A bride has called for brands to make clothing more practical for women after she organised for her dress and those of her bridesmaids to have pockets.
Eve Paterson has gone viral after pictures of the 24-year-old and her bridesmaids wearing the white and green outfits on her wedding day were shared thousands of times on Twitter.
My friend got married last month and her dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses ALL HAD POCKETS.
And yes, we did use them for storing snacks, thank you for asking. pic.twitter.com/3fRWtmJS2F
— Nell Goddard (@alianoree) January 23, 2019
“You’d never expect to hire suits for guys and then ‘add pockets’ as an extra, so the idea that women have to do it is insane,” Mrs Paterson, who lives in Cambridge, told the Press Association.
“These dresses proved that it’s possible to look beautiful, feel amazing, and be practically equipped for the day, and I hope it encourages other brands to up their game on this as well.”
The post to Twitter, by bridesmaid Nell Goddard, has been met with praise by many.
“Pockets and belts. Wow, just wow,” wrote Twitter user @huggyhannah80.
Truly she knows how to make a blessed day be truly blessed
— Christine Price (@PstafarianPrice) January 23, 2019
Pockets and belts. Wow, just wow xxx
— Hannah G (@huggyhannah80) January 23, 2019
Mrs Paterson said the comments prove impractical women’s clothing is “a real issue”.
“Women’s clothing simply doesn’t empower women as much as it should,” said Mrs Paterson.
“Pockets are such a tiny issue in comparison to the oppression of women globally, but I think it plays into a much deeper misconception that women should look good rather than be practically equipped – but why should we have to choose?”
Mrs Paterson bought her dress from David’s Bridal, while the bridesmaids’ were from KF Bridal, and she said she used the pockets to stash her lipstick, phone, plan for the day and some snacks.
One wedding picture sees her husband Angus Paterson eating a Milky Way bar from her pocket after the wedding ceremony.
Mrs Paterson’s seamstress stitched fabric from her mother’s dress into the pocket lining as her “little piece of ‘something old'” that she “could feel throughout the day”.
“I would totally recommend that other brides think about getting pockets not only for their own dresses, but for their bridesmaids too,” said Mrs Paterson.
“It’s one of the most important days for us ladies to be ‘on our game’, but we’re not just there to look amazing – we want to successfully host all our family and friends, and pull off a major event.
“Thinking about adding pockets ahead of time means there’s ample space for snacks for your new husband, notes for speeches, tissues for mum, and all the other things we know will help the day run smoothly!”
