Clubbing Fashion

September 13, 2004 9:29 AM

clothes without pockets: how do you carry ID, cash, keys, subway card, cigarettes to nightclubs without having pockets or having to resort to a purse that gets in your way while trying to dance? bonus points for cellphone stashage as well. [MI]

i have a "lipstick garter" which actually works well for the lipstick, but becomes too bulky when i try to stuff all the other things in it. i have done the "house key on a chain around my neck" thing which still leaves ID, cash, smokes, subway card. i do have an extremely small handbag on a string, but it really gets cumbersome while dancing. some of my "club clothes" will accommodate my sewing a pocket in the waistband, but most won't. and the boy-as-pack-mules option is largely unavailable for the next several months.

posted by crush-onastick to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (21 answers total)

copious amounts of ducktape will solve all problems.
posted by zeoslap at 9:33 AM on September 13, 2004

Bra. I carry money, lipstick, and i.d. in my bra. Although this is not a good alternative for cellphones as sweat will erode the battery connectors. I put ciggs in my waistband.

My favorite alternative is to give everything to someone else to carry for me.

If all else fails, buy a small purse that has a long strap that you can wear over the shoulder and across the chest. You can find cute & cheap ones at Target.
posted by Juicylicious at 9:44 AM on September 13, 2004

Anything not too lumpy can go in a pocket bra. There are also weird wrist purses called wristlets but I don't think they're really that great for dancing [so say the lj crowd]
posted by jessamyn at 9:53 AM on September 13, 2004

For all your personal effects, you certainly need either a small bag...(or an obliging boyfriend to carry it all). It seems like you haven't found a pragmatic, sound bag to use yet.

My friends are fond of small pouch bags you can slip over your shoulder and tuck under your arm. The Coach signature minibag is favorite when we go out. If you are looking for something more cost efficient, stick with the same basic shape. You definitely need something small that can fit over your shoulder and then tuck under your arm. I'd avoid clutches and wristletts, too. They are too easy to lose, especially after a few drinks...
posted by naxosaxur at 10:27 AM on September 13, 2004

I take my house keys off the keyring and tie them to my shoelaces. Then I slide my ID, credit card, and cash into my shoes, under the tongue.
posted by Mars Saxman at 10:43 AM on September 13, 2004

These drawstring bags might be the answer as they come in 3 sizes, 3 materials, lots of cute colours, can go inside a bigger bag or be worn around the wrist. I'm the UK agent for the company but I can find out US-based retailers if you want. E-mail on user page. Otherwise...

Your friendly local DJ will have a stash place in return for a smile. As long as you feel you can trust her/him. I've had all sorts of stuff left with me when I've been playing including zonked out people & dogs.

Take a rucksac-type bag to a club & put your coat, change of clothes (there is nothing better than a fresh set of duds to go home/elsewhere after a night of dancing), sunglasses, keys etc. in. If you can trust the cloakroom put it in there, if not, aforementioned DJ.

A small bum bag (fanny pack) but over one shoulder with the bag under the opposite armpit has been a godsend over the years altho' more of an outdoor party thing maybe. And I don't have those things at the front that might make it uncomfortable for a woman ;-)

Give up smoking. Or pack all cards & money into your fag packet & wear the keys on a lanyard cord round your neck. You can do the same with a cell phone too.
posted by i_cola at 10:46 AM on September 13, 2004

Ah yes. Fag packet = cigarette pack in UK English ;-)
posted by i_cola at 10:47 AM on September 13, 2004

I'm picturing several kinds of those passport carriers they sell to travellers. If you really mean just 2 cards, 2 keys, a few bills, and a dozen or so smokes, you could do well with a money belt or garter around your ankle/bicep. The around-the-neck pouches are lame if you try to wear them inside your shirt, over your breasts, but you can sling them over one arm and wear them under your armpit like a holster, too. You'd honestly have to unpack your everyday purse and repack it with just these essentials if you really want to make it not-noticeable.
posted by scarabic at 11:26 AM on September 13, 2004

Wouldn't it be easier to just wear clothes with pockets in them?
posted by kindall at 11:50 AM on September 13, 2004

kindall, not so many of the girly clothes have pockets right now, particularly the girly clothes one wears out dancing. It's all about the SMOOOOOOOOOOOTH.
And the ruffles.
I usually put stuff in my bra, but that can have hazards - I think someone's flirting, staring at my cleavage, when really they're trying to get to the benjamins between my boobs.
posted by pomegranate at 12:47 PM on September 13, 2004

Boyfriend's pockets (so says my girlfriend).
posted by davebug at 12:54 PM on September 13, 2004

Response by poster: kindall--as i said, i've sewn pockets into the clothes which can have pockets without (as pom notes) disrupting the smoooooooth. but women's dress-up (for lack of a better word) clothes rarely have pockets in them because it tends to interupt the line and throw the fit off. i like the shoe idea, but unless i'm wearing boots, i'm going to run in to the same problem of construction differences between mens' and womens clothes': no tongues in most dancing shoes. and the boy-as-packmule is out for the next few months. . . .

but now i have a follow-up about the bra pockets: how do you keep them from looking lumpy and how difficult is it to get to the cash &c?

i think the bicep belt might be the best bet. i may have to attempt to fashion one, unless someone knows a good place to buy one. or try the passport wallet.
posted by crush-onastick at 1:06 PM on September 13, 2004

A few years ago I bought some clothes from a travel store, including my favorite pants ever -- loose, flowing, and cool, with a drawstring waist and tons of pockets (including a zippered pocket), machine-washable, somehow both dressy and practical. I wear them with a tank top all the time for dancing. The manufacturer also had cute little dresses at the time, but looking at their website now, they seem to have morphed into LL Bean gone horribly, horribly wrong.

So my more general point: As you're looking at travel store/sites for practical bags, you might also check out their clothing.
posted by occhiblu at 1:09 PM on September 13, 2004

I've also seen people use smaller drawstring evening bags around their waist for dancing -- less likely to hop around there then if you're wearing it over your shoulder.
posted by occhiblu at 1:13 PM on September 13, 2004

kindall, not so many of the girly clothes have pockets right now, particularly the girly clothes one wears out dancing. It's all about the SMOOOOOOOOOOOTH.

It amazes me what women will put up with. Dancing can't be so much fun that it's worth duck-taping your cell phone into your ass-crack or whatever else people are suggesting. If a man were asked to do something like that in order to go dancing, he'd just not go dancing.
posted by kindall at 1:19 PM on September 13, 2004

Wouldn't it be easier to just wear clothes with pockets in them?

Since when do club clothes have anything to do with "easy"? It's all about looking good. There's no point in slipping on those skin tight black vinyl jeans if you're just going to wedge a big chunky wallet in your back pocket.

Dancing can't be so much fun that it's worth duck-taping your cell phone into your ass-crack or whatever else people are suggesting. If a man were asked to do something like that

Well, I'm a man, and yes, it is that much fun.
posted by Mars Saxman at 1:22 PM on September 13, 2004

Not sure why this hasn't been suggested yet, but.. fanny pack under your clothes! They have enough room for cards, money, a few keys (nothing too bulky).. and if covered with your shirt, aren't noticeable. Cellphone is do-able, though not recommended.. perhaps a holster would work better for that.

This is what I always go when I go on vacation, as it allows me to carry my passport and health insurance with me 24/7 incase of trouble.
posted by wackybrit at 1:22 PM on September 13, 2004

Another thought -- get a small plastic ID holder, with a hole, stuff everything in there, and then run a string/necklace through it and wear it around your neck, or get a big safety pin to go through the hole and pin it inside your clothes. (Or start wearing kilts to the clubs and kill two birds with one stone!)
posted by occhiblu at 2:10 PM on September 13, 2004

Utilikilt.
posted by kenko at 2:23 PM on September 13, 2004

I'm a big fan of the teeny-tiny purse. They always have them at mall accessory stores for under $20. (I also own quite a few from the Hello Kitty store cause I'm a dork.) I usually get the ones with the long strap, and wear it across my body while dancing...I've never had it be a problem.

I just saw an ad for a garter-type purse that was bigger than just a lipstick case, but my google-fu is failing me.
posted by JoanArkham at 3:26 PM on September 13, 2004

This proves a point. Fashion IS slavery!
(my ancestors were 'Pennsylvania Dutch')
posted by Goofyy at 1:24 AM on September 14, 2004