These days, pants are our garment of choice. But for years, our ancestors draped themselves in tunics, robes, and gowns, until someone decided they were tired of having the wind up their skirt. So, what prompted the change? When, exactly, did two-legged trousers become a thing?
“The invention of bifurcated lower body garments is related to the new epoch of horseback riding, mounted warfare and greater mobility,” Beck and Wagner write in a recent paper outlining their findings. They believe the pants, which are straight-fitting and have a wide crotch suitable for straddling, are predecessors to the riding trousers worn today. Along with the pants, the graves also contained horse-riding gear like bridles, whips, and horse tail.
At some point over the past few years, every man has, in moments of fumbling, sausage-fingered despair, found himself wondering: Who the hell decided button fly jeans were a good idea and where have all the zippers gone? It’s not just an inane question born of bladder rage. Just a decade ago, aside from a few button fly bastions like Levi’s 501 jeans, the zipper reigned as the longstanding king of denim. And although button flies have made a swift recovery, especially in the finer jeans of the world, their rise has tracked to a good deal of fear and loathing, visible on forums across the internet’s varied dark and light corners alike. So really, whence the button fly?
