Although Female trousers did not become fashion items until the later 20th century, women began wearing men's trousers (suitably altered) for outdoor work a hundred years earlier.The Wigan pit brow girls scandalized Victorian society by wearing trousers for their dangerous work in the coal mines.
They wore skirts over their trousers, rolled up to the waist to keep them out of the way. Women working the ranches of the 19th century American West also wore trousers for riding, and in the early 20th century aviatrices and other working women often wore trousers. Actresses Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn were often photographed in trousers from the 1930s and helped make trousers acceptable for women.
In Britain during the Second World War, because of the rationing of clothing, many women took to wearing their husband's civilian clothes, including their trousers, to work while their husbands were away in the armed forces. This was partly because they were seen as practical garments of workwear, and partly to allow women to keep their clothing allowance for other uses. As this practice of wearing trousers became more widespread and as the men's clothes wore out, replacements were needed, so that by the summer of 1944 it was reported that sales of women's trousers were five times more than in the previous year.
Leg shape: The trouser legs may be straight, tapered to be snug around the ankles, or widen at the ankles (Boot cut). The bottom may be flared, in which case the trousers can be called "bell-bottoms"
Beltloops: These may or may not be present to support a belt which may be used to adjust the tightness in the waist, and for decoration. Men can use suspenders/braces to support trousaers that are loose in the waist (though these are largely out of favor).
