Hidden Pockets were worn by women in the 17th through to the 19th centuries and were considered an essential accessory . The pockets were not sewn into the garments but sewn and attached to a cord , tape or ribbon tied around the waist under the outer garments. Therefore they were hidden and were reached by a slit in the garment and the petticoat. They can come in pairs or as individual pockets .

They were used both by the gentry and the working women to carry necessities around with them . The large volume of the clothing in fashion made it easy to hide these pockets . Hand bags were not in fashion and did not come into use until the hidden pocket became vulgar showing bulk as the slimmer silhouette became more fashionable . In the 18th century a small pouch called a reticule first became the fashion . These were smaller in size and more decorative and usually made of silk rather than linen or cotton and made to carried over the arm.

The working womans hidden pockets were more ordinary and usually made of linen or cotton . They were easy to wash . Pockets worn by the gentry and nobility wore more embellished usually made of silk and intricately embroidered.

Pockets eventually were sewn in as part of the garment in the mid 19th century.