By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN

Published 8:02 AM EDT, Wed April 9, 2025

Dua Lipa took advantage of the pockets in the vintage Chanel gown she wore to the 2023 Met Gala — a gesture that was not lost on many women who commented positively about the look online. Noam Galai/The Hollywood Reporter/Getty Images

Editor’s Note: Examining clothes through the ages, Dress Codes investigates how the rules of fashion have influenced different cultural arenas — and your closet.CNN — 

It’s a familiar exchange to many women: “I love your dress.” “Thanks, it has pockets!”

So coveted is the spacious inset pouch in womenswear that when they exist, they are likely to attract attention. Take Dua Lipa’s look at the 2023 Met Gala — a vintage, cream-colored Chanel gown with pockets she was able to slip her hands inside, to the delight of many internet users, or Emma Stone’s decision to stuff the exaggerated hip pockets of her red Louis Vuitton dress with popcorn at Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Usable pockets seem like an obvious feature to include in ready-to-wear garments, but that is far from the case. It is standard for dresses and skirts to be pocketless, and when pockets do exist in slacks and blazers, they can be deceptively small. Other times, they’re just deceptive: see the fake pockets that come as a shallow lip over a disappointing seam on a pair of jeans, or a jacket with flaps but no actual opening beneath it.

Yet the demand for pockets is clear. Online, fantasies for pocket space find a like-minded audience, from designer Nicole McLaughlin’s hyperfunctional creations made from upcycled materials (chip-and-dip work vest, anyone?) to Y2K throwback creator Erin Miller cramming childhood paraphernalia into her old JNCO jeans, Mary Poppins-style. The question is rinsed and repeated in forums and on social media: Why don’t women get as many pockets as men?