Slanted side pockets?

[avedwards]

I notice that most vintage suits posted here have horizontal side pockets, as do those in Esquire illustrations, as does the one vintage suit I recently bought from Baron Kurtz.

I'm not referring to hacking jackets or "casual" suits here by the way, which I know commonly have slanted side pockets, out of practical reasons. I mean regular lounge suits.

I notice a trend on modern suits is slanted pockets. Not all suits, but certainly every modern off the rack SB peaked lapel suit I have seen invariably has slanted side pockets. I always thought of SB with peaked lapels as quite a conservative look, so why combine it with the slanted side pockets of a sportier jacket?

I don't have a huge problem with slanted side pockets, however I do think it goes over the top when it is next to impossible to fine a decent peaked lapel suit, because the only ones available have skinny lapels and 45 degree pockets.

Does anyone else find this or am I just extrapolating without enough data?

 

[boushi_mania]

I, too, have noticed something of a trend towards hacking pockets on RTW suits. I'm not a fan of the look, so it bothers me if I see something I like but for that one crucial detail.

As for the "why", I think it's just the whims of fashion. It's the kind of thing that looks "different" at first glance, so it probably caught on out of people's desire to stand out in a crowd, even in a suit. (It might also be influenced by the mistaken impression that hacking pockets, being seen most on custom suits, are actually more formal/refined than their level counterparts.) The trend will probably reverse itself around the point that everyone is wearing a suit with slanted pockets. There's no more sure-fire way to kill a fad than oversaturation.