The History Of Harem Pants

In the mind of the average westerner, the latest fashion trend known as harem pants might seem more like a throwback to those few years covering the late 1980's and early 1990's.  Although we might reminisce with a smile the phrase "Hammer time!", the history of harem pants runs much deeper than a simple vintage look from a not too distant period in fashion.

The current fashion trend known as harem pants can be traced back nearly 2,000 years to the traditional garments known as salvars worn in western and southwestern Asia.  The pants are known there by many names depending on the region, and they are can be worn by both men and women.  Some variations on the name for the style of pants are salwar, shalvar, or shalvaar. 

In Persian, the word literally means pants, as it is the Persians who first developed pants as a form of garment.  Unlike in the past when garments were intended to promote modesty, modern versions of the salvars worn by women feature slits on the sides up to the waistline with the waist area slung low over the hips - although this style is mostly reserved for parties and other social functions.  Also in some modern cultures of western Asia, harem pants are known as Kurdish pants, and it is not uncommon for families to have these pants on hand as comfortable house clothing into which their guests may change when lounging.

In western culture, these baggy pants were introduced as a women's article of clothing in the mid-1800's, although at the time they soon came to be known as "bloomers" and "Turkish trousers".  These women's pants were known as bloomers because of early women's rights advocate Amelia Bloomer's penchant for wearing the trousers and for the fact the style of trouser originates in western Asia.  They were marketed as a form of women's dress that would allow for an active lifestyle without compromising a woman's decency, but they failed to catch on and were rejected by western society at large until their reintroduction again in the early 1900's.

source; articlebase.com

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