Ladies, please go to sleep for the nonce – this is for the gentlemen. Manolo has pointed out a crisis in the dressing department:The news that sales of shirts with breast pockets have collapsed - from 90 per cent of all shirts sold a decade ago to 25 per cent today - doesn’t surprise me. The clothes snobs have been fighting them for years, and tragically - for a breast pocket fan like me - they’ve won.Izzy continues:
It is true that, for both men and women, the more functional the piece of clothing, the less formal it is. Think of how you cannot roll back the sleeves on a french-cuff shirt, or how the pockets on a (slimly cut) tuxedo jacket can barely fit anything beyond a money-clip. When it comes to breast pockets on shirts, the issue is to what extent you are willing to trade formality for functionality, a question that each gentleman must determine for himself.Personally, I like the breast pocket [the box pleat flap is my favourite] - far from distorting the shirt, it helps retain its shape whilst remaining soft to the touch. Otherwise one would need starch. Of course it's not meant to have anything more than a notepaper in it.
I have a designer shirt with a zipped breast pocket which is sewn to the inside and it's wonderful. Also, I wear a thicker, softer shirt than the traditional and ubiquitous nasty business shirt.
My shirts are cotton or linen and my ties silk. And yours?
Absolutely essential. Where else is one supposed to keep ones Blackberry?
ReplyDeleteGeek that I am (& getting increasingly scatterbrained) I always keep a notebook and pen in my breast pocket, also handy for screwdriver and camera.
ReplyDeleteI inadvertently bought three shirts without them and hate wearing them, it is like leaving my watch off.
I was going to blog about it but as usual you beat me to it.
I'm done with my nap and I would like to say that a well dressed man is ver-r-r-ry sexy indeed. think how the peak-a-boo pump affects you chaps...
ReplyDeleteI like breast pockets on men's shirts too. Oh, I'm not suppose dto have read this, am I?! Since I'm here, though, I'll also say I like men in suits.
ReplyDeleteBest way to get the girl in is to forbid her.
ReplyDeleteSince I do the shopping (else he'd be dressed in rags) I'm reading too. I'm told that any shirt likely to be worn to golf has to have a breast pocket for the tees. Almost non-existent however.
ReplyDeleteI haven't worn a tie since I was 17. I wonder what happened to my old school tie? Not silk for sure, post war years you know.
I tend to like useful clothes, and rarely dress up unless for weddings or funerals.
ReplyDeleteI also tend to favor cargo pants and a photographer's vest.
I think it's profit rather than style which has seen the end of the breast pocket. Like cheaper shirts tend to be shorter (so they are made with less material) they also tend to have no breast pocket (less material and fiddly sewing costs.)
ReplyDeleteThe nicest shirt I own is one of Jerymn Street ones with French Cuffs and a breast pocket and a collar so stiff you could hangglide on it. A LOVELY shirt that makes even a scruff like me look like royalty.
I rarely use the breast pocket, but I like it to be there. Useful for train tickets etc. which you can stow in there and pull out easily when the conductor comes along (without scurrying around in your pockets.)
rarely use the breast pocket, but I like it to be there.
ReplyDeleteMy feelings exactly.
I despise the shirt breast pocket.
ReplyDeleteYou must admit, it looks pretty dumb to have it pinched against your body by your suspenders, unable to hold anything.
Ah, I had forgotten the suspenders factor.
ReplyDelete