The Wrong Trousers: Clothing Through the Ages Quiz

Answer: A leather loincloth and goat leather leggings

Examination of Otzi, whose preserved body was found in the Alps on the Austrian- Italian border, revealed he had been wearing warm clothes and shoes. His lower body was clad in a sheepskin leather loincloth and full-length leggings made from domesticated goat leather.

Answer: The ancient Greeks and early Romans

The trousered nomadic horsemen (and women) from Eurasia were first recorded on the artworks found in ancient Persepolis. Also it is known that various peoples living in what is now Iran also wore trousers.

Ancient Greeks ridiculed the clothing, and called them "sacks" in their common slang, while patricians of Republican Rome (i.e. before the Roman Empire)thought them a mark of an uncivilised people. There is a beautiful Attic vase dated at 470 BC in the British Museum, which shows an Amazon clad in black trousers which look exactly like modern women's clothing.

All the wrong alternatives are recorded as wearing trousers. Can you imagine riding for hours without them?

Answer: Femoralia and Braccae

Short kilts and tunics were practical enough in Mediterranean climes, but as the Empire expanded North through Gaul and into Britain, it soon became necessary to adopt warmer clothing. The Femoralia (or Feminalia as it was also called) was a snug-fitting, knee or calf-length item, while the Braccae was a baggy trouser, closed at the ankles, not unlike modern track pants. Both items were adapted from Celtic clothing.

Answer: German

In the 17th century, Russia was considered a bit of a backwater of civilisation, so in 1701, as part of his campaign to bring Russia into European society, Peter the Great decreed that the male members of the gentry should conform to his guidelines:

"... The upper dress shall be of French or Saxon cut, and the lower dress and underwear - waistcoat, trousers, boots shoes and hats - shall be of the German type".

Women were also commanded to wear only Western dress - all members of the upper-classes had to abandon their traditional Russian dress, and Peter even put a tax on beards!

Answer: Socks attached to the trousers

Two pairs of woollen trousers were found in the bog, along with cloaks and other clothing items; they are thought to be votive offerings (gifts to the gods).

One pair had diamond patterned socks stitched into them. This pair also had belt loops stitched into the waistband. They were close-fitting about the legs and feet, but with a very roomy area around the buttocks. The measurements indicated they were made for a well-built, quite tall man.

Answer: Codpiece

In 14th century Europe, men wore hose, which were separate high stockings worn over linen short pants or drawers. Towards the end of the century, as fashions changed and tunics gave way to much shorter upper garments, modesty demanded more than a thin piece of linen between the hose tops. So the codpiece was born, at first to conceal, then shaped to emphasise the wearer's attributes. During the ensuing century, they became more elaborate and outlandish, until falling out of favour in the 1590s.

Answer: Petticoat breeches

Prior to the end of the Thirty Years' War, civilian fashions tended to imitate the military style; peace brought a new freedom of style, which included ribbons and lace. The petticoat breeches were baggy, loose, and trimmed with a lot of ribbon, both at the waist and around the hem.

These were fashionable for only about 10 years before the rhinegraves, a more fitted style which were often worn with an overskirt, took over.

Answer: George "Beau" Brummell

George Brummell was from the middle class, but attended Eton and Oxford, where he made his mark with his wit, strong personality and sense of style. Wherever he went, society men slavishly followed his fashion lead in fashion.

For some years he was a favourite of the Prince of Wales (the Prince Regent, later to become George IV), and under his patronage Brummell set new fashions; slim fitting full length trousers, white cravat, dark claw-hammer coat and immaculate shirt.

Sadly Brummell fell out of favour with royalty, and escaped his gambling debts by absconding to France. He died in poverty and insane with syphilis in 1840.

Answer: Paris, France

Some western women (even society ladies) were happy to push the boundaries of acceptability, adopting trousers for riding, bathing, and other activities, despite it being considered unfeminine, and even indecent, by the somewhat prudish majority.

In Paris, however, it was necessary for a lady to obtain a police permit in order to legally appear in public wearing trousers. While it is unlikely that this law was invoked after the 1930s, it was not repealed until 2013.

Answer: Dungarees

The word 'dungaree' has been used in the English language since the 17th century, describing a coarse woven cotton cloth from India which had indigo-dyed warp threads, and white weft threads. The word appears to have come from the Indian port city Dongri.

The word 'dungarees' soon became interchangeable (in England at least) with the American jeans; which incidentally were named after the Genoese sailors who wore denim trousers. Denim was a material from Nimes in France, originally called 'serge de Nimes'.

Oddly, in England nowadays, a bib and brace sleeveless overall is often termed "dungarees".