Breeches are an article of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles. Formerly a standard item of Western men's clothing, they had fallen out of use by the mid-19th century in favour of trousers.
Breeches are still worn as livery for special occasions in several European courts. Here, a coachman in the Netherlands wears them during Prinsjesdag, 2013.
Breeches as worn in the United States in the late 18th century: Elijah Boardman by Ralph Earl, 1789.
A pair of buckles for dress breeches. The T-hook of the buckle is inserted into a buttonhole located on the strap at the bottoms of the leg of the breeches. The end of the strap is slipped through, the prongs lowered and then the end slipped through the other side of the buckle.
Equestrian portrait of Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn by David Morier around 1765.
Trousers, slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately. In the United Kingdom, the word pants generally means underwear and not trousers. Shorts are similar to trousers, but with legs that come down only to around the area of the knee, higher or lower depending on the style of the garment. To distinguish them from shorts, trousers may be called "long trousers" in certain contexts such as school uniform, where tailored shorts may be called "short trousers" in the UK.
A man wearing trousers
Roman Bronze Statuette of a Suebian wearing trousers. First to third century AD
Scythian wearing trousers
Psalter (the 'Shaftesbury Psalter') with calendar and prayers, England, second quarter of the twelfth century
