Pockets vs No Pockets

Should you put a pocket / pockets on a dress shirt? We always tell our customers - put pockets on your shirt if you want pockets - that's the beauty of custom! With that being said, we still wanted to visit the arguments for and against pockets on dress shirts.

Dress shirts with no pockets - Generally preferred by the corporate Wall Street types. A dress shirt without pockets is often considered to be more formal, not in the rigid sense, but it's less distracting to the eye and makes for a sleeker look. Proponents of the no pocket look will say that it really stuffs up the clean lines that they're striving for with a dress shirt especially when worn with a tie. Off-the-rack shirts with pockets can also be a problem because the pockets are usually one size fit all and can look out of proportion especially if you're buying a slim fit shirt. You can also tell if the shirt is poorly made if the pattern on the pockets is not aligned to the rest of the shirt.

Dress shirts with pockets - Pockets are functional - cigarettes, business cards, pens (as long as they're not leaking) - and in the last few years, they've also become ultra trendy. A really popular look this season is the double pockets on chambray with a small collar - see Leonardo DiCaprio's spread in GQ yesterday. Pockets also add a bit of personality to a shirt and if you're not going to a black tie event, which is most of the time for us, why would you need to look so formal all the time?

What are your thoughts on the pockets vs no pockets?