeans pockets.  I believe these are the same pants, and here on Lee's website.  That model lacks the 3C but it seems to be it.

They have two front pockets, both about 6" wide.  The right one is 6" deep and 3 1/2" at the side seam.  The left one is just a bit deeper at 6 1/4" but shallower at 3" at the side seam. On a second pair both were about 6 1/2", so there is some variation.

The inexplicably asymmetrical front pockets.
The more symmetrical front pockets on a different pair.
The front pockets have the usual jeans curved opening.
The right front coin pocket is 2 1/4" deep and 3 1/4" wide.

The back pockets at 5 1/4" deep in the middle and 4 1/2" deep at the edges.  The pockets are 4 1/2" wide at the top and 4 1/4" near the base.

Standard back pockets for jeans.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Pockets around the web: on sale Land's End Women's Ponté Sheath Dresses

Land's End has last year's sleeveless ponté sheath dresses on sale in floral, fuzzy floral, and color blocked.  It's also at regular price in solid colors.   Sleeved with dots is tempting me at sale price but isn't in my size.  There's black with sophisticated sparkles, too, in the sleeved department on sale, and full price solid colors.   There are petite (usually a tab above the sizing on each dress's page) and plus sizes (they appear to have separate listings for most styles), and even more colors and patterns if you search their website for this style of dress.  Most of them appear to have pockets!   (Double-check, as one slightly different sheath style did not.)  The pockets appear to be on the side seam, with a slight diagonal slash, from looking at the pictures where a human is wearing the dress.  If you've got one of these, let me know how the pockets are!

Monday, February 13, 2017

Pockets around the web: Sew Over It Heather Dress (sewing pattern)

I first saw this great knit dress with pockets, the Sew Over It Heather Dress, at Handmade Jane.  It looks really nice with promising pockets!  Several other bloggers have also reviewed it here, here, here, and here.  This person did two!  Nobody has posted exactly how big the pockets are (and I suppose you wouldn't want to overstuff them in a knit fabric anyways), but it looks like they easily fit a whole hand in, so probably good for phone, wallet, and not-too-many keys at least.

Friday, February 10, 2017

Pockets around the web: pocketed clothing by medical necessity

I found this very interesting article about the true necessity of pockets for people who have an insulin pump for diabetes.  They provide a link to an article with a variety of dresses and skirts (and one jumpsuit) with pockets.  It's unclear to me if they have actually tested all the suggested items for suitability, or if they just think they have big enough pockets from the description.  They certainly look promising.  If any of you pocket readers have tested one of these, do let me know!  This is a use scenario where actual measurements could definitely help someone determine if a given clothing item will let them be able to use the clothing.

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Pocket review: New York & Company dress pants

Another thrift store pair of pants here.  The label says New York & Company Stretch, with NYC-1600 on the back of the label.  They're size 6.  A quick look through the company's website did not turn up any obvious matches to my black pinstriped specimen, but they do show several models with hands in pocket.  So, can't tell you the exact name of these pants, but this company's pants seem worth a check for decent dressy pockets!   These had decent pockets even before my modifications (which of course took them to amazing).

Pocket dimensions are estimated here as I ended up making pocket extenders for these pants (the big pale parts of the pockets), but the pockets rated decent even before.  I wore them to work and never had the usual cargo (keys, wallet, phone) fall out.  The front pockets were 4 1/2", maybe 5" (since I cut off the bottoms to put on the pocket extenders) deep.  They have a top entry slash that is 5 1/2" across.  The pockets are 6" wide and extend to the side seam.  They do not extend to the zipper.  Both sides also have a tiny pocket in the front above the main front pocket.  These are 2" deep and 2 3/4" wide.

Guesstimating the pockets were about 4 1/2 or 5" before I made them AMAZING.
The two back pockets are 3 1/2" deep, 5 1/2" wide, and each have a button and buttonhole to secure anything you might place therein.
I never have used the back pockets but they seem decent.


Monday, February 6, 2017

Pockets around the web: Saf-T-Pockets sewing patterns

Has anyone tried Saf-T-Pockets sewing patterns?  They advertise functional pockets so you don't have to carry a purse.  I see shirts, skirts, jackets, coats, and pants just on a quick skim over their website.  They look promising.

Friday, February 3, 2017

Pocket review: Ann Taylor Loft Veranda Trousers (linen pants)

Purchased in-store (and on sale, yay!) at Ann Taylor Loft in 2016, these linen pants are light and comfy.  I wore them walking around in hot, humid weather, and found them quite nice.  My specimen is a size 8.  This model appears to be sold out but maybe they will come back in the summer (right now Loft's website seems to have more wintry corduroy and tweed).  There were one or two listed on ebay as well.

Front pockets are side-seam pockets with only a slight diagonal tilt, which tend to gape open on curving hips (I learned that here).   Nonetheless, I didn't lose keys, wallet, or phone.

The ruler shows where one of the two front vertical-opening pockets is.
The front pockets, one on each side, measure about 8 1/2" deep at the front (the pocket does not meet the zipper). On the side seam, it is 3 1/2" from the bottom of the pocket to the opening.  The opening is nearly vertical and is 6 1/2".  The pocket is a little over 6 1/2" wide from the side seam at the bottom, and about 5" wide from the opening at the top.  The wearer's right (left on the photo) has a small welt pocket that comes originally sewn shut.  The welt pocket is surprisingly large for this type of small front "coin pocket", at 3" deep and 3" wide, with the opening 2 3/8" wide.

The pants turned inside out so you can see the shape of the pockets.  The pocket left of the ruler is one of the back pockets, the ruler is near the side seam, and the pocket on the right is one of the front pockets.

The back pockets, one on each side, have a flap and button to hold them closed.  The back pockets are 7" deep and 5 3/4" wide.  The opening is a little narrower at 5" wide.

The two back pockets, showing the button-down flap.


These pockets are quite decent!  I want to find more pants like these.

Edited 2017/02/10 to note this has been added to the #SaturdayShareLinkUp!

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Pocket review: Wrangler Blues Relaxed Fit Jeans

Today's specimen is the Wrangler Blues Relaxed Fit jeans, in size 6 x 32, courtesy of loyal blog reader Mary!  The label says WB501DS, which I think is actually the color (as their website has a similarly formatted number behind the color) and there only appears to be one style for this name, available in both misses and plus sizes.

The front pockets are great.  They are 6" at the widest point.  The left pocket is 7" deep at the front edge and 2 1/2" deep at the side seam.  Oddly, the right pocket is a bit shallower at 6".  I found a similar difference on another brand of jeans so it may be deliberate.  Either way, these are generous pockets for jeans nowadays.  The right side also has a small coin pocket measuring 3 1/2" deep and 3" wide.

No clue why one side is longer than the other.
The front are curved top entry pockets.  The entry is 5" from rivet to rivet (the curve is longer).  You can see the coin pocket on the wearer's right (left in this photo).
The two back pockets are 5 1/2" deep in the middle and not quite 5" on each side.  The pockets are 4 1/2" wide at the opening and 4 1/4" near the base.

Typical back pockets for jeans.
Edited 2017/02/07 to note this has been added to the #SaturdayShareLinkUp!