Stop putting your pocket knife in the same pocket as your vintage blazer pens

I ruined a beautiful 1960s Harris Tweed blazer last month because I kept my custom Benchmade in the same breast pocket as a vintage fountain pen. The blade scratched up the pen casing and the pen leaked ink all over the inside lining. Now I have a dark blue stain that won't come out and the pen is worthless. My buddy in the Calgary vintage club told me he always uses a separate inner pocket for knives and keeps pens in the outer welt pocket. I thought he was being fussy but now I get it. That tweed cost me 120 bucks at a estate sale and now it looks like I spilled ink on purpose. Anyone else wreck a jacket by mixing gear in the wrong pocket?

3 comments

3 Comments

caleb_gibson1mo ago

Actually a welt pocket is the one on the front, not the outer side breast pocket. Most vintage blazers have a welt pocket on the left chest but it's still technically a breast pocket just with a slit instead of a flap. You want the ticket pocket if your jacket has one, that's the little extra one right above the main hip pocket on the right side. That spot works way better for a knife since it keeps the weight low and away from your pens.

holly_foster3d ago

Nah I gotta disagree a bit here. I think calling that welt pocket a breast pocket still gets confusing since most people picture a flap or open pocket when they hear "breast pocket." The welt pocket is its own thing, it's a different vibe entirely. And the ticket pocket works for a knife, sure, but I've found the welt pocket on the left chest actually keeps the knife way more accessible if you're right handed. Plus a lot of modern jackets don't even have a ticket pocket anymore, so you gotta work with what's actually on the jacket, you know?

quinnj241mo ago

Man I feel you on this. I always get frustrated when people mix up the ticket pocket and the welt pocket, because they really are two different things. I've carried a small folding knife in my ticket pocket for years and it just hangs nice and low, never gets in the way when I reach for my keys or a pen in the other pocket. It's one of those little details that makes a jacket actually functional instead of just looking good.