The Power of Pockets

Our YALA Maraya Midi Bamboo Dress was inspired by a desire to celebrate personal freedom. We started with our soft and stretchy bamboo jersey fabric. Next we gave it a boat neck, elbow sleeves, and a loose fit to help you flow across the beach and the dance floor with equal ease. 

And then we gave it pockets

Nothing beats a comfortable, stylish dress. Except maybe a comfortable, stylish dress with pockets. Why don’t more dresses have pockets, anyway? Turns out, the answer has more to do with power than style, despite what you’ve been told about slimming figures and cleaner lines.

A Brief History of Women's Pockets

Before we had pockets, we had pouches. Whether you wore yours hanging from a belt, or concealed beneath a slit in your coat, everyone needed a little place to carry the day’s necessities. Slowly over the centuries, pouches began to evolve into pockets, sewn into clothing rather than dangling outside. 

But then something strange happened in the 17th century. Pockets became standard issue in men’s clothing, but not in women’s. Women still had to wear their pouches buried under several layers of outerwear. As clothing grew ever more intricate, this effectively made a woman’s money inaccessible, even to her, in public. 

Which was, perhaps, a not-so-subtle way of saying women should stay at home.

Women's Pockets Rise and Fall 

The tide finally turned in the late 19th century, when independence-minded women began demanding accessible pockets. By the time World War II came along, pockets were common on the clothes women wore to jobs formerly occupied by men. 

Unfortunately after the war, pockets in women’s clothing shrunk again, even as our opportunities and responsibilities continued to grow.

Now we’re not saying we want to stow our lives in our pockets all the time. We love a great purse or tote as much as anyone! But isn’t it great when you can slip your phone into your pocket after a call on the go, or drop your keys into your pocket when you go out to check the mail?

Our Promise: Pockets in Every Dress

In celebration of your right to convenience, YALA has committed to putting pockets in all of our dresses going forward. What’s more, we are revising many of the pockets in our current outerwear styles to hold phones and wallets more securely. In everything we do, we keep your freedom in mind.