Front Trouser Pocket Styles that Flatter

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Angie is co-founder of YLF and its resident fashion stylist.

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Front Trouser Pocket Styles that Flatter

— by Angie

on January 25, 2011

Just when you think you’ve found a great pair of tailored trousers or jeans, the front pocket positioning breaks the deal. Front pocket styles on trousers and jeans can be wildly frustrating when they gape, bunch up on the hips and thighs, or when you can see the pocket linings through the fabric of the pants.

Spring 2011 is a pants season and now is the time to stock up on trousers and jeans in all sorts of silhouettes. To help you minimize unflattering front pockets I have summarized the front pocket shapes and positions that generally look fab.

The key is to find trousers and jeans with pocket openings that are positioned away from the side seam:

Five pocket style: This type of pocket design is found on most jeans. Two patch pockets in the back, two curved pockets in the front plus the tiny money pocket. The deep curve of the front pockets coupled with the stiffness of denim is a winning combination if the pocket linings aren’t too deep. See photo 1.
Slanted front pockets: These pockets are a little closer to the side seams, but are still far enough away so that they don’t interfere with the shape of the pants on the hip and thigh area. The pocket linings are usually shallow which prevents them from showing through. Photo 2 shows slanted pockets on tailored trousers, while photo 3 shows slanted pockets on slouchy pleated trousers.
Welt pockets: Welt pockets are great for the same reasons that slanted pockets are great. Shallow pocket linings and no side seam interference. See photo 4.

On-seam pockets and side entry pockets like the ones you see in photos 5 and 6 are often tricky to wear, especially with curvy thighs and hips. They tend to work well on curveless men but not nearly as well on most women. The pocket openings are too close to the side seams, which often causes fit distortion.

Sometimes I just wish they’d leave all pockets off tailored trousers, like you see in photo 7. No gaping, bunching or pocket linings to deal with. What a pleasure.

Note that the photos above have affiliate links to YLF partners.

42 comments · Add a comment

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Great pocket tutorial, Angie. Every time I try on pants with side pockets I wonder why they put them on the pants for women anyway. It is not like anybody is likely to carry anything in them…
One of the solutions I have when trousers are perfect in everything but the pockets is to have the pockets sewn closed – in this case there no gaping anymore!

January 25, 2011 at 4:04 am

rute

Veteran

Couldn’t agree more with you! I wish all woman trousers had no pockets..

January 25, 2011 at 4:33 am

Alison

I’ve had some luck with tacking on-seam pockets shut with a few well-placed stitches. So, for me, they’re not a deal breaker.

January 25, 2011 at 4:39 am

Sihaya

Veteran

This is great. Thanks Angie. By and large, I prefer not having front pockets at all. Sometimes even the “good” pockets can gape and since I don’t use them to carry things, I find them of little use.

January 25, 2011 at 6:27 am

Lisa

Veteran

I knew there were some pockets that worked better than others with trousers. This is helpful to have on hand for quick reference when shopping. I wish front pockets were not on trousers, only jeans. I have never used my front pockets on my dress trousers.

January 25, 2011 at 6:29 am

Nancy

(website)

Thanks so much for the tips but I have to say that I love my pockets. I like to keep my cell phone handy for one thing. I was an educator for many years and it was helpful to keep my room key in my pocket. I agree with you about the on-seam pockets. My favorite is the jean pocket if it isn’t too deep.

January 25, 2011 at 6:42 am

Irene

Veteran

I only wear jeans nowadays so maybe my opinion doesn’t count, but I LOVE pockets: I hate it when I wear a skirt or a dress and it doesn’t have pockets and I don’t know where to put hankerchiefs, rubberbands and things like that. Oh, well, I’m always in the need to keep things. I guess.

January 25, 2011 at 7:50 am

Eva

Active Member

Perfect timing on the pockets topic. I was frustrated with the pockets in my dress pants this morning. I find most of the pockets are side entry as in picture 6, which just puffs out if a gal has hips. I have sewn several pockets shut, but it bothers me that I need to take the extra effort when they could just make the slant pockets or no pockets.

January 25, 2011 at 7:55 am

cloud9

Veteran

I love pockets! I have a habit of tucking one piece of tissue in the pocket, even if it is a tiny pocket. Side pockets are definitely nightmares. I like #4 best (besides jeans).

January 25, 2011 at 8:03 am

Katie

Actually i like the picture 6 pants the most. I like the side pockets and the straight central line that goes right from the belt. I think they make the legs look longer than the ones with no line on thights. And I like the looser cut. Maybe slightly difficult to wear( short top needed, but definitely nice

January 25, 2011 at 8:09 am

Diana

Veteran

I have to disagree with you and say that I love the look of front pockets on trousers. I do agree that the five pocket and slant front ones are most flattering. One trick I’ll sometimes employ is to sew side seam pockets shut if they are gaping too much. Sometimes only sewing up the bottom portion of the pocket works too. This only works if the pants are not super tight though. I also LOVE the pockets on my BR martin skinny pants that zip shut!

My pet peeve with pockets is when they show through the fabric of the pants. I see lots of white pants like this, and also some pants made of thinner fabric where you can see the outline of the pocket.

January 25, 2011 at 8:10 am

chewyspaghetti

Veteran

This is one of the reasons that I don’t end up with pants. They are so difficult to fit, anyway- and then add in pockets! But then if I had more pants, I doubt that I would wear them.

January 25, 2011 at 8:19 am

teri

Veteran

I just sent a skirt to have the pocket sewn shut because they always seem to pucker out.

January 25, 2011 at 8:25 am

Palmfronds

Agree totally with you on this one Angie! I came on giant step closer to enjoying my curvy hips when I taught myself how to cut pockets out of pants and sew the seam shut on my own.I do that with ALL my pants except jeans.love the streamlined effect it has, and the bulkiness totally disappears

January 25, 2011 at 8:28 am

Nichole@40daysof

(website)

Thanks so much for breaking this down. I also wish that dress pants at least, had no pockets. I’ve even had pockets on (knee length) shorts sown shut before. Many times I find pockets to be more annoying than helpful. I do like having them on jeans, though.

http://40daysof.wordpress.com/.....n-edition/

January 25, 2011 at 8:51 am

morethanbeige

Veteran

This makes a lot of sense. Thanks for summarizing the types of pockets. I don’t know how many times I have been in a fitting room holding the pockets closed and thinking what great pants these would be if the pockets looked like this. I didn’t know the rhyme or reason. Thought when the pockets looked good it was magic!

January 25, 2011 at 8:59 am

Deb

Active Member

Hokay …

I’m trying reeeeeeally hard to feel the love for those pants in #3 – the “draped, tapered trousers” … aka “droopy drawers.” Setting aside the actual style – it seems to me the dropped crotch would chafe the inner thighs as we walked. Ouch.

I guess that once my eyes become accustomed to seeing these swaying down the street, I’ll understand – and run to the next shop to plunk down my money for a pair.

I guess. :-/

January 25, 2011 at 9:06 am

Bianca

Veteran

I guess it all depends on the pants. Sometimes if the pants are nice and are a great price, but the pockets look misshapen, I have the tailor (or my Mother-in-law who is a great sewer), close the pocket and or take out the fabric. It really makes ‘go from “ok” to GREAT with this little trick!

January 25, 2011 at 10:30 am

summerbl4ck

Active Member

I couldn’t live without pockets! Where else would I put a couple of business cards or my phone? Especially within the office, when I wouldn’t carry a bag or wallet. It’s good to know which style pockets to look for, but I could never do without!

January 25, 2011 at 10:58 am

RoseandJoan

Veteran

You are a naughty little sausage, those Philip Lim trousers is cantaloupe just look fabulous for spring! I have to admit I have not really given much thought to trouser pockets before, I guess longer length tops and tunics have meant they where for the most part covered, but now with the rise of the top and the trend for tucking it is going to become very important to get the pocket placement right.

January 25, 2011 at 10:59 am

LoP

Veteran

I agree with the annoyance of some pockets, but I love pocket detailing. I find pants with no pockets harder to wear if the fabric is thin. Structured thick wool pants is an exception since I prefer them without pockets to avoid extra layering.

January 25, 2011 at 11:00 am

Deb

Active Member

RoseandJoan … If you say so! :-O

But seriously – with the baggy front and the slim posterior, we’re going to look like we’re walking back-asswards down the street! LOL.

January 25, 2011 at 11:21 am

san

Veteran

Thank you for lining us out on proper pocket placement. I know bad looking pockets when I see them but hadn’t put 2 and 2 together and the how’s and why’s.

I like the Simone by Elie Tahari pants with the pick stitching on the pockets. I also like the Sloan fit from Banana Republic with the welt pockets but I’m not crazy about the bulky belt loops.

January 25, 2011 at 12:31 pm

Imogen Lamport

(website)

Great post, and so right, pockets can be so frustrating for women as they distort the shape of the pants. Quite often, with welt type pockets, or any pocket that gapes, I just sew the pocket closed and cut the pocket out of the pants, works a treat to keep the line smooth.

January 25, 2011 at 12:46 pm

Inge

Thank you for this handy overview, Angie. Like San, I usually see it pretty quickly when something is looking a bit off with the pockets when trying on pants, but I could never really put my finger on what exactly was bothering me.

January 25, 2011 at 12:57 pm

Ljubica

Active Member

I like pockets, especially on jeans.

January 25, 2011 at 1:00 pm

catgirl

Veteran

I have a friend whose only advice about remodeling a kitchen was not to get drawer handles that would catch on the side pockets of her pants!

A lot of j crew pants have those side pockets i can’t stand. The combination of low rise and that cut of pocket – who looks good in them? And I hardly have any hips!

January 25, 2011 at 1:10 pm

catgirl

Veteran

In fact, you can see it right in this picture! The drawer-pull snagging pocket in action, sticking out to the side:

http://www.jcrew.com/womens_ca...../33844.jsp

January 25, 2011 at 1:11 pm

Debora

Veteran

This is an incredibly helpful post, Angie. I prefer no pockets at all on tailored pants, and absolutely hate pockets that show through the fabric. A big frustration when looking for white pants.

January 25, 2011 at 1:12 pm

Scarlet

Veteran

Ah, that makes so much sense that welt pockets work on men and not necessarily women. And to think all this time I thought I was the only one with pocket gaping problems.

January 25, 2011 at 1:39 pm

April

Veteran

Pockets on dress pants are a chief complaint of mine. Personally, I feel that if you need a pocket for your phone or one of the other things people claim to be needing pockets for, you’re better off wearing a jacket.

January 25, 2011 at 1:40 pm

Michelle

(website)

Veteran

Fabulous, spot-on post! Side-entry pant pockets are the bane of my existence, while slanted pockets are among the best inventions ever for a curvy girl like me. Flap-pockets on the back also send me into a rage. These are fool-proof tips that guide my every pant purchase!

January 25, 2011 at 2:08 pm

Carole

Veteran

This makes so much sense! Thanks, Angie!

January 25, 2011 at 2:45 pm

marianna

Veteran

Great post. I am refreshing my trouser collection at the moment and it is SOOO difficult to find a good fitting pair. Argh.

January 25, 2011 at 5:40 pm

Maya

Veteran

I do not think about pockets at all when purchasing pants.

January 25, 2011 at 6:31 pm

taylor

Veteran

I don’t have a problem with pockets anywhere.
I particularly love side seam pockets like on men’s trousers, but I have realized that MOST women are not a fan of this look and this style is the least flattering on curvy women..

January 25, 2011 at 8:15 pm

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

This will be very helpful for online shopping, particularly! Thanks!

January 28, 2011 at 6:07 am

Adrienne

Possibly I cant live without pants pockets. I tend to talk with my hands and my boss hates that about me so in order to not annoy her I keep my hands in my pockets to cute down on my “talking hands”. But I am wondering if inverted triangle body shape can handle wearing the side opening pockets better than say a pare shape female body type?

January 29, 2011 at 3:48 pm

Adrienne

Possibly I cant live without pants pockets. I tend to talk with my hands and my boss hates that about me so in order to not annoy her I keep my hands in my pockets to cut down on my “talking hands”. But I am wondering if inverted triangle body shape can handle wearing the side opening pockets better than say a pare shape female body type?

January 29, 2011 at 3:49 pm

Kari

Veteran

Totally agreed – and I have learned this by trial and error.
However, you can always cut out the side-entry pockets and stitch the pocket straight onto the pant. I’ve done this a time or two in the past, and it kept the pocket shape from distorting my hips.

January 30, 2011 at 11:56 am

zinnia123

Active Member

Thank you for the pictures and information. I have an hourglass figure and certain pockets gap and look terrible. I’ve also had the whiskers look on some pants. It’s good to have a guide for new purchases.

April 16, 2014 at 6:04 am

Ginger

Need help finding pants wtih top front pocket, horizontal slit opening. Near waist, not on side. Important to my health, please help.

March 21, 2015 at 12:54 pm

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