THE MODERN GENTLEMAN: UNDERUTILIZED SHIRT POCKETS

On the way home from traveling recently, I realized I am unnaturally prideful of my abilities in airport security.  From my slip-on Sperry’s, my detachable belt buckle, and the way I carry a laptop that fits perfectly sideways next to my shoes, phone and sunglasses in the little bus tubs.  The sunglasses stay on, so that I don’t appear indecorous as I roll my eyes at the amatuers: “You carry coin money in your pockets?  Is there an off-brand slot machine in the terminal?”
But then comes that magical moment where you purposely walk in your socks through the detector, and you have no place to put your ticket and ID.  That’s where the shirt pocket earns its threads.
You don’t want to fumble through jacket pockets checking and rechecking for your ticket while slipping your shoes on, dealing with the wheel-of-fortune you go through in modern airports.
This is exactly what this pocket is for – holding something important for a temporary amount of time.
Classic designers tend to think of the pocket as an ornament, a throwback for Don Draper’s stout pack of unfiltered Lucky’s.  This is a missed opportunity.
The shirt pocket should be just slightly longer than an iPod in order to temporarily house anything you might not be able to get to while seated for take off. The ideal shirt pocket would have a little envelope lip of fabric to tuck in your ticket or iPhone (not your blackberry, put that ugly thing away) or backstage pass. Nothing should be kept in there full time unless it denotes your rank.
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