The Most Important Areas of a Trouser
Trousers (British English) and pants (American English) are outer garments covering the lower half of the body from waist to knee or ankle. They are designed to be worn with a shirt or jacket.
The trouser length is a crucial component to your outfit. Too short and the trousers can look out of proportion with your legs. Too long and they can be a drag to walk in.
Waist
The waist is a crucial part of the trouser, as all major seams hang from trouser it. As such, even small changes at the waist can have a big effect on how well the trouser fits.
The pants’ waistband may have one or more pleats, which may face either forwards or backwards. They may also have a belt loop, a buttoned fly front or a zipper.
Unlike skirts, which can be adjusted for girth by taking the garment apart, trousers cannot be altered for a change in hip size, except for letting out the waist. However, many trousers have extra fabric in the center back seam allowance that can be pulled out to increase waist width.
Trousers are worn by men, women and children. In Scotland, they are known as trews, a word derived from the Scottish Gaelic triubhas (troosers). They are usually paired with a kilt. However, they are sometimes worn without a kilt for informal occasions such as ceilidhs and weddings. They are also worn by members of the military and police forces.
Hips
The hips are the most important area of the trouser because it is responsible for creating the shape and structure of the garment. It is important to accurately measure this area by finding the narrowest part of the waist and wrapping a flexible tape around it with no slack. This will give you the waist to hip ratio (WHR) that is most attractive for your body proportions.
It is also important to have a few inches of hip allowance in order to have good movement and tension in the fabric, particularly when you sit down. Too small a hip allowance will create stress lines across the front of the crotch and at the center back seam. Too large and the trousers will pull at the sides and have a dumpy seat.
Trousers and pants are often confused because they both cover the lower part of the body, but there is a difference in their function. A trouser is an outer garment that covers the waist and hip part, whereas a pant is an undergarment that can be worn by men to protect their masculine organs.
Thighs
The thigh is the main muscle of the leg, and one of the hardest-working muscles in the body. Muscle strains in the thigh can cause painful, snapping symptoms as muscle fibers tear at their attachment points to bones and tendons.
Thigh width is a big factor in trouser function. Too narrow and the trousers can feel restrictive, too wide and they can become loose around the knees. Ideally, trousers will fit closely through the hips and thigh, and drape smoothly from the waistband down to the knees.
Trousers are traditionally held up by a belt, which is threaded through the belt trouser loops on the waistband. Suits and formal trousers can be suspended from braces (suspenders in American English) attached to buttons on the inside or outside of the waistband. Plain-stitched or topstitched, these side seams may be pressed up toward the pockets or turned back down and stitched flat for a clean finish on the bottom of the legs. They can also be cuffed, or hemmed to prevent fraying. A well-made hem will be neat and a bit slanted, reflecting the direction of the crease in the front of the leg.
Knees
The knees connect the legs to the feet and hips. They can be affected by conditions such as patellofemoral pain syndrome, in which the kneecap rubs against the bottom of the tibia. This condition is common in athletes, such as distance runners; people with knock knees or high-riding kneecaps; and those who straighten their legs a lot, such as volleyball players and tennis servers. Symptoms include pain in front of the knee and difficulty straightening or bending the leg. Treatment includes physical therapy, NSAIDs and exercises that balance the muscles around the kneecap.
A trouser with a knee brace to control the movement of the knee is called a shinguard or a protective knee brace.
Legs
The leg is the lower limb of the human body. It is a segment of the lower extremity that extends from the hip to the ankle. It is composed of the femur (thigh bone), the tibia (shinbone), and the fibula that runs alongside the tibia. It is the only part of the body that allows bipedal movement in humans and other tetrapods, as opposed to other creatures who use their arms for locomotion.
Trouser legs may have one, two or three pleats at the front. They may be pressed or unpressed and they can face either direction. Trouser-makers finish the leg by hemming it and, if desired, they can roll up the cuffs.
The trouser cuff is a style feature that began during the Victorian era. It was originally designed to avoid muddying the trousers in poor weather. As a fashion statement it became very popular, with Marlon Brando being perhaps the original icon of the look when he first debuted his hand-rolled cuffs in 1953. This trend was helped along by the end of wartime clothing restrictions.