All the information about pockets you didn’t know your life was missing!
A really excellent guide to where pockets came from, how they’ve evolved, and the myriad of meanings we’ve assigned to them over time.

I really enjoyed reading pockets! What an interesting and niche piece of history this book covers. I love wearing pockets in my clothing and bags. I feel I am always on a quest to find the perfect coat, pants, or bag with exactly the right pockets that suit my needs for different occasions. Never I had previously considered the socio economic history or the gendered history behind something that would otherwise seem mundane

Pockets covers the invention of the pocket from the 18th century forward. This book addresses the intimacy of pockets and how they were used as everything from intimate clothing to a central argument of women's freedom during the women's suffragette movement.

Booksellers, if you have a customer who enjoys books such as the Orchid Thief, The Feather Thief, Stiff and other niche history books, this would be a great pairing!

I knew about the tie-on pockets that women wore under their skirts in the 17th and 18th c. And, how men’s clothing had pockets, but women needed reticules and later handbags. How often have I seen young women carrying their cell phone, setting it down to do anything, because they couldn’t carry a purse into the gym, and those tight pants didn’t have any pockets? Still, I never thought about the social implications behind who gets pockets.

It was interesting to read about the history of pockets, and the lack thereof in women’s fashions. I was so pleased that this book included illustrations so I didn’t have to search online to see examples.

Pockets were originally bags worn under clothing. They could carry things one needed in daily life, like a handkerchief or sewing kit, or hide a gun or knife. When coats, vests, and trousers became the norm under Charles II, they were filled with pockets. Women had to string one around their waist and reach under their dress to access it.

Society didn’t see that women needed the expense of pockets; men were out and about in the world, and needed their stuff, while women didn’t lead an active outside life. When women DID get pockets, they were smaller than those in men’s clothing. Fashion designers, mostly men, ignored women’s demand for pockets. They would interfere with the silhouette of dress. In the bustle skirt era, women had to reach into the bustle’s secret pocket–if they could reach it themselves.

One particularly interesting tidbit was quite revealing: The uniforms for WAC had no pockets in the skirts, and the pockets on the coat were for show only! So, they had to design a shoulder purse for the women to carry anything!

For most of the 19th c, putting one’s hands in one’s pockets was considered the mark of a ‘loafer,’ a low life, someone with an attitude. Soon, slouching with a hand in one’s pockets became the stance of ‘cool’.

Carlson looks at H. G. Well’s fashion predictions. He imagined a world where people would wear simple, unisex clothes and sport devices that consolidated everything they would need: flashlight, telephone, radio, notebook. He also imagined a credit card basis economy and an automatic lock replacing keys! So, no pockets were needed. Still, when I watch Star Trek shows, I note the unisex, close fitting clothes and wonder if they are reduced to wiping their nose on their sleeves while on away missions!

I enjoyed this entertaining, informative book.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

This informative microhistory will take the reader through the life of a pocket, revealing gender, class, and political history.

3.5 stars

Fun and informative book about pockets. Who knew pockets in clothing had so much history behind them or so much political and gender history?

This is definitely a quirky book, but entertaining. I have long complained about the lack of pockets in our clothing and I am not alone. The historical explanations for lack of pockets as well as the vast differences between the utilitarianism of men's and women's garments was interesting. There are a nice selection of odd photos illustrating pockets through the ages.

The sections on the fashion industry was quite fascinating. Pockets have served as provocative highlights of all kinds of garments. A quick and fun read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Author and historian Hannah Carlson digs deep into the surprisingly rich history of pockets. Personal purses/bags were for everyone in the Middle Ages, but when the first pocket was sewn into men’s trousers, it kicked off centuries of controversy and contemplations about how we move through the world. Carlson explores the pocket’s impact on society, identity, sexuality, and status this excellent microhistory.