The history of fashion is full of pockets: they abounded in menswear and in soldiers', mailmen and mechanics' uniforms, but Elsa Schiaparelli introduced them in womenswear in her "Cash and Carry" collection in the early '40s.
While in America pockets were still just decorative, in Europe large pockets were more functional as with the Second World War women had to carry gas masks, identification papers and ration cards.
The trend continued in the years that followed with Dior and Jacques Fath (the first picture in this post shows a silver silk satin jacket with four pockets, designed by Jacques Fath in 1949 and looking incredibly modern) incorporating large pockets into their elegant designs.
In more recent years, Schiap's "Cash and Carry" collection inspired some of the designs in Christian Lacroix one-off tribute to Elsa in 2013, in Schiaparelli's A/W 2017 collection (by Bertrand Guyon).
In a previous post we also looked at Marni's S/S 17 collection that featured detached and semi-detached pairs of pockets considered as modular elements that could be strapped on any sort of garment.
Miuccia Prada is a fan functional pocket as you may remember from Prada's A/W 2019 collection and so it was only natural that maxi pockets appeared in her Miu Miu S/S 23 collection (showcased during Paris Fashion Week with a presentation that featured a digital installation in collaboration with Chinese artist Shuang Li).
The latter featured basic garments layered in unusual ways and simple clothes like apron skirts tied at the hip (we can definitely redo this at home, even with a piece of leather we may have lying around, so get working…), bra tops matched with pleated and pencil skirts, silky parka dresses and skirts with drawstrings, lightweight utility parkas, stone-washed brown leather coats and denim suits.
Most garments were either covered with large bulging pockets or accessorized with utility belts worn as miniskirts, like the last design donned by a special guest model, FKA Twigs, at the end of the show.
Sacai's Chitose Abe also integrated large pockets in her S/S 23 collection. The latter was actually more complex than Miu Miu and focused on clever constructions, clearly showing the fact that Abe began her career as a pattern-maker.
Showcased in Paris, the collection opened with an ingenious design, a double-breasted hybrid tuxedo jacket that turned into a dress coat fusing with a pleated white shirt and matched with skinny pants (View this photo).
More desirable pieces followed: fitted pleated pants flaring at the ankle, shirts with billowing sleeves, a peacoat turned into a bustier, a trenchcoat renewed through deconstruction and reconstruction with exterior pockets attached to its belt and dramatic split sleeves.
The collection went from black and white to military nuances including light olive green and beige, but the real protagonists were the folds and pleats that added new dimensions to the garments.
Clever tailoring was the key to unlock the collection and Abe's patterns transformed even the most banal or boring piece like an army surplus MA-1 bomber jacket into something more extraordinary such as tank dress.
Even though most designs were structured, the pleats added movement and so did the pockets that were built into the clothes or added as if they were utility belts.
In both Miu Miu and Sacai's cases the belts seemed combinations of 18th century pockets with Schiap's "cash and carry" pockets.
One scary twist is that Schiap's were designed to carry everything you needed in air raids and so you wonder if these designers created these looks thinking about the war in Ukraine.
Miuccia didn't really explain anything about the collection, but Abe said this was a collection to joyously empower people through pleats and guarantee the wearer freedom of movement.
So, phew, the huge pockets are not for the next nuclear apocalypse, but will allow us to leave behind our handbags and carry all our everyday objects that we consider vital extensions of our bodies such as smartphones, and move (or even dance, please?) freely.
Ah, yes, there's a final DIY note to add here: if you want to save money and you're a fan of the "cash and carry" look, search for vintage working pouch bags (like carpenter's pouches) and sport them with a sequinned skirt. You will not just be simply fashionable but bang on trend.
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