Jeans are a long-established part of the American identity and a worldwide fashion staple. They’re so ubiquitous, however, that you probably never considered every little design element in a given pair — like that little side pocket within the front pocket. At some point, most people have perhaps probed it with an idle index finger or even felt mild annoyance as they struggled to fish out a coin. You yourself might have even wondered what the hell it’s for.
Read More
A time before watches were worn on wrists
Though this pocket’s original purpose may be obscure to many, everyone knows that a pair of jeans just wouldn’t look right without it. Along with other features like visible, reinforced stitching and rivets, it kind of defines modern bluejeans. For denim-heads, the standard, iconic design is termed the 5-pocket: two front pockets, two back ones … and that weird little one sometimes called a “coin pocket.” That name probably describes its most common current use, but it wasn’t invented to store loose quarters.
Jeans as they’re recognized today were originally work pants for American cowboys, miners, factory workers and others way back in the latter decades of the 1800s. The earliest jeans only had four pockets, but the curious fifth one is even present on the oldest pair of jeans in the Levi’s archive, dating to 1879. Also called a “fob pocket,” it offered convenience and protection for what could be considered the smartphone of its time: the pocket watch.
