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 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.
Hose are any of various styles of men's clothing for the legs and lower body, worn from the Middle Ages through the 17th century, when the style fell out of use in favour of breeches and stockings. The old plural form of "hose" was "hosen". In German these terms remained in use and are the generic terms for trousers today. The French equivalent was chausses.
Servant wearing pluderhosen, 1565
Charles IX of France wearing padded hose, 1566
Sir Walter Raleigh in paned trunk hose and cannions, and his son in loose slops, 1602