Can a Pocket Be Luxurious? or Pocket Parity; Vogue 1939 in Red and Black
My aim in winter trousers was to make something warm, easy to wear, and practical, while being attractive, of course. I took a wool blend novelty weave, a dark red and black which creates tiny vertical stripes on one side of the weave. In a previous post, you saw my muslin test, made in a fabric nice enough to make a wearable garment if it turned out well, which it did. This is a Calvin Klein pattern from 1997 with two kinds of pants. One fitted at the hips and one cut as pleated trousers. I wanted the comfort of the trousers. But both would have been worn by working women as by the 1990s the pants suit was fully accepted on women.
I tweaked the fit along the way, waist and hips, including shortening the crotch length a full inch in total, and shortened the inseam an inch too. Apparently, I am stubbier than Vogue Patterns imagines a woman will be. I shifted the side zipper opening to the back and added a rayon lining as well. Which has made for a nice pair of trousers which fit perfectly. But the final touch was lengthening the pocket lining, which were a decent size to begin with, by a full inch. Now, they feel positively luxurious.
Too often women’s pants in ready-to-wear have no pockets because they are skin-tight and nothing would fit in a pocket, or they have pockets and are still skin-tight and nothing will fit in them which makes you wonder why they put them on in the first place, or they are sad, puny things that won’t fit much of anything as the pocket linings are so short. Men have it better when it comes to pockets. Yes, pocket parity, that is what I sought.
In fact, I stared hard at my husband’s summer shorts one day and realized their side-front pockets were exactly what I wanted. This pattern has side-front pockets and full legs, which I why I chose it, but I wanted pockets big enough for a pair of gloves or a hat. These trousers are part of a country suit to wear while vacationing up north when we will pop in and out of doors as we go.
Yes, there was a time when what one wore in the country was more casual, often made of wool tweeds that showed dirt less, than what one wore in the city. But then suburbia came along and blurred the lines in the 1950s, and then the 1960s came along and the Baby Boomers objected to all dress rules including the practical ones. I like stick to the older rules of place and occasion partly because of the practicality and partly because the clothes reflect my tasks and my mind. When I am relaxing on vacation, one of the pleasures is wearing my vacation clothes. They help free my mind of all thoughts of work.
The fabric was from Fabric Mart which has a wide range of ever-changing offerings. The tiny vertical stripes on one side turn into tiny horizontal stripes on the other. As I will be making a jacket to match, I am already pondering if I will play with the two sides of the fabric. Stay tuned.
You can find Fabric Mart here: https://www.fabricmartfabrics.com/
