At first glance, it seems like the breast pocket is one of the more functional aspects of the dress shirt. It’s the perfect size for pens, notepads, business cards or other small objects. Although it’s certainly tempting to turn out your trouser pockets and put everything in your shirt, this would be a serious fashion no-no. This pocket is not intended to be used for the most part and is only there to add some depth to the shirt and perhaps imply a more active look.
Whether or not you should opt for a chest pocket is going to depend a lot on what kind of job you have and what is considered acceptable attire in your workplace. In the high-end corporate world where a suit and a tie are required, there are a lot of modern formal-dress fashionistas who look down on the pocket as unprofessional – which may have something to do with the 65% drop in pocket-equipped dress shirt sales over the past ten years.
First of all, a pocket would probably be covered up by a jacket during board meetings or conferences. Also, when the jacket is removed the body symmetry created by a tie would be thrown into disarray by the chest pocket. As a quick aside to younger professionals though: don’t worry if you see your aging boss wearing a pocket since anti-pocket views are a relatively modern phenomenon.
If you’re just beginning to climb the corporate ladder and working in a smaller office with a business casual dress policy, sporting a pocket would not necessarily be looked down upon. Of course “business casual” should not be synonymous with “sloppy”, but a dress shirt equipped with a pocket would probably not be crossing any lines if you’re still not golf buddies with Donald Trump.
Doctors, professors, computer techs and other brainy professionals we usually respect more for their minds than their fashion sense can also be granted some leeway when it comes to pocket use (there is a great pocket protector joke to be made here, but we’ll restrain ourselves).
For all members of the white collar community though, a dress shirt with more than one pocket is definitely going to get some puzzled looks. No disrespect to farmers and mechanics, but if you show up to your job as an accountant rocking dual breast pockets, you’re going to look like a farmer or a mechanic, especially with short sleeve shirts. No tie or jacket in the world is going to be able to salvage your authority in such a casual shirt.
Of course, these are the rules as they pertain to the professional world. Once you clock out and head home all bets are off and you can indulge yourself in pockets all you want. Be careful though, if you’re an avid after-hours pocket-rocker who decides to class it up for a date or a party with a bare shirt front: there is nothing less suave than unconsciously trying to put a pen or cigarette lighter into a pocket that isn’t there, only to have it fall to the floor.
Tags: Advice, Business Casual, Details, Pockets, Work Shirts
