Trousers

Trousers are a fundamental item of clothing designed to cover the legs separately from the waist down.

This design distinguishes them from garments like skirts, dresses, robes, or kilts, where the cloth extends across both legs. Depending on the region, people use different names for this clothing. In British English, the term is trousers, while in North America, Canada, Australia, and South Africa, the general category is often called pants. In Australia and North America, "slacks" can refer specifically to more tailored garments.

In Scotland, a traditional tartan version is known as trews, a word derived from the Gaelic triubhas. Trews remain a popular choice for special occasions like weddings or ceilidhs.

Most trousers are worn at the hips or the waist. They are held in place by various mechanisms such as belts, elastic, buttons, or suspenders, which are also called braces. To allow for easy entry, most trousers include a fly, which is a zippered or buttoned opening.

Different styles offer various features, such as cargo pockets located further down the legs. Jeans are a globally popular form of casual trousers made from a sturdy cloth called denim. These typically include side and rear pockets located just below the waistband. While trousers cover the legs to the ankles, shorts are a similar garment that ends at or above the knee. In some school uniforms, the distinction is made by calling them "long trousers" or "short trousers."

Maintaining the correct fit can be more difficult with trousers than with other clothing. The leg length can be adjusted using a hem, which is useful for growing adolescents. However, adjusting the girth of the waist is more limited if a person's weight changes. High-quality trousers may include extra fabric in the center-back seam allowance. This allows a tailor to "let out" the waist to accommodate a larger body composition. Without such features, significant changes in body shape might require the wearer to replace the garment entirely.

Archaeological evidence shows that trousers have a very long history. The oldest known trousers date to between the thirteenth and tenth centuries BC.

These were discovered at the Yanghai cemetery in Turpan, Xinjiang, in present-day western China. Made of wool, these garments featured straight legs and wide crotches, likely to assist with horseback riding. Even earlier, leggings similar to trousers were worn by Ötzi, an individual living near the Austria–Italy border between 3350 and 3105 BC.

Evidence from Upper Paleolithic figurines in Siberia also suggests trousers may have been worn even further back in time.

In antiquity, different cultures viewed trousers through very different lenses. In the sixth century BC, Iranian peoples like the Scythians and Sarmatians were known to wear them.

The ancient Greeks, however, often viewed them with disdain. They used the Greek word "anaxyrides" for trousers worn by Eastern nations and used the word "thulakoi," meaning sacks, as a slang term for the loose trousers of Persians.

Similarly, Republican Rome saw draped clothing as a sign of civilization and viewed trousers as the mark of barbarians.

As the Roman Empire expanded, they eventually adopted trousers for the warmth they provided. They utilized two specific types: the snug-fitting "feminalia" and the loose "braccae," which were closed at the ankles.

During the Medieval period in Europe, trousers became increasingly common, especially among men. In Byzantium, loose-fitting versions were worn under long tunics. In many Germanic tribes, garments known as "braies" were used, which varied in length and sometimes featured attached foot coverings. By the eighth century, some upper-class European males wore two layers of trousers. The inner layer is known by historians as drawers, while the outer layer was often made of wool or linen. In the tenth century, these outer layers began to be called breeches in many regions. Over time, as men's tunics changed, these trousers often became undergarments attached to hose or stockings.

Today, trousers exist in many specialized forms. There is no single universal classification, but common types include dress pants, khakis, chinos, leggings, overalls, and sweatpants. Since the mid-twentieth century, trousers have become increasingly common for women to wear as well.

Whether used for formal day attire or casual everyday wear, trousers remain a vital part of global fashion and human history.