Explore 19 Pants week Collections - Atlas Obscura
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Pants Week
September 18–24

Pants Week

September 18-24

A man wearing Oxford bags, c. 1930.
fashion

Oxford Bags, the Ridiculously Wide-Legged Trousers of the 1920s

Many decades before JNCOs, British rowers took their pants to extreme dimensions.
Dan Nosowitz September 22, 2017
A hospitalized soldier passes the time with an Armed Services Edition.
books

How Books Designed for Soldiers’ Pockets Changed Publishing Forever

Prior to WWII, Americans didn't think much of softcover books.
Cara Giaimo September 22, 2017
Spanish tennis player Lili de Alvarez shows off her divided skirt at the North London Tennis Tournament in Highbury, London.
sports

How the Skort Went From Rebellious Garment to Athleisure Staple

The skort has always been a divisive piece of clothing—literally.
Tanya Basu September 21, 2017
There was a time when wearing polyester pants might actually increase reproductive success.
science

One Doctor's Quest to Reveal the Perils of Polyester Pants

A sexological tale of static electricity, male contraception, and dogs in pants.
Kelsey Kennedy September 21, 2017
A family at home in China, c. 1930.
china

The Split Pants That Are China's Alternative to Diapers

Kai dang ku might reflect the past and future of toilet training.
Vittoria Traverso September 21, 2017
The <em>Penny Pictorial Magazine</em> was one of a few publications to run features on these 'lasses'.
mines

The Women Miners in Pants Who Shocked Victorian Britain

"The article of clothing which women ought only to wear in a figure of speech."
Natasha Frost September 21, 2017
A close-up of a YKK zipper
other capitals of the world

How Kurobe, Japan, Became the Zipper Capital of the World

Reverse engineering and the Cycle of Goodness™ helped make YKK a universal brand.
George Pendle September 21, 2017
A jaunty selection from Peter Coffin's 2006 series, "Untitled (Tree Pants)."
art

The Plant-Loving Artist Who Puts Pants on Trees

Peter Coffin's "Untitled (Tree Pants)" is both silly and serious.
Cara Giaimo September 20, 2017
This famous 1882 portrait of Oscar Wilde shows him in clothes he had commissioned and designed himself.
fashion

How Constance and Oscar Wilde Helped Get Women Into Trousers

One small step for clothing historians, one giant leap for womankind.
Natasha Frost September 20, 2017
These overalls might look harmless, but what if they exploded?
farms

The Bizarre Case of New Zealand's Exploding Pants

Weeds. Chemicals. Fire. Trousers.
Eric Grundhauser September 20, 2017
A farmer spraying pesticide on his crops.
poison

How Blue Jeans Endangered the Lives of 6 Children in 1963

The fascinating case of the poisoned pants.
Robert Lamb September 20, 2017
Matt Whitaker setting his record at the Blackmores Sydney Marathon.
world record

The Subtle Art of Running a Marathon in a Three-Piece Suit

Matt Whitaker, the new world-record holder, shares his secrets.
Cara Giaimo September 20, 2017
Steve McQueen lounges in a corduroy jacket, 1967.
fashion

The Long and Bumpy History of Corduroy

It may be most closely associated with the '70s, but the ribbed fabric's pedigree goes back many centuries.
Ernie Smith September 19, 2017
Gaulish chief Vercingetorix, wearing trousers, surrenders to Julius Caesar after the battle of Alesia in 52 B.C.
roman

How Pants Went From Banned to Required in the Roman Empire

Six hundred years in the history of trousers.
Vittoria Traverso September 19, 2017
Stockings were a necessary leg covering in the 18th century.
fashion

A Machine That Made Stockings Helped Kick Off the Industrial Revolution

Queen Elizabeth I wanted none of it.
Sarah Laskow September 19, 2017
Political graffiti in Hartford Connecticut.
linguistics

All the Lies About the Origins of 'Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire'

A common phrase with a long, deceptive history.
Cara Giaimo September 18, 2017
An 18th-century illustration of the legs of a frog.
features

Scientists Once Dressed Frogs in Tiny Pants to Study Reproduction

In the 18th century, fertility research got particularly creative.
Robert Lamb September 18, 2017
Necropants.
witchcraft

Necropants and Other Tales of 17th-Century Icelandic Sorcery

Magic wealth and goat's milk could be yours—if you could stomach the rituals.
Eric Grundhauser September 18, 2017