"Stitched-up" pockets?

[matei]

Greeting all!

Can anyone tell me when the practice of selling sportscoats/jackets/blazers with "stitched-up" pockets became prevalent?

It is really annoying to try and place something - like your keys, a phone etc., and not be able to because the *!$^% thing is all sewn up!

[binkmeisterRick]

I believe they tack in the pockets so they don't billow out from customers stuffing their hands in them when trying on the coats in the shop. It keeps the coats looking crisp before someone actually buys them. All you have to do is take a seam ripper (or even a small, sharp knife) and carefully pop out the stitching.

bink

[matei]

Thanks for the response.

I had actually tried that on some... and to my dismay I had a pocket that consisted of the entire lining of the jacket!

[binkmeisterRick]

:eek: In that case, the jacket was never made with pockets! My experience has been that new suit jackets with have a couple of light stitches in the pockets to keep them closed before customer purchase. It's usually pretty obvious which stitches to cut, though I've encountered jackets and vests with fake pockets.

bink

[BellyTank]

I have a couple of modern suits where I've left the lower pockets closed to maintain the tidiness- I don't use the outside pockets- make em baggy.
What about ready-made rack suits in shops with fake white hand-tacking on them? trying to look like half way through the Tailoring process?
Don't get it...
BT.

[Andykev]

Most of my suits and sport coats came with the pockets sewn shut. They are easily opened for use as described above. I HAVE seen some where the pocket flap was decoration only and there was NO pocket.

I read this, or maybe dreamed it up, but isn't it true that some gentlemen never put anything in the coat pocket so as to not spoil their sleek look. Keeping the pocket sewn helps keeep the fabric together and hence a tighter look.

Anyone else know if this is the case?

[BellyTank]

Yep, I just said I do that in the previous post-
BT.

[Andykev]

I know BT. Just was wondering if anyone remembers it being written in a fashion book, like "Dressing the Man" or one of those.

What do you mean by the white stitching? Is that what they put on the shoulders? I have seen that, but never guessed the purpose or reason in doing that? Maybe a gimmic to show this suit is "custom".

I'm gonna look in the book and see if either of these things are in the suits chapter.

Any thoughts from our member who is on Saville Row in England? (sp)

[BellyTank]

Yep, I figure it's definitely a gimmick on a ready-made "rack suit"- a dishonest nod to the Tailor.

BT.

[Mycroft]

I hate when they are sewed since I LIVE out of my pockets and need them all.

[The Wolf]

The suits I've bought had the tacked pockets that opened fairly easily when I wanted to use them. Kinda like a charcoal bag.
It is done that way so the suit pockets don't sag before you buy it. A recent Esquire says one should keep them stitched shut so it always looks smooth but I always need more pockets. That's part of why I where vests.

The Wolf

[Mycroft]

Thanks for the info, I heard that too, but pockets are pockets and they are needed.

[The Wolf]

I'm fairly utilitarian when it comes to clothes; if it has pockets I'll use them.
I've had people ask if I'm going to wear my fedora in the rain or other instances. I figure I wear to protect my head, not just look to good.
I still haven't figured out the necktie. It's adds some color and can be used as a tourniquet if necessary.

From out of the night,
The Wolf

[Mycroft]

Its a sign of class (the tie), and it has ancient Roman Origins as signs of athority and leadership. Also, it may be used for identifications as in regimental stripes etc. Finnally, it protects your neck from your collar, sorta off.

[up196]

I still haven't figured out the necktie. It's adds some color and can be used as a tourniquet if necessary.Not trying to be funny here, but when I'm working a detail and it's time to eat, I tuck the tie up out of the way over my shoulder under my brace. That way, if I spill anythig on my shirt, the tie can usually be used to cover up the spill when I'm finished eating.

[binkmeisterRick]

Not trying to be funny here, but when I'm working a detail and it's time to eat, I tuck the tie up out of the way over my shoulder under my brace. That way, if I spill anythig on my shirt, the tie can usually be used to cover up the spill when I'm finished eating.

Actually, that's a great idea! If I'm wearing a vest, I usually okay (as far as the tie goes) but I've never thought of tucking my tie under my braces. I have, on occasion, stuffed my tie inside my shirt before, between the top couple of shirt buttons.

As for pockets, I can never have enough of them. I use them daily. I don't even own trousers without two back pockets. However, it can get pretty maddening when you panic that you've lost your keys, only to find out you put them in a different pocket than usual. :rolleyes:

bink

[Mycroft]

I agree with you binkmeisterRick and I am preety good at not spoiling my tie...<crosses his fingers>>.

[The Mad Hatter]

I read somewhere that unstitching the pockets is bad because keeping them stitched helps keep the shape of the jacket.

[Marlowe]

Its a sign of class (the tie), and it has ancient Roman Origins as signs of athority and leadership. Also, it may be used for identifications as in regimental stripes etc. Finnally, it protects your neck from your collar, sorta off.Yes, the tie has ancient Roman origins. All slaves had to wear a rope around their neck, as a visual cue as to their class. Over time, the slaves of the wealthy, who were often in charge of the day-to-day running and operations of their masters' estates and businesses, began to wear more ornate and expensive tokens of their servitude. It became a status symbol. The modern tie is the descendant of that old custom.

[Mycroft]

I thought it started in the Roman Military, am I wrong?

[BellyTank]

"For over two thousand years - since at least the Quinn dynasty - the necktie (or cravat) has been the most widely used, and the most multicultural of all phallic symbols. The necktie has always been, for a certain class, a celebrated piece of male equipment. The ties were a mark of allegiance, wealth, and belonging at a time when cloth was hard enough to come by for clothes, never mind for articles of gratuitous adornment. They told others, both inside and outside the elite, that the bearers of the neckpieces were the people who mattered - the people who belonged. The tie is a pure fashion statement, a useless, unnecessary item of clothing in addition to its symbolic announcement. However, there are other negative attributes associated with the necktie.

Indeed, the tie was suitably born soaked in blood. The word "cravat" comes from "Croat", the nationality of the soldiers who won Turkey (previously in the Austro-Hungarian Empire) for Louis XIV of France, and who marched victoriously into Paris adorned in colourful silk handkerchiefs tied around their necks. The French King soon copied this style and began a similar fashion among the European aristocravats, pun intended. Indeed, Louis XIV called an entire regiment the Royal Cravattes. Most reference books blame the necktie on the French. The tie evolved from the French cravat, a scarf tied around the neck. The French called it a cravat in reference to the Croatians, who wore colorful scarves around their neck in battle. Considering its origin and symbolic meaning, why do we wear ties now?

Ties which both hang flaccidly from the neck to the groin like a penis, and also point to it, are the very symbol of the phallus, which is so envied by other men and women not for its actual qualities, as much as the social meaning attributed to the gender of its owner. The tie is thus a symbol of the domination of men over women, and of power in general. Consequently, a ruling was made by a particular group..."

BT.

[Mycroft]

Back to pockets, what are some modern uses for watch pockets, just wondering?

[BellyTank]

...don't have one? Get one then!

BT.

[Matt Deckard]

I use my watch pocket as a thumb holder.

As for the stitched pockets... Why have pockets if you are going to keep them shut? It may be okay for the lady using a pocket as an affectation, but I am a man and I use my pockets.
I can only hope for the the triumphant return of the pouch and patch style pockets to return to their former glory.

http://images10.fotki.com/v200/photos/8/83243/347917/071-vi.jpg http://images10.fotki.com/v201/photos/8/83243/347917/090-vi.jpg

[scotrace]

Pockets:
Mine get used. When I get home, the emptying takes almost as long as the changing/washing. Keys, cigarette case, lighter, cell phone, pen, assorted scraps of paper, small wallet (ID & cards), larger wallet (folding money), change, pocket knife, sunglasses, handerchiefs (show & dab). That's the basic setup. Might add iPod, cigar cutter, pocket watch, etc.
The best suits are those with pockets you can fill with rocks and have them look fine at the end of the day. If using the pockets musses them, the suit may be poorly made.

Tie:
Once, at a dinner, a fellow half-stood to say something, and his tie dipped into the oily salad dressing, which quickly wicked its way to the knot.

Oaf.

The tie-as-penis is an intersting, if odd thought.
The fellow mentioned above should have been more careful with his tie if it represents his Business.

Now, why do they stitch the lapel button hole closed? How's a fellow to slip a gardenia in there?

[Zach R.]

I found a great looking brown modern blazer with patch pockets like you have shown in those pictures. Though it wasn't made out of wool, it was a kind of pseudo-suedeish material.

[Vladimir Berkov]

The main problem you have with using the front pockets of a jacket is that eventually they get deformed if you put heavy things in there. You end up with a sort of rumpled professor look. The main issue is that the suit is no longer worn as a practical garment and thus practical details are seldom necessary on suits anymore. If you really think about it, there is no practical reason to wear a suit at all.