41
votes
What was the 1970s name for skinny jeans?
In the 1970's there were 3 basic poles of jeans in the USA:
Levis, Wranglers, and "Designer".
If you wanted to wear fully tight jeans, you were probably wearing "Designer jeans". ...
- 121k
27
votes
Accepted
Did the Roman legions wear this type of boots?
These boots are in the calceus style. As such they are quite spot on and accurate for a Roman soldier in colder climates. But not unlike the caligae we stereotypically associate with a legionaire's ...
- 80.7k
25
votes
Accepted
Did medieval people wear collars with a castellated hem?
The basic form of this garment is like the gugel, a hood that protects the head and also covers the shoulders. The precursors for these are Roman paenula or Alpine Kotze made from various types of ...
- 80.7k
15
votes
Accepted
Did Continental Army officers wear wigs or keep their hair white like their British Army counterparts?
It's important to note here a key distinction between British (army) officers and Continental officers.
The former, overwhelmingly, had purchased their commissions into a specific regiment; and were ...
- 72.4k
15
votes
What was the 1970s name for skinny jeans?
This is from Wikipedia, showing Elvis Presley wearing drainpipes: Slim-fit pants/The 1950s.
Elvis Presley wearing drainpipe jeans. In the 1950s; the waist was higher than on modern skinny jeans.
The ...
- 8,091
13
votes
Did medieval people wear collars with a castellated hem?
The hood and the 'distinctive castellated margin' mentioned by the OP are really two separate features, so this answer will focus on the decorative hem, which was called dagging.
A very informative ...
- 40.5k
12
votes
Accepted
Is the story about Mussolini and Oliver Hardy apocryphal?
SHORT ANSWER
The story isn't true. It most likely stems from an inaccurate account by the English writer A. N. Wilson. It is also possible that Wilson's version has been 'blended' with a piece of ...
- 108k
12
votes
Accepted
Did unmarried Spartan women have longer hair than men?
SHORT ANSWER
Most likely yes when compared to men under 20 or maybe 30 years old. The available evidence suggests that young males had short hair and young females long hair, while mature males ...
- 108k
11
votes
Did anyone interweave blue and red threads in order to give the illusion of purple cloth before purple dye became cheap?
Speaking as a lazy crochet artist and textile enthusiast, most people have pointed out the dye aspects regarding purple colors very well.
Meanwhile, I'll just point out that weaving blue and red ...
- 464
9
votes
Accepted
When, where, why did clean shaving for men become the norm?
Shaving was hard before the invention of metal knives.
I regret I do not now recall the name of the book but I read in one book about Ancient Egypt, which had pictures to prove it, that in very ...
- 5,601
9
votes
When, where, why did clean shaving for men become the norm?
As you said fashion for beards comes in and out, periodically. One of the earliest available detailed records is indeed Alexander. He not only introduced shaving in the army but also introduced this ...
- 38.7k
8
votes
Accepted
"Hat Hair" in History
"Hat hair" was a universal affliction when all men wore hats. Sometimes they don't bother to fix it up after taking off the hat, even when taking a photograph, and so you end up with photos like this:
...
- 14.4k
8
votes
Accepted
Is there historical evidence on what might have been a maximum hair length for males in 1st century Judea?
There is no clear source about the maximum length of hair known to me, but it's possible to glean information from some related topics.
The Mishnah (redacted c. 200 in Roman Palestine), based on ...
- 332
7
votes
What was the 1970s name for skinny jeans?
After doing more research, and reading the responses, I believe I've come to two reasonable conclusions:
1: There are simply many names for it depending on time and location, following no other ...
- 429
6
votes
Did anyone interweave blue and red threads in order to give the illusion of purple cloth before purple dye became cheap?
Short answer — frame challenge:
Of course 'someone' did that, perhaps quite early on, we can quite safely assume. Although hard evidence for that is scarce and presented here only with one concrete ...
- 80.7k
6
votes
Lenin Jacket Picture: What's the story?
Was it published? If so, where? When did it start circulating on the internet?
The earliest source I could find is from a story published in roll.sohu.com. It's a story about the lifestyle of the ...
- 1,977
6
votes
Accepted
Did the Sturmabteilung uniform look ridiculous in terms of German fashion in the 1920s?
It is currently still unclear to which extent and from what angle "any ridicule" might have come. Of course there was some ridicule towards those uniformed men, and of course that ridicule ...
- 80.7k
6
votes
Accepted
What is the earliest history of Middle Eastern women wearing veils for modesty while in public?
Still waiting for a more complete answer, but embarrassed that the book referenced is on my computer.
Neither wives of seigniors nor [widows] nor [Assyrian women], who go out on the street [may have] ...
- 233
6
votes
Does the leather strap often depicted on a Pith helmets serve a purpose, or is it purely cosmetic?
It's a chinstrap. It was used mainly for decorative purposes, but also to keep the helmet on the head when riding horses or in strong winds.
I never wore a pith helmet, but a peaked cap. The chinstrap ...
- 22.5k
6
votes
Accepted
What is the meaning of the medieval word 'bliant', used to describe a fabric?
A Pocket Dictionary Welsh to English by William Richards published in 1861 lists Bliant as "fine linen, cambric".
- 1,358
5
votes
Accepted
What are specific parts of this 19th century dress called?
Court wear is intrinsically weird. The dags on the bodice (waist) are characteristic of court dress, not normal clothes. "Garniture" is not a familiar term. Bodice would be a single piece. White ...
MCW♦
- 33.8k
5
votes
Accepted
Why did Charles the Bold have long fingernails?
The wiki entry is misleading. Ruth Putnam gives what seems to be the actual explanation in a well sourced ebook, "Charles the Bold, Last Duke of Burgundy":
Separated from this group by a ...
- 22.9k
5
votes
Accepted
Did anyone in England in the 1680's wear a beard?
In 1689 Solomon Ayllon was appointed rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews in London, and as you can see in the picture on Wikipedia, he wore a beard.
(His predecessor, Jacob Abendana, who was ...
- 1,265
5
votes
At what age did girls start wearing corsets in 1880s-1890s Britain?
How to Be a Victorian: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Victorian Life by Ruth Goodman discusses this.
The newborn would wear a binder, a simple strap, until about nine months, where it would be replaced -- ...
- 2,089
4
votes
Identify the cover model from an issue of Life Magazine
Looks like the photographer Vernon Merritt III didn't document the name:
Woman Possibly Model, W. Long Hair wearing short skirt, lace top & sandals, walking up street, re story on New York look ...
- 80.7k
4
votes
What was considered utility clothing before WW2?
After some digging into this question, I realise that @LangLangC's comments are right.
Looking at the dictionary, one of the lexical meanings of the adjective utility is:
utility
[…]
2: Functional ...
- 471
4
votes
What uniform is General Redvers Henry Buller VC GCB GCMG wearing in this colored photo?
There is a version of this picture that bears the description:
Right Hon. Sir Redvers Buller, V.C., G.C.B., etc.
Commanding in Natal
In the Uniform of Colonel Commandant, King's Royal Rifle Corps
...
- 80.7k
3
votes
What are specific parts of this 19th century dress called?
With some caveats: I'd argue that it's not any type of 'court dress' that's difficult to analyse. Highest fashion – whether 'court' or not – is in reality much more convoluted than idealised typical ...
- 80.7k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible