I think the key to women’s dilemma is in the Sephora story. Most men don’t carry makeup. By the time you add up lipstick or chapstick, compact, mascara, eyeliner, tweezers, nail polish, nail file, emory board, etc. or a subset thereof, you have overwhelmed pockets. If you don’t include makeup you can make do with pockets. If you must carry it, stick with a purse.
Men generally don’t mind some bulge in their pockets, women generally do. Anything you put in pockets will bulge to some extent. The tighter the clothes the greater the bulge. Most men are good at ignoring such things when looking at women. Most women aren’t. If you dress to impress men, you can relax more than dressing to impress women. My best guess is that this is the reason it is rare to find functional pockets in women’s garments.
If you still want to put your stuff in your pockets, I’ll give you my inventory. I don’t like to sit on things so I save my hip pockets for temporary items that I will remove as soon as possible. I have wallet and change in the right front. I carry more change than most commenters but only a couple of dollars at the most. Bus fare and snack machines got me into the habit. Keys, lighter, nail clippers, comb and cell phone in the left front. Pen and any paper items in the shirt pocket.
When I was riding the bus every day, I carried a book bag. I could cram books, magazines, newspapers and my lunch in it. It was useful but a pain.
