Dear Answer Angel Ellen: I’ve wondered about this forever: Why is this tiny pocket sewn onto jeans? Seems to me that it’s a holdover from a long time ago. So, how is it still relevant?

It also seems to me that it’s an added cost to add this useless pocket — that we consumers are paying for! Nobody I know has ever used or needed this extra pocket on their jeans. It seems so silly.

--Carole G.

Dear Carole: I too have wondered about the tiny pocket on jeans. So, I put the question to Levi Strauss. Here’s their reply: “The first blue jeans had two front pockets as well as a tiny pocket created for a pocket watch, a common accessory of the day. But there was also one — yes, just one — pocket on the back side of the overalls. The single back pocket design lasted until 1901, when we added a second back pocket.”

That means that the classic “5-pocket” Levis actually were named that because of the added back pocket. As for what people use that teensy pocket up front for now — since pocket watches have gone the way of the dial telephone — here are some ideas: a lucky penny, a key fob, a treasured love note, a couple very small dog treats, lip balm or lipstick, one or maybe two wrapped hard candy mints or cough drops, a condom, a piece of bubble gum, a pack of matches, a few small Lego blocks, a four-leaf clover. Readers: Send me your ideas, please — the sillier the better!

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Riding up the escalator recently in a high-end department store, the two high school girls in front of me were wearing oversized crew-neck sweatshirts. That’s all the eye could see. The “suggestion” of that look was that they were wearing nothing else, although I am fairly sure that, since it was a classy store at midday and they looked otherwise put together, they were wearing some sort of exercise briefs or extremely short shorts that were not easily visible.

Two questions: Did I stumble upon a new fashion trend. And what on earth were they thinking?

--Lizzie D.

Dear Lizzie: Oversize, baggy clothing is a Gen Z favorite. In case you’re wondering, the Gen Z we hear so much about is made up of people who are 13-28 years old, born 1997 to 2012.

I wouldn’t call creating the illusion of wearing nothing at all except a baggy top a “fashion trend.” However it is an extreme version of the “big” clothing popular among teenagers and young adults.

In many climates, this style will soon disappear as summer turns to fall and winter. Stay tuned to see if it recurs once warm weather returns.

I can’t tell you what these high schoolers were thinking but they captured your attention and that certainly was at least a big part of their provocative dressing.

Dear Answer Angel Ellen: Years ago I developed an allergy to spandex. The allergy is getting worse. I’ve bought socks with 1% or 2% spandex and can’t wear them. Where can I buy socks with absolutely no spandex?

--Brenda R.

Dear Brenda: This question has come up in the past from other readers whose allergies require them to wear truly all-cotton socks. Often, those socks — marked as all-cotton or 100% cotton — have spandex or something else that gives the sock a stretchy cuff that keeps it from slipping down. As you have sadly discovered, even the fine print sometimes doesn’t let on that, actually, the socks aren’t 100% cotton after all.

The places to find the socks you need keep dwindling or disappearing altogether. The most reliable resource I’ve found is The Vermont Country Store’s Buster Brown brand no elastic socks (vermontcountrystore.com, 3-pack, $14.95, available in 8 colors; amazon.com, 3-pack, $14.98).

Angelic Readers 1

Gerald S. writes: “Like your reader Beth Ann, I received a very expensive pair of sunglasses as a gift. I would never pay that much for a pair of sunglasses, but unlike her I do use them now that I have them. I'm not the kind to ‘wait for special occasions’ to don special items. Another person gave me a $1,000 iPhone. I had a $30 phone that I was quite content with. Thinking of losing something so expensive makes me nervous even though it was free to me. Here’s my worry-no-more system for not losing expensive items like those. It has worked for over a year now. Before I leave the house, I say, ‘key, phone, sunglasses, wallet.’ Then I know I won't forget anything. I do that when I get out of Ubers, leave a restaurant, leave work, etc. Now…where did I leave my umbrella (smiley face emoji)?”

Angelic Readers 2

Claire M. has another practical use for those pointy Q-tips: “We specifically buy the cotton swabs with pointy ends in our house for cleaning up manicures and pedicures. After applying the polish, we dip them in nail polish remover and make our nails look salon perfect at home.”

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