One of the lesser reasons to wear a jacket even in summer is that a man needs a place to put his walking around stuff. There does not tend to be as much of that as a lady carries of course, since we are spared the need for a makeup bag. But though the virtual disappearance of smoking means the lighter and cigar or cigarette case are usually left at home, there are still quite a few things. My own fairly ordinary list of items was recently inventoried by the institution to which I was committed:
-Card case
-Money clip
-Keys
-Wallet
-Phone
-Sunglasses
-Eyeglasses
-Handkerchief
All of this requires eight pockets, two in the trousers and five in the jacket. That means that not just any jacket will do either. Those activewear things designed by someone who thinks that a man can get by with one interior pocket do not make the grade. I specify four interior jacket pockets alone most of the time these days - the extra storage makes space for a second wallet with travel documents when I am on the road.
None of this addresses the inevitable question of what to leave out or what to do when a jacket will not be worn. Unless at a resort or other place where all I need is a room key, my own answer is nothing - I carry all of it in a bag - but others will have their own solutions.
What's in your pockets?
Illustration: Esquire
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12 comments:
So easy to mess up a jacket's silhouette with these random items we have to carry around. As for me--
-money clip, back right pants pocket
-keys and phone, back left pants pocket
-card case, right interior breast pocket
-pocket square, left breast patch pocket (naturally)
This arrangement keeps the silhouette intact, except it makes my butt look a bit lumpy from the side. On days when I have my briefcase with me, as much of this stuff as possible goes into the briefcase.
I was curious about your very uncharacteristic dearth of posts for most of last week. I trust the institution has done its work and that all is well. Delighted to have you back.
Hi, first-time commenter here. I'd love to wear a jacket more often in the summer, but my biologically inferior sweating issue makes it unwieldy. I'd ruin my shirts too quickly with all the sweat.
For years I've carried a front-pocket wallet--basically a leather card pouch with a money clip attached. Some might frown on that, and it is an odd silhouette, but it's handy, and it allows me to leave my biologically superior derriere unruffled when I go jacketless. The wallet always goes in my jacket pocket when I'm wearing a jacket, but otherwise it goes in my front trousers pocket. Same for my keys. And of course my hanky goes in the back.
The phone presents a problem, though only in the last decade. If I'm going without a jacket, I tend not to carry a phone around with me unless I absolutely need to. I prefer to leave it on my desk, along with my keys if I don't need them. If I must carry my phone, it goes in my front or back trousers pocket or shirt pocket, depending on my mood.
Feel free to tell me if I'm doing something very silly. I'm always open to new ideas for doing things better.
This post indirectly answers the question, why are cargo pants/shorts so popular? Pockets to carry gear, of course.
Cargo pants/shorts are 100% acceptable in the great outdoors. Other than that....
Another solution is to simplify. My cell phone is for travel, or when one spouse is out and might need to be contacted by the other. It normally stays home. My PDA* is a paper datebook (one-year calendar type) that fits in an interior breast pocket; it stays home on most weekends. My wallet is a slim bifold with as few cards, and as many wallet pictures of my family, as feasible. Comb, keys, pocket knife, cash, and coin purse (yes, a coin purse) make up the rest.
I carry a bag much, much less frequently than I used to. Maybe I should revisit that habit.
* Personal Data Assistant, in my case.
I have a safari-esque jacket that I wear on weekends because I've become so accustomed to having jacket pockets during the week. My inventory:
Wallet—Right interior breast pocket
Phone 1—Left jacket hip pocket
Phone 2—Right jacket hip pocket
Keys—Right jacket hip pocket
Cash (rarely carried)—Right front trouser pocket
Phone 2 came with the job and I hope to consolidate to one phone ASAP. I became so tired of dealing with the shuffle between eyeglasses and sunglasses that I just gave up on wearing sunglasses on a day-to-day basis. Good riddance (and one fewer item on which to obsess and spend money).
I was just re-reading "Another Man's Poison"...the biography of George Frazier by Charles Fountain. Frazier insisted that his wife carry everything so that he wouldn't risk destroying the lines of his jacket/trouser assemblage. I wonder what he did after his divorce.
And Lee,even if it's true, don't make self references reflecting such visuals as "makes my butt a bit lumpy from the side" !
This is an ancient problem, where and what gear to put. For me it is as much a routine I need so I don't misplace or lose items, as it is an accommodation of the lounge suit.
Cardholder left rear trouser pocket (hold over from youth carrying a wallet);
Cash front right trouser pocket or casino pocket at waistline;
Vehicle key right jacket pocket but within another small inner pocket of that;
Sunglasses left interior jacket breast pocket;
Reading glasses right interior jacket pocket;
Phone not carried if possible, but if I must lower left interior jacket pocket.
Great pleasure to have you back, Will. I missed your contributions greatly.
Here is to a speedy recovery. Cheers.
believe me men with bags dont attract women, ask some,andthey look totally anti bogart and more liberace
What's in your pockets?
AS LITTLE AS I CAN MANAGE!
Wallet, right hip pocket, Iphone left breast pocket, a single (car) key, ticket pocket.
A real issue for me; much as I hate bulging pockets, I utterly detest handbags--there's no other word for them--HANDBAGS for men!
My father--a retired Marine officer--let me know that he had most of the pockets of his uniforms sewn shut. A cure for packrats if ever there was one.
I heartily concur in the need for a summer jacket. I quit putting my wallet (and much besides) into my pants pockets when graduated college (and weekday jeans-wearing) and have never looked back. This is not a problem outside the summer and the unlined or part-lined jacket fills that season. For me, the daily inventory consists of:
-money (sans clip) in hip pocket;
-keys on desk;
-card case in interior pocket;
-phone in other hip pocket; and
-sunglasses in breast pocket.
When I don't wear a jacket, my wallet and keys sit together. Years of practice means that I no longer forget either. Lately, I've been feeling even this inventory is too much.
If you wear braced trousers you can have pocket-watch style pockets made on the waist between the brace buttons. Heavy stuff, such as mobile or keys, can be carried therein without spoiling the line of the trousers (from any angle) or the hang of a light summer jacket, since they are directly supported by the braces. Coins can go in a coin pocket within the right trouser pocket, again effectively supported by the braces. That leaves jacket pockets for lighter stuff, which if properly done can add to the structure in a balanced way. HTH
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