Dress shirt pockets have been hotly debated over the years and it is often about whether or not pockets make a dress shirt less formal. In my humble opinion, it does. Pockets were created so men who don’t wear suits have a place to put their pens, note pads, cigarette boxes, and etc.  But if you plan on wearing a suit, the pocket seems rather useless. But how many of you actually walk around with things in your dress shirt pocket? In other words, to most men, the pocket is a mere fashion accessory rather than a functioning feature. To me the pocket is a total distraction and eyesore. It draws attention away from the whole ensemble. Rather than noticing how great you’re looking, people will fix their eyes on the pocket. This would be unfortunate if you were trying to make eye contact with your boss, a potential client or a hot date.

As if one pocket wasn’t already one too many, some brands took the liberty to add two pockets to their shirts. Now, that, I believe definitely downgrades a dress shirt to an ordinary casual shirt. The second pocket accomplishes nothing but proclaim the ability of its wearer to follow seasonal fashion trends that won’t stick around for the next season.

The following picture is a men’s shirt with two breast pockets from Express. It is a very trendy and casual look. But if you were going for that look completely, then you might as well throw on some pocket flaps, gussets and o how can you forget the shoulder loops (epaulets)! Not to mention, all of which are features that turn the dress shirt into a party shirt.

Shirt With TWO Pockets

Dress shirts are timeless pieces that should NEVER be labeled under a trend. Fashionable features like an extra pocket are great to make you stand out from the crowd, but make sure you are at a bar and not a corporate meeting. To build a wardrobe with classy dress shirts that can be worn at all occasions, stick with the no pockets.