Trousers
The Yanghai cemetery in Turpan, Xinjiang, yielded the oldest known trousers between the thirteenth and tenth centuries BC. These woolen garments featured straight legs and wide crotches designed specifically for horseback riding. A pair of trouser-like leggings dating back to 3350 and 3105 BC appeared on Ötzi the Iceman at the Austria, Italy border. Evidence from figurative art suggests Upper Paleolithic figures wore similar leg coverings at Siberian sites like Mal'ta and Buret'. Fabrics disintegrate easily so few such artifacts survive archaeological discovery. The invention of twill tapestry points to Central Asia as a textile hub for these early garments.
Trousers entered recorded history during the sixth century BC on rock carvings at Persepolis. Iranian peoples including Scythians and Sarmatians adopted trousers while ancient Greeks called them anaxyrides or sarabara. Republican Rome initially viewed draped Greek clothing as civilized but later adopted trousers for warmth. Two types emerged in Rome: feminalia fitting snugly to knee length and braccae loose-fitting and closed at ankles. By the eighth century European upper-class men wore two layers of trousers under tunics. Charlemagne habitually wore trousers though he donned Byzantine tunics only for ceremonial occasions. In the fourteenth century noble men connected hose directly to pourpoints rather than drawers. Rising hemlines in the fifteenth century led to tights with open crotches covered by codpieces. Tsar Peter the Great issued a decree in 1701 commanding every Russian man except clergy and peasants to wear trousers.
In Scotland tartan trousers worn by Highlanders are called trews or triubhas in Gaelic. The standard English form trousers is sometimes pronounced differently because Scots did not completely undergo the Great Vowel Shift. North America, Australia, and South Africa use pants as the general category term. Trousles often refers more specifically to tailored garments with waistbands and fly-fronts in these dialects. Elastic-waist knitted garments would be called pants but not trousers in American usage. Many North Americans refer to their underpants as boxers or briefs while Australians call them undies or dacks. In India underwear is also referred to as innerwear. The words trouser or pant instead of trousers appear in tailoring industries when discussing styles like flared trousers. Trousers and pants function as pluralia tantum nouns that generally only appear in plural form.
French designer Paul Poiret created loose-fitting harem pants for women in 1913 based on ballet costumes from Sheherazade. Frequent photographs from the 1930s showed actresses Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn wearing trousers. During World War II women employed in factories wore trousers when jobs demanded it. By summer 1944 sales of women's trousers were five times higher than the previous year. Luisa Capetillo became the first woman in Puerto Rico to wear trousers publicly in 1919 before being jailed. André Courrèges introduced long trousers for women as fashion items during the 1960s. Rep. Charlotte Reid became the first woman to wear trousers in US Congress in 1969. Pat Nixon was the first American First Lady to wear trousers in public. Hillary Clinton became the first woman to wear trousers in an official American First Lady portrait. Women were not allowed to wear trousers on the US Senate floor until 1993 when Senators Barbara Mikulski and Carol Moseley Braun defied the rule.
Pleats located just below the waistband typify many styles including suit trousers and khakis. There may be one, two, three, or no pleats facing either direction. When pleats open toward pockets they are called reverse pleats while forward pleats open toward the fly. Men's models generally have pockets for wallets keys or mobile phones but women's trousers often lack them. Journalists at The Pudding found less than half of women's front pockets could fit a thin wallet. On average pockets in women's jeans are 48% shorter and 6.5% narrower than men's pockets. Trouser-makers finish legs by hemming bottoms to prevent fraying. Trousers with turn-ups after hemming are rolled outward sometimes pressed or stitched into place. A fly covers openings joining mechanisms like zippers velcro or buttons used to join the opening. Most flies now use zippers though button-fly pants continue to be available. At present most trousers are held up through assistance of belts passed through belt loops.
Common questions
When and where were the oldest known trousers found?
The Yanghai cemetery in Turpan, Xinjiang yielded the oldest known trousers between the thirteenth and tenth centuries BC. These woolen garments featured straight legs and wide crotches designed specifically for horseback riding.
Who was the first woman to wear trousers in US Congress and when did this happen?
Rep. Charlotte Reid became the first woman to wear trousers in US Congress in 1969. Women were not allowed to wear trousers on the US Senate floor until 1993 when Senators Barbara Mikulski and Carol Moseley Braun defied the rule.
What is the difference between men's and women's trouser pockets according to The Pudding study?
On average pockets in women's jeans are 48% shorter and 6.5% narrower than men's pockets. Journalists at The Pudding found less than half of women's front pockets could fit a thin wallet while men's models generally have pockets for wallets keys or mobile phones.
Why did Tsar Peter the Great issue a decree about trousers in 1701?
Tsar Peter the Great issued a decree in 1701 commanding every Russian man except clergy and peasants to wear trousers. This mandate aimed to modernize Russian attire by replacing traditional clothing with Western styles.
When were women legally allowed to wear trousers under President Kamuzu Banda in Malawi?
In Malawi women were not legally allowed to wear trousers under President Kamuzu Banda until 1994. This law was introduced in 1965 and remained enforced for nearly three decades before being lifted.