Reason why women’s jeans have tiny pockets on them
Procrastination can take us to the strangest of places.
Sometimes we're daydreaming about drinking a mojito on the beach, sometimes we're wondering why our clothes are made the way they are.
It was just the other day we got to the bottom of why our knickers have that pesky bow on the front, and now we're moving on to denim.
If you've ever wondered just why your favourite pair of jeans has that mini, almost impossible to use pocket within a pocket, you're not alone.
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It might be easy to assume it's a decision made purely for aesthetic purposes, but that's not the full story.
This might blow your mind a bit, but those little pockets have been hanging around on jeans for over two centuries.
Way back when, they had a purpose
According to research, those mini pockets were originally designed in order to give people the perfect place to store their pocket watches.
I mean, it's pretty safe to assume the majority of us don't have a pocket watch anymore.
The rise of the smartphone has pretty much wiped out the need for a pocket watch - and you'd be hard pressed to fit one into that pocket.
So, why are they still included on our jeans?
It's likely a homage to the most legendary denim company of all time.
The tiny pockets date all the way back to 1890.
It's believed that the mini pockets were used for the very first time in a pair of Levi’s waist overalls (which was their original name for jeans).
Levi & Strauss Co’s in-house historian Tracy Paneck told Business Insider about her findings.
She said: "The oldest pair of waist overalls in the Levi Strauss & Co. Archives (from 1879) includes the watch pocket."
The pockets were first distributed for mass use in 1890 with the "Lot 501" jeans - the same model used for the legendary 501 fit today.
We think that's pretty cool.
A piece of history
Tracy Paneck explained further: "The watch pocket was an original element of our blue jeans, like the rivets on our pockets, button fly, arched back pocket stitching and leather patch.
"To preserve the integrity of the early design, Levi Strauss & Co. maintains the watch pocket."
The watch pocket has always endured in Levi's designs - except during the second world war.
Paneck shared: "One interesting fact about the watch pocket is that during WWII the two corner rivets were removed as a way to conserve metal for the war effort."
They returned after the war.
Now that pocket watches are pretty much extinct, it's got us thinking about what else we could use that little pocket for.
A stray button, maybe? A loose pound coin? Maybe a daisy we pluck on a summer's day...
Realistically, they're pretty much just for show these days.
Still, it's pretty cool to know you're walking around wearing a bit of history.
And if you ever get stuck making small talk - now you have a piece of information that's sure to impress.
Kya Buller