The Actual Origins Of Clothing

Summary

This video script delves into the surprising origins of everyday clothing items. It starts by highlighting the inventive nature of clothing, from the first shirts to keep shoulders warm to the evolution of pants, which date back to 3,000 years ago and were crucial for horseback riding. The script explores the development of modern pants, including blue jeans and cargo pants, and their impact on fashion. It also traces the history of t-shirts, men's suits, bras, underpants, leggings, neckties, hats, sunglasses, Hawaiian aloha shirts, high heels, and swimsuits. Each section reveals the historical context and cultural significance of these garments, challenging common perceptions and offering a fascinating insight into how our wardrobe has been shaped over time.

Takeaways

• 👕 The concept of shirts and shoulder pads originated from the need to keep shoulders warm and cozy.
• 👖 Pants have been around since 3,000 to 3,300 years ago, with the oldest known pair found in Western China.
• 📚 Ancient Greeks and Romans viewed pants as a sign of barbarism, favoring tunics, robes, and togas instead.
• 👖🔩 Blue jeans, a modern innovation, were developed in the 1870s by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss, featuring rivets for reinforcement.
• 👖📦 Cargo pants were introduced in the 1930s as part of British army uniforms, designed for storing military gear.
• 👕🎭 The modern t-shirt descends from the 19th-century union suit, with the standalone top part popularized as 'bachelor undershirts'.
• 🤵 The evolution of men's suits has shifted from flamboyant French court styles to the tailored suits popularized by George 'Beau' Brummell.
• 👙 Early bras were simple strips of fabric, but the modern bra with separate cups was developed by Mary Phelps Jacob in the early 20th century.
• 🩲 Briefs or panties were designed in the 1600s for women to provide modesty, particularly when horse riding.
• 👖🧔 Leggings were initially worn by men in medieval Scotland, made from materials like leather or chainmail for protection.
• 👔 Neckties gained popularity in Europe in the 17th century, inspired by the cravats worn by Croatian mercenaries in the French military.
• 🎩 Hats have a long history, possibly dating back to the Stone Age, with the earliest known hat belonging to Otzi the Iceman.
• 🕶️ Sunglasses, while a recent invention due to understanding of UV light, have precursors in the smoky quartz glasses used by 13th-century Chinese judges.
• 👕🌴 The Hawaiian aloha shirt was likely designed in the 1920s by a Japanese woman in Hawaii, using kimono fabric for menswear.
• 👠 High heels were originally designed for practical use in horse riding and later became a status symbol in Europe, with women adopting them in the 17th century.
• 🩱 Swimsuits became more standardized and less cumbersome in the 19th century, evolving into more form-fitting designs by the early 20th century.

Q & A

What was the original purpose of wearing something on the shoulders?

The original purpose of wearing something on the shoulders was to keep them cozy and protected from the cold.

How old are the oldest known pair of trousers?

The oldest known pair of trousers date from between 3,000 and 3,300 years ago.

Why did ancient Greeks and Romans view pants-wearing as a sign of barbarism?

Ancient Greeks and Romans favored looser tunics, robes, and togas, and they saw pants-wearing as a sign of barbarism, often writing about other cultures that favored pants in a condescending and mocking tone.

How old are blue jeans and what was their initial purpose?

Blue jeans are about 150 years old and were initially designed for miners in Nevada who needed pants that were tougher than traditional trousers for their work.

What was the original purpose of cargo pants?

Cargo pants were first introduced as part of British army uniforms in the 1930s, with the additional pockets intended for storing weapons, ammo, and rations.

What ancient garment does the modern t-shirt descend from?

The modern t-shirt descends from what was known in the 19th century as a union suit, which was a button-down onesie designed to be worn by both men and women.

Who is credited with popularizing the tailored suit in the 19th century?

George 'Beau' Brummell, an Englishman, is credited with popularizing a less showy style of dress, which included tailored suits that emphasized the natural form.

What was the first design of the modern bra like?

The first design of the modern bra by Mary Phelps Jacob was similar to two handkerchiefs joined by a ribbon, and it included cups that separated and supported the breasts.

When did the style of underpants with a separate hole for each leg first exist?

This style of underpants first existed in the 1600s and was initially designed just for ladies.

What was the original purpose of high heels?

High heels were originally envisioned as menswear to help men's feet fit more securely into stirrups when riding on horseback.

How did the Hawaiian aloha shirt originate?

The Hawaiian aloha shirt was almost certainly designed by a Japanese woman living in Hawaii in the 1920s who repurposed kimono fabric for use in menswear.

What was the initial reason for the development of swimsuits in the 19th century?

The development of swimsuits in the 19th century was due to the dawn of railroads, which allowed more people to travel to bodies of water and go swimming.

Outlines

00:00

👕 The Invention of Everyday Clothing

This paragraph delves into the origins of common clothing items. It starts by emphasizing the inventive nature of clothing, suggesting that everything we wear was once someone's innovation. The script then encourages viewers to subscribe to the Weird History channel and share their interests in learning about the histories of everyday items. The discussion covers the history of pants, tracing them back to 3,000-year-old trousers found in China, and how they were essential for horseback riding. It also touches upon the ancient Greeks and Romans' disdain for pants, viewing them as barbaric. The paragraph continues with the evolution of pants, including the development of blue jeans by Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss in the 1870s, and the more recent innovation of cargo pants in the 1930s. The segment concludes with a brief mention of the t-shirt's evolution from the union suit of the 19th century to the modern form popularized by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

05:01

🤵 The Evolution of Men's Fashion

The second paragraph focuses on the evolution of men's fashion, particularly suits. It describes how European men's clothing in the 1700s and early 1800s was influenced by the French court, characterized by flamboyance and colorful attire. The narrative then shifts to the mid-19th century when George 'Beau' Brummell introduced a less ostentatious style, favoring tailored suits that better accentuated the natural form. This style was a precursor to the modern men's suit. The paragraph also explores the history of undergarments, from the simple strips of fabric used in ancient Greece and Rome to the modern bra designed by Mary Phelps Jacob in the early 20th century. Additionally, it mentions the history of leggings, which were initially worn by men in medieval Scotland, and the curious origin of the necktie, which was inspired by Croatian mercenaries in the French military. The segment ends with a brief history of hats, highlighting their ancient roots and the oldest known hat worn by Otzi the Iceman.

10:03

🕶️ The Origins of Accessories and Swimwear

The final paragraph discusses the history of various accessories and swimwear. It starts with the use of eye-shielding glasses by 13th-century Chinese judges and the Inuit people's whale bone sunglasses. The narrative then dispels the myth that Jimmy Buffett invented the Hawaiian aloha shirt, attributing its creation to a Japanese woman in the 1920s. The paragraph also covers the evolution of high heels, which were originally designed for practical use in horse riding and later became a status symbol in Europe. The history of swimsuits is traced back to the 19th century, noting the gradual transition from full-body coverage to more form-fitting designs in the 20th century. The segment concludes with a prompt for viewers to share their thoughts on the most surprising clothing origin and to explore more videos from the Weird History channel.

Keywords

💡Invention of Clothing

The process by which everyday items of clothing came into existence. It is central to the video's theme, as it explores the historical origins of various garments. For example, the script mentions the invention of the shirt to keep shoulders warm, illustrating the human need that led to its creation.

💡Trousers

A type of garment worn on the legs, which the video discusses in the context of its ancient origins and evolution. The oldest known trousers are mentioned to be from 3,000 to 3,300 years ago, found in Western China, showcasing the long history of this clothing item.

💡Blue Jeans

A specific type of pants made from denim, known for their durability and style. The video highlights that blue jeans are a relatively recent invention, with their modern form being about 150 years old. They were initially designed for miners in Nevada, emphasizing their practical origins.

💡Cargo Pants

A style of pants with extra pockets, initially designed for practical purposes. The video explains that cargo pants were first introduced in the 1930s as part of British army uniforms, indicating their origin in military wear before becoming a pop culture trend.

💡T-shirts

A garment that extends from the shoulders to the hips, which the video traces back to ancient Rome with the tunic. The modern t-shirt is more directly descended from the 19th-century union suit, with examples given such as the US Navy adopting undershirts in 1913.

💡Men's Suits

Formal attire for men that has evolved significantly over time. The video describes the transition from the flamboyant styles of the 1700s and early 1800s to the more tailored suits popularized by George 'Beau' Brummell in the mid-19th century, reflecting changing fashion trends and social norms.

💡Bra

An undergarment designed to support women's breasts. The video discusses the evolution of the bra from simple strips of fabric to the modern design introduced by Mary Phelps Jacob in 1913, which included separate cups for each breast, highlighting the innovation's response to fashion trends.

💡Underpants

Garments covering the genital area, with the video noting that the modern style of briefs or panties for women did not exist until the 1600s. It also mentions that men adopted underwear over time, whereas leggings were initially popular for men, showcasing the gender-specific evolution of undergarments.

💡Necktie

An accessory worn around the neck, which the video reveals was initially a military garment. It became popular in Europe after King Louis XIV of France hired Croatian mercenaries who wore cravats, illustrating the necktie's transition from practical use to a symbol of status and fashion.

💡Hats

Headwear that has been a part of human attire since ancient times. The video references the earliest known hat, found with Otzi the Iceman, and drawings from Ancient Egypt, emphasizing the long-standing role of hats in human culture and fashion.

💡Sunglasses

Eyewear designed to protect the eyes from sunlight, which the video notes is a relatively recent invention due to the understanding of UV light. It mentions early forms of eye protection used by judges in 13th-century China and by the Inuit people, showing the gradual development of this accessory.

💡Hawaiian Aloha Shirt

A type of shirt that became popular in the 20th century, which the video clarifies was not invented by Jimmy Buffett as sometimes claimed. Instead, it originated from a Japanese woman repurposing kimono fabric in the 1920s, and its design evolved to reflect broader Hawaiian imagery over time.

💡High Heels

Footwear with elevated heels, which the video explains were originally designed for men to help with horse riding. They later became a fashion statement and status symbol in Europe, highlighting the shift in their use from practical to fashionable.

💡Swimsuits

Garments designed for swimming, which the video notes did not become standardized until the 19th century. It discusses the evolution from full-body coverage to more form-fitting designs, reflecting changes in societal norms and technology related to swimwear.

Highlights

The concept of clothing has evolved from practical needs to modern styles, with each item having a unique history.

The shirt, or at least shoulder pads, was invented to keep shoulders warm, suggesting early clothing was designed for protection and comfort.

Pants, dating back to 3,000-3,300 years ago, were found in Western China, showing their ancient origins and practical use for horseback riding.

Ancient Greeks and Romans viewed pants as a sign of barbarism, preferring tunics, robes, and togas.

Blue jeans, a staple of modern clothing, are relatively recent, being about 150 years old, highlighting rapid changes in fashion.

Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis created the first riveted pants, which later evolved into the iconic 501 jeans.

Cargo pants, initially part of British army uniforms in the 1930s, were designed for practicality with extra pockets for storage.

T-shirts have a long history, with their modern form descending from the 19th-century union suit.

The term 'T-shirt' was coined by F. Scott Fitzgerald in his book 'This Side of Paradise', due to its T-shape.

Men's suits have transformed significantly over centuries, with George 'Beau' Brummell influencing the modern suit's tailored look.

The earliest bras were simple strips of fabric, evolving into the modern bra designed by Mary Phelps Jacob in 1913.

Underpants or 'drawers' were first designed in the 1600s for women, to provide modesty, and later became popular for men.

Leggings were initially worn by men in medieval Scotland, made from leather or chainmail for protection.

Neckties became popular in Europe in the 17th century, inspired by Croatian mercenaries' cravats, as a status symbol.

Hats have a long history, possibly dating back to the Stone Age, with the oldest known hat belonging to Otzi the Iceman.

Modern sunglasses are a recent invention due to the late understanding of UV light, but early forms existed, such as those used by Inuit people.

The Hawaiian aloha shirt, a popular tourist item, was likely designed by a Japanese woman in the 1920s, not by Jimmy Buffett as claimed.

High heels were originally designed for men to help with horse riding and later became a fashion statement in France and across Europe.

Swimsuits became more standardized and mass-produced in the 19th century, evolving from full-body coverage to more form-fitting designs.

Transcripts

If you stop to think about it, everything

you're wearing right now from head to toe

was invented by somebody.

Somebody said "my shoulders are cold.

I should put something up there to keep them cozy."

And boom, the shirt was born.

Or at least the shoulder pads.

But most of us never really stopped

to think about how it happened.

So today, we're talking about the actual origins

of everyday clothing.

But before we get started, make sure to subscribe

to the Weird History channel.

After that, we'd be much obliged if you would leave us

a comment letting us know what other unexpected histories

of everyday items you would like to hear about next.

OK, time to tuck in that shirt and straighten those shoulder

pads, because we're about to get historical.

But seriously, why did big shoulders go out of style?

Pants are one of those inventions

that seem both distinctly modern and like they've been around

since the dawn of time.

What else are you going to wear on your legs?

Hats?

The oldest known pair of trousers

date from between 3,000 and 3,300 years ago

and were found in the tomb of two nomads in Western China.

In addition, a pants-wearing mummy known as the Cherchen

Man--

or Churchies to his buds--

was discovered in China's Tarim Basin

and dates from around 2,600 years ago.

Obviously these garments provided protection

from the cold, but they were also

essential for horseback riding, and in fact superficially

resemble the riding pants of today.

We also have a few primary sources

about pants and pants-wearing going back to this period.

The ancient Greeks and Romans favored looser tunics, robes,

and togas, and saw pant wearing is a sign of barbarism.

They wrote about other cultures that

favored pants in a condescending and mocking tone.

Unlike today, where we appreciate

both the flexibility of pants and the breathability of togas.

Clearly the concept of pants goes all the way back

to the ancient world.

But a lot of our modern day pant technology

developed much more recently.

Blue jeans, for example, are only about 150 years old.

They're practically cutting edge,

like iPhones for your lower half.

In the 1870s, miners in Nevada were

looking for pants that were tougher

than traditional trousers.

Which while fancy enough for polite society,

tended to tear and rip easily while digging underground.

An outfitter named Jacob Davis tried fashioning some pants out

of a strong canvas material known as duck cloth,

and it worked well enough for him

to bring in a collaborator named Levi Strauss, who

ran a dry goods store in San Francisco.

Together, they developed and patented

the first ever pair of pants that were fastened

and strengthened by rivets.

Yeah, rivets.

That word just feels strong.

By 1890, Strauss switched to using

blue denim, which provided additional flexibility

over duck cloth.

That year, he introduced the first pair

of so-called 501 jeans, which are still sold today.

You may think blue jeans represent

pants in their final and most advanced form,

but cargo pants are an even more recent innovation.

They were first introduced as part of British army uniforms

in the 1930s with the additional pockets intended

for storing weapons, ammo, and rations for the busy traveling

grunt.

As with jeans, these early cargo pants

were made of thick, heavy duty canvas material,

providing additional warmth and protection and pockets.

American soldiers who saw their British counterparts in cargo

pants quickly took up the style themselves,

and they remain an essential component of the standard US

military uniform to this day.

Cargo pants became a wider pop culture trend in the 1990s,

with Complex magazine even dubbing

them SUVs for your legs.

Hey, they had to fill a whole magazine every month.

Not as easy as it sounds.

You might suspect that t-shirts are also

a relatively modern invention, and if you're

talking specifically about Metallica concert tees,

you'd be right.

But actually, the basic idea of a garment

that reaches from the shoulders to the hips

goes all the way back to ancient Rome, which gave us the tunic.

Our present day tees are more direct descendants

of what was known in the 19th century as a union suit.

According to the BBC, these were worn button

down onesies designed to be worn by both men and women.

In warmer weather, people would sometimes

cut these Long John style garments in half

and tuck the top part into the bottom part.

The Cooper underwear company simplified the process

by designing a standalone version

of the top part, which they called

bachelor undershirts in 1904.

Nowadays bachelor undershirt suggests a lot more nacho

cheese stains.

By 1913, the US Navy had adopted undershirts

as part of the standard seaman's uniform.

The Oxford English Dictionary claims that the name t-shirt

was actually first coined by Great Gatsby author F. Scott

Fitzgerald in his 1920 book This Side of Paradise

because, you know, it's shaped like a T,

and that's why he's a literary genius.

As with shirts, men's suits have been with us for many centuries

but have constantly shifted and changed over time,

in the 1700s and early 1800s, European men's clothes

retained a strong influence of the French court

and were notably colorful and flamboyant.

Common accessories included wigs, powder, perfume, silks,

billowy tunics, frocks, and stockings.

Some of those sound less like accessories and more

like an entire additional outfit.

If you indulged in that style, you would be known as a fop.

But around the mid-19th century, an Englishman

named George "Beau" Brummell started

popularizing a less showy style of dress,

preferring full length trousers and matching

or subtly contrasting jackets.

He also stopped wearing wigs and perfume

in favor of regular bathing.

Can you imagine?

What a weirdo.

While the French style tended towards billowing fabrics

and bedazzled outerwear, Brummell's tailored suits

emphasized his natural form and far more closely approximated

the men's suit of today.

If you follow Brummell's fashion advice,

you would be known as a dandy.

In a way, you could call Brummell the father of the fit.

Go ahead, try it out.

He's been dead for 180 years.

He can't do anything about it.

The earliest bras were a little more than strips of fabric

tied around the chest and fastened

in the back with a pin.

Greek and Roman women would wear such garments

while playing sports or doing any kind

of strenuous physical activity.

Over time, these simple proto-bras

got increasingly complex.

Women wore tightly constrictive corsets under the clothes,

some held in place with painfully rigid whalebone

inserts.

Apparently Victoria's Secret is a whale skeleton.

The modern bra was developed by New York socialite Mary Phelps

Jacob around the turn of the century

and was introduced to the public in 1913.

Jacob's design was the first to include cups that separated

and supported the breasts.

Though her original design was little

more than two handkerchiefs joined by a ribbon.

Still better than a jagged hunk of whale carcass.

A hot new trend in New York society toward plunging

necklines had proved chaotic for her curvy figure,

which prompted her to invent a more supportive undergarment.

Other women shared her neckline concerns,

and soon, Jacob and a friend became the first ever bra

manufacturers.

Eventually, she changed her name to Caresse Crosby

and used her earnings to become a famed publisher

and patron of the arts.

There are several entire videos to be

made about the history of underpants, or drawers,

to use the scientific term.

But for the sake of simplicity, let's limit ourselves

to what we today think of as briefs or panties, the cotton

kind with a separate hole for each leg.

This style of underpants didn't exist in any form

until the 1600s and were first designed just for ladies

to help them avoid accidentally flashing people.

Particularly when getting on or being thrown from a horse.

The only thing worse than getting thrown from a horse

is flashing your hooha to everybody on the way down.

While underwear was originally just for women

and found its way to men over time,

the opposite is true of leggings.

They were all the rage in medieval Scotland

but exclusively for men.

These leggings would not have resembled modern athleisure

wear.

There were no Lululemon's in the Highlands back in those days.

Instead, they were fashioned from leather or chainmail,

making them pretty uncomfortable.

Certainly less than ideal for a sweatpants day,

if they celebrated those in medieval Scotland.

Over time, wool started replacing the rougher material,

and by the Renaissance era, men began

wearing leggings underneath other garments for warmth.

When you're talking about men's fashion though,

one accessory stands out as particularly curious.

The necktie.

You can't put your wallet in it, it just kind of hangs

there showing off its fancy patterns

and getting you into certain restaurants.

Neckties first found popularity in Europe in 1636

when King Louis XIV of France enlisted

a group of Croatian mercenaries as a new military unit.

These soldiers wore cravats around their necks

to protect them from the harsh elements on the battlefield

and used different materials based on a soldier's rank.

Privates wore cravats made of common lace or muslin

while officers were made of silk and often featured

additional ornamentation.

When the soldiers visited Paris, their neck wear

became all the rage and inspired the local fashionistas.

In particular, because wearing fine fabrics

was an excellent way to flaunt your wealth.

Silk remains a common material for men's neckties to this day.

Lace has faded from view.

Hats go all the way back to the Stone Age

and have likely existed since the dawn of humanity.

There's just something universally appealing

about a sharp looking hat.

We do know that the earliest drawing of a hat

was found in a tube in Thebes, Egypt

and dates back to around 3,200 BC.

And the earliest known hat in existence goes back 5,300 years

to a person known as Otzi the Iceman who was

found wearing a bearskin cap.

That is so Otzi.

Some of the so-called Venus figurines uncovered

across Eurasia also appear to possibly be wearing hats,

and some of these tiny statues are between 23,000 and 25,000

years old.

This would roughly line up with the earliest development

of weaving by Paleolithic hunter-gatherers, which

could explain how early hats were made.

Modern sunglasses, on the other hand,

are a relatively recent invention,

mainly because we only recently started to truly understand UV

light and how to manipulate it.

And the matrix didn't come out until 1999,

so there wasn't a huge rush.

But glasses designed to shield the face more generally

go back a good deal further than that.

In 13th century China, judges wore

glasses made of a smoky quartz material that would

shield their eyes from view.

This kept the legal teams from scrutinizing

their facial expressions during the trial

and probably helped taking a little nap

if the testimony got dull.

The Inuit people also used an early version

of sunglasses made from whale bone in the late 19th century

to shield their eyes from the intensely bright reflection

of the sun off of the snow that surrounded

them basically at all times.

Whale bones, is there anything they can't do?

Online claims that singer songwriter Jimmy Buffett

was the inventor of the Hawaiian aloha shirt

are simply not true.

The tourist favorite was almost certainly

designed by a Japanese woman living in Hawaii

in the 1920s who repurposed kimono fabric for use

in menswear.

The style caught on in Hawaii first, and by the 1930s,

it had spread to the mainland.

Hawaiian shirts at first were a status symbol,

as only the wealthiest Americans could

afford a vacation in the islands back in those days.

During World War II, as American attitudes

toward the Japanese shifted, the designs and patterns

moved away from directly kimono based imagery and toward more

conventionally Hawaiian shapes like hibiscus

flowers and palm trees.

Elvis' partiality to the shirts, which

he wore in a number of memorable '60s films, further

enhanced their popularity and cultural prominence.

High heels were also originally envisioned as menswear, but not

as a fashion statement.

They had a surprisingly practical use--

helping men's feet fit more securely into stirrups

when riding on horseback.

Wearing high heels even when not atop a mighty steed

became fashionable first among the French.

But by the end of the 16th century,

the custom was spreading across Europe.

As it was difficult to walk long distances wearing high heels,

they also became a status symbol,

demonstrating that the wearer was

living a leisurely life free of manual labor and walking.

After all, you only wore flats if you were working the fields.

Believe it or not, women didn't traditionally

wear high heels at all until the early 17th century,

and we assume those first high heels were made from whalebone.

Swimsuits did not exist in any standardized mass produced way

until the 19th century, when the dawn of railroads

allowed a lot more people to travel to bodies of water

and go swimming.

Even then, the advancement of swimsuit technology

was slow going.

The original suits were cumbersome

and still essentially covered the swimmer's entire body.

Some women, desiring even more modesty,

would use so-called bathing machines.

Basically a tiny house on wheels that the swimmer

would drag into the ocean and use to conceal their bodies.

I'd like to see somebody surf in that.

It wasn't until the early 20th century

that swimwear became more form fitting and aerodynamic.

But that took a while.

Men didn't start bare chested swimming until the 1930s,

and even Olympic swimmers wore suits that

met decency laws of the day.

Beaches also had strict rules about how much of a woman's

body could be exposed by a bathing suit,

with guards actually using a tape measure to ensure

no one flaunted the rules.

Can't have people swimming in bikinis.

What would the whales think?

So what do you think?

Which everyday piece of clothing has the most surprising origin?

Let us in the comments below.

And while you're at it, check out some of these other videos

from our Weird History.