Pocket Customizations

The pocket: it’s more than a place to hold sunglasses or airline tickets. In fact, the presence—or absence—of the chest pocket can alter how casually or formally your shirt is perceived. Here’s a quick guide to what pocket customizations say about your shirt.

No Pocket
The pocket is inherently casual, so the most formal of shirts—such as a tuxedo shirt or a spread collar twill shirt meant to go with a dark tie and a suit—won’t typically have them. But this doesn’t mean that casual shirts must have pockets: if you prefer to keep your flannel plaids pocketless, by all means, do so.

Single Pockets
A single pocket is a classic feature of the oxford cloth button down. Much like that style, a single pocket shirt can navigate downtime and business. Such a shirt will never look out of place with the sleeves rolled up, but can still be worn with a tie and a jacket.

Double Pockets
A shirt with two pockets doubles down—quite literally—on the causal factor. That makes these type of shirts too casual to be worn with business attire, but it gives them a slightly rugged “workwear” feel that’s perfect for heartier fabrics like chambray.