Originally posted by mickeyobe
Are any of you old enough to remember when all men's pants always came with a watch pocket in the waistband?
Well I wouldn't say one would need to be 'old' to know things like that, or perhaps I might be showing my age in responding to this?
Yep you're right, it was called a "fob watch" pocket (in my cultural corner of the planet anyway). Those classic watches were restained by a chain for which there was often a dedicated small button too on men's apparel, to attach its tether. The chain and the usually inner-sewn non-visible pocket served to avoid snatch & grab theft too. Watches were pretty expensive at the time, and very much a necessity, unlike today with near-unavoidable ubiquitous clocks ruling our lives.
Also, jeans to this day still sport a small inner right-side pocket, presumably for small coins? Or is it a continuance of the fob (watch) pocket tradition too? Mssrs Davis & Strauss did design jeans back in the late 1800s and the classic, trad-style is still maintained (on some brands anyway).
Also men's trousers, not just dress ones either, were also typically fitted with six buttons to the inner waistband, 2 sets of 2 at front and one pair at back -- in case the young whipper-snappers here don't know, they were for attaching "braces".
(especially helpful for early lifestyle-obesity problems!)
OT. Hats for men (blokes, of all status and classes), were standard fare back when too, I've actually adopted wearing a hat now not just because of bitey sunburn, it helps shade the viewfinder and allows me to see the silly LCD a bit easier in sunny weather! (and matches my walking stick too in a way which doubles as impromptu monopod - for the total suave camera-toting-geriatric look!)
.R.