Does anyone else cut the pockets out of their pants?

[Dee*Jay]

So for years it bugged me that if I was wearing pants that had long front pockets you could see the outline of them down on my thighs, or if khakis had those square pockets in the back I ended up with a square outline on my butt. Then, I got this brilliant idea that I would just cut the pockets out (since the pocket material is sewn to the regular material of the pants, and I don''t cut those threads at all there is no problem with fraying or coming apart, and on khakis where the back pockets come sewn together or have a button closure anyway it really doesn''t matter).

Anyway, we''re having a jeans day at work and someone was complaining that their pockets go down to far and leave these goofy lines on their legs so I told them (even showed them, LOL) about cutting out my pockets and they couldn''t decide whether I was brilliant or utterly stupid.

Does anybody else do this? Am I indeed crazy?

 

[Mara]

i don't think you are crazy to do that but here is what i have found.

most people wear their clothes too tight. this is when you might have a pocket-showing problem. i too have had this problem in the past...wearing too tight khakis thinking i am a size smaller than i really am kinda thing. denial ain't just a river in egypt!

funny thing....when i lost some weight and started buying diff sizes i realized, oh ... okay it wasnt the pants..it was my big ole bootie and thighs!! and now none of my pockets show on my clothes basically.

 

[Dee*Jay]

I get what you''re saying about the pants being too tight, but honestly short of them being big enough to fall off of me, I''ve never had a pair of khakis where I don''t see the pocket outline on my butt. There are even two women here in my office who are THIN (and what I really mean by that is TOO THIN) and both of them wear pants where the pocket outline shows on their butts too. (And it bugs me to no end--can you tell?

)

I have also had jeans where the front pockets are not a problem, but it seems like the last few pairs I''ve gotten have such loooooong pockets in the front that they''re half-way down to my knees, LOL. If they were shorter and up more toward my hipbones they wouldn''t be a problem.

 

[Mara]

hehe i dunno, maybe its the type of pants they are buying?! sometimes the fit or the cut also makes a difference.

sometimes banana makes their pockets a little crazy long, but other than that i have not had any problems recently! but yeah if you are having issues, by all means cut them out if you don't use them...i have done that previously with one pair that had faux pocket lines and then they put the stupid pocket in there. i was like what is this? i can't even use it. haha.

 

[belle]

i've never had a pocket line problem but then again, i like my clothes to fit a little more loose. i think the idea of cutting the pockets out is a great idea if you do get lines though!
guess you don't get the jackpot feeling of finding that forgotten $20 in your pockets much, eh?

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 2/2/2007 1:48:33 PM
Author: belle

guess you don't get the jackpot feeling of finding that forgotten $20 in your pockets much, eh?

Ha ha! As a matter of fact I've sometimes forgotten that I don't have real pockets and stuck change in only to have it roll out the bottom!

 

[belle]

Date: 2/2/2007 2:01:12 PM
Author: Dee*Jay

Date: 2/2/2007 1:48:33 PM
Author: belle

guess you don''t get the jackpot feeling of finding that forgotten $20 in your pockets much, eh?

Ha ha! As a matter of fact I''ve sometimes forgotten that I don''t have real pockets and stuck change in only to have it roll out the bottom!

that is exactly what i was picturing when you said you cut the pockets out!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 2/2/2007 2:16:06 PM
Author: belle

Date: 2/2/2007 2:01:12 PM

Author: Dee*Jay

Date: 2/2/2007 1:48:33 PM

Author: belle


guess you don''t get the jackpot feeling of finding that forgotten $20 in your pockets much, eh?

Ha ha! As a matter of fact I''ve sometimes forgotten that I don''t have real pockets and stuck change in only to have it roll out the bottom!

that is exactly what i was picturing when you said you cut the pockets out!

It''s a good thing I never take off my rings and put them in my pockets, huh?

 

[Molly1024]

Some of my dress pants have non-functional pockets (i.e. pocket is there but sewn shut) so I just cut those pockets out because they don''t lay right.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/2/2007 1:30:55 PM
Author: Mara
i don''t think you are crazy to do that but here is what i have found.

most people wear their clothes too tight. this is when you might have a pocket-showing problem. i too have had this problem in the past...wearing too tight khakis thinking i am a size smaller than i really am kinda thing. denial ain''t just a river in egypt!

funny thing....when i lost some weight and started buying diff sizes i realized, oh ... okay it wasnt the pants..it was my big ole bootie and thighs!! and now none of my pockets show on my clothes basically.

Well geez. I ain''t admitting to pocket showing problems after that post!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 2/2/2007 3:28:10 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 2/2/2007 1:30:55 PM

Author: Mara

i don''t think you are crazy to do that but here is what i have found.


most people wear their clothes too tight. this is when you might have a pocket-showing problem. i too have had this problem in the past...wearing too tight khakis thinking i am a size smaller than i really am kinda thing. denial ain''t just a river in egypt!


funny thing....when i lost some weight and started buying diff sizes i realized, oh ... okay it wasnt the pants..it was my big ole bootie and thighs!! and now none of my pockets show on my clothes basically.

Well geez. I ain''t admitting to pocket showing problems after that post!

Ha ha -- it sent me scampering right back to the workout thread, where I belong!

 

[mrssalvo]

I''ve never cut out my pockets but have avoided purchasing certain pants if I can see the pocket lines. there was a pair of J.crew linen pants i loved but for the pocket lining showing through so I didn''t get them and I they definitely weren''t too small, just made that way..

 

[Mara]

lol hey i admitted to it, TG!!! i think it's happened to most everyone at some point but for me i was like oh DOH it's that my pants are too tight. what you mean i'm really not a 0? LOL.

 

[Finding_Neverland]

I saw a gal at Wal-Mart yesterday, in the grocery section, who had a real problem with this.

Along the lines of the "What Color are You" thread recently. This gal was a "White" chick. Everything she had on was white in color.

I probably wouldn''t have really noticed her had it not been for her pants.

Her pants had those big deep, square pockets in the front. White fabric. Extra layers at the pockets. She took a step and the rest of her pantleg went a totally different color. As she passed, I looked back.

No pockets on the back side. And OMG!!,.......... The panty "OUT" lines!!

 

[FireGoddess]

Hehe...I''d lose all my money and change if I did that....

 

[diamondfan]

I always cut the pockets out when they show and I also sew them shut if I feel they pop weirdly. It just looks better that way to me...

 

[Mara]

i actually in general hate pockets on pants and wish that they sold more pairs without pockets entirely... ESPECIALLY front side seam pockets, i mean who loves those? they flatter absolutely no one, even stick thin girls. they always jut out at a weird angle on me.

 

[Apsara]

This is so funny--I thought I was the only one who did this. It depends on the pants but I have my tailor take out 90% of pockets--cut out the fabric/pocket and sew them up. And I know I am not buying my clothes too small... I''ve tried on three sizes in certain pants--my size and 2 up and in 90% of the cases (esp. light colored materials), the darn pockets STILL show or gap. And jeans--I like a good pair of jeans to hug my curves--if the pockets are too deep, they show up...if you buy the next size up, the jeans are baggy and gapping... just cut them out!

 

[crown1]

i am not buying the too tight theory in my case either. some times the pockets are a problem.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Date: 2/2/2007 7:13:47 PM
Author: Mara
i actually in general hate pockets on pants and wish that they sold more pairs without pockets entirely... ESPECIALLY front side seam pockets, i mean who loves those? they flatter absolutely no one, even stick thin girls. they always jut out at a weird angle on me.

Oh those front side seem pockets are THE WORST. I won''t even try on a pair of pants with those because I just know they''re gonna look weird!

 

[Mara]

Date: 2/3/2007 1:17:15 PM
Author: Dee*Jay

Date: 2/2/2007 7:13:47 PM
Author: Mara
i actually in general hate pockets on pants and wish that they sold more pairs without pockets entirely... ESPECIALLY front side seam pockets, i mean who loves those? they flatter absolutely no one, even stick thin girls. they always jut out at a weird angle on me.

Oh those front side seem pockets are THE WORST. I won''t even try on a pair of pants with those because I just know they''re gonna look weird!

YEP i have one pair of them in a gray pair of dress pants from banana, love the pants but the side seam pockets are just never laying flat, they gap out at a triangle a bit. and i can''t really get rid of them because it would make the line of the pants even more weird.

re the too tight theory, i think that some people definitely DO wear their clothes too tight therefore making pockets even more visible....but i also think that certain manuf''s are famous for making pants with too long pockets that show regardless of how tight or loose they are (jcrew is one of them for me)....i think i also tend to gravitate towards those kinds of manuf''s and pants where i wont have that problem to begin with. if i am trying something in the store and i see pocket seams and i try a larger size and they are still there, i probably won''t buy the pants to begin with!! i just don''t want to deal. so maybe that''s why i don''t recall having an issue...hehee. except for one pair of jcrew pants that bug me. maybe i will try to do some surgery on them.

 

[KristyDarling]

I really try to avoid buying pants where the pockets show through the material. But cutting them out completely is a brilliant idea!!! Why didn''t I think of that before!

As to the too-tight theory, I think whether or not pockets show through depends mostly on the thinness of the fabric. Yesterday, I tried on a pair of Theory pants for the first time ever (thank you, Roppongi, my shopping enabler!). They were the baggy style with full trouser leg, and they fit me perfectly. Not tight, not loose....they just flowed and draped very naturally around the butt and hips. Even so, the back pockets showed through clearly on my flat butt....the reason? The fabric was thin and delicate. Any time fabric is thin and -- well, NOT denim -- the pockets will almost always show through. This includes khaki. I''ve NEVER owned a pair of khakis where the pockets didn''t show...which is why I don''t wear ''em anymore.

And it''s def''ly not because I buy them a size too small.....I always, always make sure my pants have enough room in the tummy area for a steak/mashed potato dinner.

I think cutting out the back pockets is a great idea!!!

 

[diamondfan]

I have a huge peeve about white pants that are more thin fabric and the pockets show as a double layer of the white, for example on your butt cheeks you see the outlines of the pockets but the rest of the pants are a thinner fabric...I have a bruise where I bumped into a table and I could see the bruise through the pants!!! And it doesn''t matter the price point, I have tried on Banana and J Crew up to designer pants costing hundreds...how hard is it to make a pair of white pants that are not in a fabric that shows things, and maybe skip the big pockets that completely draw attention to your rear...

 

[Mara]

df i had the most awesome pair of white pants but i gave them away because they didn''t fit me anymore (though now they''d easily fit, me so bummed i gave them away but my closet was getting way too full)...they had no pockets at all which were perfect, but the material wasn''t too thin and not too thick and they were really flattering for a summer capri kinda cut. straight legged. super cute. so bummed now that i think about it!!! but it does give you hope...hehe. some DO make a good pair of non pockety white pants!

 

[diamondfan]

Mara, who madethem? I am seriously on a mission here! I found some white jeans that have a nice weight, but I really want some nice white pants, long and capri, to wear with these really cute Tory Burch and Lily tunics that I got for spring.

When I give clothes away (usually to my step sis)...she always tells me I can have them back if they fit or I want them...maybe you can "borrow" yours back?

I do keep on searching...just not finding it yet, but I have not given up!

 

[Mara]

haha no such luck, they went to goodwill i think!

as for who makes them...they were a total random find at a surf sale in santa cruz. they didn''t look like surf pants or anything, they were just plain white straight legged cotton capris. super cute and they were like $20 or something crazy. argh!

 

[diamondfan]

that is when you could scream!

I also have a peeve about white shirts that are see through with no way to wear a bra...but that is another thread!!!

 

[Dee*Jay]

White pants... I have almost completely given up on them. I had one pair that I liked but after one trip to the dry cleaners the lining never lay right again. I was always tugging down on it at the ankles or I could feel it shifting around when I walked to sat down, and that was the end of them for me.

I had another pair with no lining but they suffered from the common see-through problem and I don't really want the whole world to know about my underwear situation so they went the route of the Salvation Army too.

Oh well, maybe this will be the summer when I find a pair that I like...

 

[diamondfan]

Dee Jay, it just blows me away that it is that hard to find a staple item like white pants. And seriously, I have tried on Gucci, Chloe, Burberry...expensive labels, and I am shocked that there is not a pair that really works...I just cannot see how this is hard for a designer, especially a woman designer like Donna Karan or someone to come up with a nice fitting, decent quality white pant without pockets that you can see through the pants and that is not so sheer...

 

[moremoremore]

You''re not wearing Prince''s ass-less chaps are you? HEHEHE JK

LOL. I laughed when I read this b/c it''s also a pet peeve of mine.....some fabrics are just clingy even if they fit well....I have some sweaters like that and while I''ve never cut pockets out, I specifically wear non-butt pocket pants with those sweaters...and I have a pair of pants where the front pockets just "stick" out a little...so I sewed them shut....