Ian thinks pockets can bring more pizzaz to t-shirts than they already do. Can his custom pockets turn otherwise banal tees into elegant fashion statements? And more importantly, is that cool? 

“Why not get a pocket shirt that has cool fabric on it, like hotdogs or lemons or trees or chicken tenders or whatever you want?”

Have a cool idea you think should be on the show? Leave us a voicemail at (848) 863-9917.

Listen to Ian’s submission featured in Episode 79 of How Cool Is This? and read a transcript of the full 5 minute podcast episode below:

Ian: My name is Ian Pauley, and my idea is cool pocket shirts. Instead of having a regular pocket tee with boring fabric, why not get a pocket shirt that has cool fabric on it like hotdogs or lemons or trees or chicken tenders or whatever you want? And we can even take it one step further. What if you could even customize your own pocket tee to your own liking?

I did see a website that does something like this called pauleyspockets.com. What a cool idea.

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Nick: All right, Brian, how cool are Pauley’s Pockets?

Brian: I think Pauley’s Pockets are cool. Obviously it's got the tie in with the famous toy Polly Pocket.

Nick: Is that what makes it cool? Just that brand recognition.

Brian: It's nice to have a non pants pocket to put your phone in, and when you can customize that with hotdogs or lemons, that's cool.

Nick: I'm actually wearing a pocket tee right now, and I think it's very useful. You know, that pocket on my tee just features the logo of a local pizza place that I enjoy. But I do think that Ian’s suggestions would make the pocket a lot more exciting and could potentially say a lot more about who I am.

Brian: Do you feel that your current clothing choices allow you to express yourself as much as this pocket team might?

Nick: I mean, not necessarily. If I loved hot dogs, I could wear a shirt with a hot dog screen printed on the middle of it. But for some reason, the pocket solution just feels a little more elegant. 

Brian: Yeah, a giant hotdog on the shirt is loud. “Hey, look at me, I'm wearing a hotdog!”

Nick: The big hot dog just makes it seem like you enjoy hot dogs for attention, but the small hot dog on the pocket… that lets people know that you just enjoy hot dogs for the hot dogs, and you want to express that in a really understated and tasteful way on your clothing.

Brian: Yeah. It's like socks. You get a closer look, it's like, “Oh, those are pretty cool socks.” Except now it's on your shirt, and it has a utility to it, too.

Brian: Pockets, in general, are very cool. I love wearing clothing that allows me to store things in places that don't require a bag. 

Nick: That said, it's been widely known that cargo shorts are not as cool as people think when they wear them.

Brian: Yeah, I but I do think the conventional wisdom on cargo clothing is coming back around. 

Nick: Brian, what would you put on your pocket?

Brian: Full disclosure, I've actually ordered from Pauley’s Pockets before, back when the coronavirus was at its peak here in New York - April, May. I had asked him to sketch on, “Please Wear A Mask” onto the pocket.

Nick: Do you think people wore a mask more often after seeing you out in that T-Shirt?

Brian: Not really, but it made me feel good, and I didn't have a compulsion to say something to everybody anymore because my shirt was saying it for me.

Nick: It is nice, sometimes, to let your clothing do the talking.

Brian: What about you? What would you put on your pocket shirt?

Nick: I think it'd be easy if you were out meeting new people, say you went to some sort of, business happy hour and you wore a Pauley’s Pocket T-Shirt with your name on it, you wouldn't have to keep introducing yourself. I think that would be nice.

Brian: I couldn't help but notice that Ian, who was on Episode 52 “Cardens” once again has brought up lemons and trees. 

Nick: Maybe he started Pauley’s Pockets because he wanted a pocket tee with lemon trees on it and turned it into a business. I think that kind of innovative thinking and entrepreneurial spirit is pretty cool.

Brian: It's cool to have a business that has your name in it, but not in a way that is celebrating your name for the sake of it being your name. And that goes back to Pauley’s Pockets, the pun.

Nick: His name fits in better than, say, if he tried to name the company Ian’s Customizable T-Shirts.

Brian: Is there anything else about this that we should discuss? I do think it's cool to keep a phone in your front pocket. It's a little frustrating sometimes when you have to reach all the way into your pocket and then it kind of gets stuck on the way out, especially if I'm trying to get to a ringing phone. Someone's calling me. I can’t get it out on time.

Nick: Honestly, I feel like this is a you problem because I don’t have this problem.

Brian: You might not get enough calls.

Nick: That's a good point. That's a me problem.

Brian: The other side of it is if you have something in your pocket and you bend over in front of the toilet, it's easier to fall out when it's in a shirt pocket because of the way that gravity works.

Nick: Shirt pockets, while useful for both carrying things and expressing yourself, do have their downfalls. If you have to bend over often, you gotta be careful.

Brian: And the downfall is whatever's in your pocket. 

You can get your own custom pocket tee from Pauley’s Pockets at  www.pauleyspockets.com 

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