THE NEWEST WOMAN AND HER POCKETS.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XX, Issue XXV, 18 June 1898, Page 780

THE NEWEST WOMAN AND HER POCKETS.

TWENTY POCKETS IN THE LATEST BUSINESS COSTUME. It’ anyone ran explain why pockets .should be sacred to His Majesty Man, let him do so at once. Hut while the emancipated young- person is throwing oil the time honoured ‘yoke’ of the ‘tyrant,’ why should she not declare, at this juncture for pockets? Why not, indeed? And pockets it is, for 1 saw a business woman’s dress the other day that fairly bristled with them. There was a time when women did have a pocket. Then even that luxury disappeared, and in its place earn*; the ‘tucked in’ handkerchief and the purse carried in the hand, along with some other horrors of general inconvenience that women might tell a tale of woe concerning. But now those weary hours are past, and the ladv and the pocket go their jaunty way about town, and once more the ‘tyrant’ gasps in amazement as he sees his prerogatives gradually but surely escaping him.

The dress I saw had twenty pockets — twenty fascinating, coveted, darling coyly hidden pockets. Not hidden so deeply that they could not be found, like the one in the comic weekly jokes, but disposed about in such a manner that no one could call that dress a freak or point the finger of scorn at the reckless wearer. The twenty pockets were all there, and they were all useful and some were even ornamental, and all were necessary, and, above and beyond it all—exultant thought —they outnumbered the masculine ones.

When I saw that dress. 1 couldn’t believe my eyes—it was too good to be true; and I could only stare and wonder—and admire. There were three pieces to that dress—three ordinary pieces—a skirt, a vest and a jacket (or coat). Nothing simpler, and yet they concealed the ‘twenty’ with tantalizing coolness. You would never have suspected they were there, but they were, and stuffed, too, with all sorts of things, all the comforts of an oifice, and neat as a pin. Anything mon spink, spank and close reefed

could not be imagined and the woman who did it was emancipated indeed, for what is freedom without pockets? There were pockets to the front, pockets at the back, pockets at the right and pockets at the left, and the

awful question of the ages had been settled. For evei since negligee was permanently cast aside by a set of people calling themselves civilized

these, articles have been in righteous demand. The vest had six of the twenty—one in the waist line, on each side, and two breast pockets, while in the ‘interlining’ were two more that a man said wer<> the thing for holding cheques and any valuable papers the business woman is sure to have (on pay day). It sounds easy, and that woman assured me it was easy, to produce that vest, and that except for the pockets it was in all respects like unto any vest that was ever made. LIKE A GOLF SKIRT.

The skirt had six pockets out of that list, which makes twelve so far, and they were disposed of in the following way:—The skirt was short and simple, fashioned like a golf, bicycle or rainskirt, and had the two side pockets sometimes to be found in that institution. There were, moreover, two more just below the coat rim—fob pockets, men call them—while at the back, in the same relative position as these two, were two ‘hip pockets,’ which were the pride and delight of that y'oung- woman’s soul. Key chain, ring and keys jingled aggressively from one, while the other held a handkerchief that would have made any well constituted mother hold up her hands in holy horror. But there they were, and as pert as you please and that handyl ‘Those pockets are going to keep me going,’ the satisfied wearer and inventor exclaimed; and well they might, for they were there to put the ‘reticule' to shame, the ‘side satchel’ out of a job entirely, and the whole paraphernalia of the woman who keeps a tram waiting while she hunts for change was done away with. No wonder that little woman tossed her head in triumph and thrust her hands into those amazing depths and rattled the loose change with unholy' glee! There were eight more of those pockets in the eoat —eight delightful others, with unlimited possibilities. Two breast pockets, two side poekets, one in each sleeve and two in the coat tails completed the list, and then I sani: exhausted w'hile I listened to their contents. And they were ‘just like a man’s, my dear.’ There were pockets that held latch-

keys—they were on the hip; pockets that held small change—they were in the vest; pockets t(jat held watch and chain, and others that showed a red note book and a tiny pencil and all sortc of things that a person ‘must have’ who goes into business. So why not have pockets, and plenty of them while you’re at it?

BELLA.