11/12/2019

The history of the shorts

The history of the shorts />

The history of the emergence of shorts begins with ... skirts. Initially, people wore skirts. Once a cut was made in it in the middle and the resulting two parts of the skirt were sewn. As a result, the skirt ceased to interfere with the legs and became much more comfortable to move around, but it was still far away before the appearance of shorts.

The progenitors of modern shorts

In the middle of the 19th century, “Knickerbockers” appeared - loose trousers with a length below the knee. They were first used for golfing or horse riding. After the cuffs were attached to them at the bottom, they began to look like breeches. Knickerbockers have long been favorites in men's wardrobe.

In the middle of the twentieth century, the sailors of the island of Capri, who wrapped their trousers for convenience, inspired the German designer Sonia de Lennart, who lives on this island, to create short trousers, the length of which reached somewhere in the middle of the shin. They were named after the island - "capri", and they were mostly women. However, knickerbockers and capri pants cannot be classified as shorts. Since their length was below the knees. Rather, it is a prerequisite for the emergence of shorts.

The further modernization of the shorts was influenced by the military. During the First World War, Great Britain established its headquarters in Bermuda. Due to the hot climate, the soldiers found it uncomfortable to move around in trousers, so they began to rip and cut off uniform trousers. Residents of Bermuda appreciated the ingenuity of the soldiers. The novelty fell into place. Locals and British soldiers began to use this type of clothing in everyday life. The cropped trousers became known as "Bermuda". They were slightly above the knee and were the first full-fledged analogue of modern shorts.

The emergence of the term "shorts"

In the 20s of the XX century, the concept of "shorts" appeared - from the English "short", that is - "short". And already in the 30s, shorts have been used as clothing for summer vacations, outdoor recreation and sports. On the beaches, elongated pantaloons, familiar to women of that time, were replaced by shorts.

Shorts became associated with outdoor activities and were worn by tourists and athletes. In 1932, British tennis player Bunny Austin first entered a World Cup game in the United States instead of the standard white pants in flannel shorts. American tennis player Alice Marble became the first woman to enter the court in classic shorts.

A few years later, shorts were recognized as a good option for summer clothes. The famous French fashion designer Jean Patou was the first to offer the world a line of women's sportswear, which included shorts.

Banned shorts

In the 40s, Europe declared a boycott of shorts. Under the threat of a fine, they were forbidden to be worn by everyone, except for cyclists. However, representatives of the pop and film industry did not abandon such an important element of clothing in their work. Short shorts periodically appeared in films, in cabarets, but they did not become an element of urban clothing. Ordinary citizens did not dare to wear shorts. In society, they continued to be considered extremely indecent. The 60s were marked by the emergence of the hippie subculture. Representatives of this movement did not hesitate to wear short shorts, they wore them with a challenge, as opposed to the opinion of society. Often, these were jagged trousers with dangling threads. They were worn by both boys and girls. Of course, this was condemned and categorically not supported.

The peak of popularity of shorts

In the 70s, shorts are back in fashion. This time, due to the development of the dance genre "Disco", the shorts are becoming much shorter than their predecessors. They are familiar to us as "mini-shorts", and in English they are referred to as "hot pants". They boldly opened their legs, but had a high waist. Such shorts become the object of designer fantasy. Decorative elements are added to them, such as fringe, pieces of leather, embroidery. They were sewn mainly from bright synthetic fabrics. In the 80s, the fashion for denim shorts appeared in America. Handmade mini-shorts - made of jeans that were cut unevenly, sometimes so short that pockets hung from under them.

Many years have passed since then, a lot has changed in the world and in fashion. Nowadays, shorts seem like a completely normal part of everyday wardrobe. Now there are about twenty types of shorts, which have their own distinctive features that can give your image uniqueness, originality, style and elegance.


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