breeches - CandiceHern.com (2024)

FAQs

When did breeches go out of style? ›

Formerly a standard item of Western men's clothing, they had fallen out of use by the mid-19th century in favour of trousers.

Breeches continued to be worn for very formal evening occasions until the 1820s when trousers replaced breeches for full dress. Breeches also continued to be a requirement of gentlemen's court dress throughout the 19th century.

Until the 1930s men's underwear was generally concealing of the body beneath. 19th-century underpants were of two lengths: short to be worn under breeches, and long for wearing under pantaloons and trousers.

Generally, light-colored breeches in beige or tan shades are preferred, emphasizing the traditional look. The fabric should be stretchy, allowing easy movement and providing comfort during long hours of riding. Jodhpurs are a great alternative for younger riders, paired with paddock boots and garter straps.

The main reason for keeping boys in dresses was toilet training, or the lack thereof. The change was probably made once boys had reached the age when they could easily undo the rather complicated fastenings of many early modern breeches and trousers.

Children were to remain innocent (translate “sexless”) as long as possible. In many old photographs it is difficult to tell boys from girls. It was very common for children to remain in this state of dress until they entered formal school or even later if the boy was schooled at home.

Finally, the white vertical trim on this dress leaves little room for growth because while girls could wear dresses for many years, boys would be breeched after a few years. It is not until the twentieth century with the creation of the ready-to-wear romper that little boys stopped wearing dresses.

Until the end of the 18th century, bifurcated European garments took forms such as breeches, knickerbockers, and pantaloons. By 1820 trousers as they are known today had come into general use among men.

However, breeches as a fashion garment were standard everyday attire for European and American men from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries (American men after 1565). The term comes from Middle English "breech," which was originally the Old English word "bre–c" or "bre'c,"—the –c," a leg covering.

Louis XVI, dressed in culottes James Monroe, the last U.S. president who dressed according to the style of the late 18th century, with his Cabinet in 1823. The president wears knee breeches, while his secretaries wear long trousers.

When did hot pants go out of style? ›

The term has since become a generic term for any pair of extremely short shorts. While hotpants were briefly a very popular element of mainstream fashion in the early 1970s, by the mid-1970s they had become associated with the sex industry, which contributed to their fall from fashion.