What’s the small front pocket on your jeans for?

The details make all the difference. For decades, designers have been vamping up boring simple basics by giving them individual touches. Add frills or a collar to a simple white T-shirt and it becomes an eye-catcher.
But some styling elements have more than a decorative purpose; they make your everyday life easier. Or more difficult.

The two side holes on chucks

For a long time, I thought the two tiny holes on the inside of the Chuck Taylor All Stars were intended to provide a little ventilation to sweaty feet. After all, they're originally basketball shoes. Turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong. But their purpose does have something to do with ball sports: they offer improved support while training. Pull the laces out of the upper holes and instead thread them from the inside out through the first hole and then from the outside through the second hole. This provides additional support. Then continue lacing your sneakers upwards as you usually would. Most people lace their converse in a criss-cross pattern. The advantage of this? The laces loosen more easily when you take your sneakers on and off.

The tiny pocket on jeans

What's the purpose of the tiny pocket that sits on top of the right front pocket of your jeans? I use it for small things such as a single Airpod or a finger ring, when I'm in a hurry and don't know where to put them. But that's not its original function. In the late 1800s, five-pocket jeans were sturdy working-class trousers worn by gold diggers, miners and cowboys. Since there were neither smartphones nor wristwatches back then, they carried pocket watches. To protect their watch while working, they kept it in the so-called «watch pocket» instead of in the waistcoat, as was usually the case. Thanks to the pendant attached to the belt loop, they could easily check the time. Even today, the five-pocket jeans still live up to their name: this is probably the reason why the tiny pocket has been kept although its original purpose hasn't.

The shoulder straps on coats

Whether epaulettes look good or not is debatable. They sure are handy. The flap and button hold your bag in place by making sure the strap of your bag doesn't slip off your shoulder. Originally, epaulettes weren't only used to attach military insignia, but also to secure ammunition pouches, rifle shoulder straps or bayonets. Admittedly, attaching your handbag to your shoulder strap means you need to open the strap every time you put down your bag, but it's very handy if you're on a long walk. Or if a pickpocket tries to snatch it off your shoulder.

The single hole on jackets

When buttoning a jacket, the lonely, sewn-up buttonhole on the lapel – the folded-back part of the suit – always catches my eye. This partnerless buttonhole has a historical background. In the 1800s, the lapel replaced the high-necked stand-up collar, which was always folded down on warm days. In order to be able to wear the lapel folded up as well, you needed the top counter button including the buttonhole. Over the years and as the collar lowered, the top button was increasingly neglected and even omitted by most tailors. The buttonhole, on the other hand, remained and was often used for other purposes, for example to hold flowers at festive occasions. In everyday life, it's decorated with a lapel pin or just ignored.

*We often accept things without questioning them. It's a shame, really, as they could perform a specific function. Is there any detail on your clothes or shoes that’s been keeping you guessing? Let me know in the comments!