Oxford bags

Last updated

Oxford bags were a loose-fitting baggy form of trousers favoured by members of the University of Oxford, especially undergraduates, in England from the mid-1920s to around the 1950s. [1] [2] The style had a more general influence outside the university, including in America, but has been somewhat out of fashion since then.

Contents

Origins

It is sometimes said that the style originated from a ban in 1924 on the wearing of plus fours by Oxford (and Cambridge) undergraduates at lectures.[ citation needed ] The bagginess allegedly allowed plus fours to be hidden underneath – but the argument is undermined by the fact that the trousers (especially in the early years) were not sufficiently voluminous for this to be done with any success. Other theories include claims that the style was invented by Harold Acton of Christ Church or by Bob Boothby of Magdalen; but there is evidence of the term, at least, being used at significantly earlier dates. [3]

The original trousers were 22–23 inches (56–58 cm) in circumference at the bottoms but became increasingly larger to 44 inches (110 cm) or more, possibly due to a misunderstanding of the measurement as the width rather than circumference. [3]

In the late 1920s venues such as the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem were playing swinging jazz, inspiring new dance moves such as Jitterbug and Lindy Hop which demanded extreme movement from dancers, who therefore adopted Oxford bags. During the 1940s, swing became a staple of dance halls in the western world and movie stars such as Frankie Manning and Fred Astaire wore Oxford bags on screen.[ citation needed ]

Revival

The style made a comeback in 1970s Britain, among fans of Northern soul, a popular 1970s music movement. The style was worn as a practical measure to enable fans to make the energetic and elaborate dance moves associated with the Northern soul scene.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punk fashion</span> Fashion of punk subculture

Punk fashion is the clothing, hairstyles, cosmetics, jewellery, and body modifications of the punk counterculture. Punk fashion varies widely, ranging from Vivienne Westwood designs to styles modeled on bands like The Exploited to the dressed-down look of North American hardcore. The distinct social dress of other subcultures and art movements, including glam rock, skinheads, greasers, and mods have influenced punk fashion. Punk fashion has likewise influenced the styles of these groups, as well as those of popular culture. Many punks use clothing as a way of making a statement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suit</span> Western business attire of matching jacket and trousers

A suit, lounge suit, or business suit is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles generally worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt suit is similar, but with a matching skirt instead of trousers. It is currently considered semi-formal wear or business wear in contemporary Western dress codes, however when the suit was originally developed it was considered an informal or more casual option compared to the prevailing clothing standards of aristocrats and businessmen. The lounge suit originated in 19th-century Britain as sportswear and British country clothing, which is why it was seen as more casual than citywear at that time, with the roots of the suit coming from early modern Western Europe formal court or military clothes. After replacing the black frock coat in the early 20th century as regular daywear, a sober one-coloured suit became known as a lounge suit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heavy metal fashion</span> Performer and fan worn attire as representing heavy metal music

Heavy metal fashion is the style of dress, body modification, make-up, hairstyle, and so on, taken on by fans of heavy metal, or, as they are often called, metalheads or headbangers. While the style has changed from the 1970s to the 2020s, certain key elements have remained constant, such as black clothes, long hair and leather jackets. In the 1980s, some bands began wearing spandex. Other attire includes denim or leather vests or jackets with band patches and logos, t-shirts with band names, and spiked wristbands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suspenders</span> Shoulder straps worn to hold up trousers

Suspenders, or braces are fabric or leather straps worn over the shoulders to hold up skirts or trousers. The straps may be elasticated, either entirely or only at attachment ends, and most straps are of woven cloth forming an X or Y shape at the back. Suspenders are typically attached to skirts and trousers with clips or buttons using leather tabs at the ends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell-bottoms</span> Trousers cut wider at the ankle than the knees

Bell-bottoms are a style of trousers that become wider from the knees downward, forming a bell-like shape of the trouser leg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bondage pants</span> Type of trousers

Bondage pants or bondage trousers are trousers with zippers, straps, chains, rings and buckles, giving an appearance of a BDSM style. They come in a variety of colors and patterns; one of the most common patterns being tartan. Bondage pants also come in a variety of styles, including tight or baggy, long, short or Capri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parachute pants</span> 1980s nylon trousers

Parachute pants, originally known as flight pants, are a style of trousers characterized by the use of nylon, especially ripstop nylon. In the original tight-fitting style of the early 1980s, "parachute" referred to the pants' nylon material, similar to a parachute's. Parachute pants became a fad in US culture in the 1980s as part of the increased popularity of breakdancing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plus fours</span> Breeches or trousers extending 4 inches below the knee

Plus fours are breeches or trousers that extend four inches (10 cm) below the knee. Knickerbockers have been traditionally associated with sporting attire since the 1860s. Plus fours were introduced in the 1920s and became popular among sportsmen—particularly golfers and game shooters—as they allowed more freedom of movement than knickerbockers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wide-leg jeans</span> Type of trousers

Wide-leg jeans, colloquially called baggy pants, are a style of clothing that were popular from the early 1980s to the 2010s.

Breeks is the Scots term for trousers or breeches. It is also used in Northumbrian English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bermuda shorts</span> Knee-length walking shorts for men or women

Bermuda shorts, also known as walk shorts or dress shorts, are a particular type of short trousers, worn as semi-casual attire by both men and women. The hem, which can be cuffed or un-cuffed, is around 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the knee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pleat</span> Deliberate fold in the design of a textile object or garment

A pleat is a type of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and securing it in place. It is commonly used in clothing and upholstery to gather a wide piece of fabric to a narrower circumference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Knickerbockers (clothing)</span> Baggy-kneed breeches popular in the early 20th-century

Knickerbockers are a form of baggy-kneed breeches, particularly popular in the early 20th-century United States. Golfers' plus twos and plus fours are similar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wings (haircut)</span> Haircut Style

The wings haircut, also known the Mod haircut, Mop top, flippies, flow, Justin Bieber haircut, or skater hair is a popular hairstyle used in the skateboarding, surfer, mod, and preppy community. Typically long, the style can range from long and drooping below the eyes, to a shorter length. The haircut is typically wavy and, if straight, the length comes to halfway down the ears. Instead of lying on the wearer's ears, the hair flips up and comes straight out like an airplane wing, hence the name. The hairstyle was popular among men in the 1960s, 1970s, mid-late 2000s, early 2010s and 2020s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slim-fit pants</span> Trousers tailored to fit very close to the body

Slim-fit pants or skinny jeans are tight trousers that have a snug fit through the legs and end in a small leg opening that can be anywhere from 9" to 20" in circumference, depending on size. Other names for this style include drainpipes, stovepipes, tight pants, cigarette pants, pencil pants, skinny pants, gas pipes, skinnies, and tight jeans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920s in Western fashion</span> Clothing in the 1920s

Western fashion in the 1920s underwent a modernization. For women, fashion had continued to change away from the extravagant and restrictive styles of the Victorian and Edwardian periods, and towards looser clothing which revealed more of the arms and legs, that had begun at least a decade prior with the rising of hemlines to the ankle and the movement from the S-bend corset to the columnar silhouette of the 1910s. Men also began to wear less formal daily attire and athletic clothing or 'Sportswear' became a part of mainstream fashion for the first time. The 1920s are characterized by two distinct periods of fashion: in the early part of the decade, change was slower, and there was more reluctance to wear the new, revealing popular styles. From 1925, the public more passionately embraced the styles now typically associated with the Roaring Twenties. These styles continued to characterize fashion until the worldwide depression worsened in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French knickers</span> Womens underwear garment

French knickers are a type of women's underwear or lingerie. The term is predominantly used in the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia to describe a style of underpants that look similar to a pair of shorts. French knickers are worn from the hip, concealing some of the upper thigh and all of the buttocks. The garment features an "open leg" style that allows for a more comfortable fit and the straight-cut leg cuffs can be designed with or without trimming. The fabric is often bias cut.

A man's suit of clothes, in the sense of a lounge or business or office suit, is a set of garments which are crafted from the same cloth. This article discusses the history of the lounge suit, often called a business suit when featuring dark colors and a conservative cut.

<i>Tobi trousers</i> Style of Japanese trousers designed to be worn with split-toed boots

Tobitrousers or tobipants are a type of baggy pants used as a common uniform of tobi shokunin, construction workers in Japan who work on high places. The pants are baggy to a point below the knees, abruptly narrowing at the calves so as to be put into the footwear: high boots or jika-tabi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-rise (fashion)</span> 20th century and 21st century fashion phenonemon

A high-rise or high-waisted garment is one designed to sit high on, or above, the wearer's hips, usually at least 8 centimetres (3 inches) higher than the navel. In western cultures, high-rise jeans were especially common in the 1970s, late 1980s through the late 1990s, derided as mom jeans in the 2000s, and popular again in the mid-to-late 2010s and continues to be popular into the present in competition with low-rise pants.

References

  1. "Oxford Bags, the Ridiculously Wide-Legged Trousers of the 1920s", Atlas Obscura , 22 September 2017, retrieved 15 June 2022
  2. Martin, Richard (2000). "Oxford Bags". In Pendergast, Tom; Pendergast, Sara (eds.). St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture . St. James Press. ISBN   1-558624031.
  3. 1 2 Longden, Sean (July 2013). "Oxford Bags: the most important trousers of the 20th century" (PDF). Resign! The Newsletter of the New Sheridan Club. Vol. 81. pp. 4–9.

Further reading