Sailor pants are one of many clothing styles derived from military use that have been periodically popular. With their high, fitted waists, button detailing and belled legs, sailor pants seem designed to make a fashion statement. But why do they look like that in the first place? And when did they first become popular as a civilian fashion statement?

There's a lot of misinformation out there about sailor pants. Their buttons don't, for example, represent the original thirteen colonies. The flap front of sailor pants is simply a relic of the standard tailoring of men's pants in the late 1700s and early 1800s, which is when naval uniforms largely became standardized (prior to this, ships, captains and divisions could largely commission their own clothing within certain parameters).

The sailor as an image of military success, freedom and adventure, has made "sailor style" an ongoing and worldwide phenomena, one that's been examined in museums in both Britain and Australia.

While sailor style and pants in particular (although don't overlook the navy and white striped top) are in fashion today, this is hardly the first time. Sailor pants were also a hot commodity in the 1970s, thanks to their belled legs and also featured prominently as a part of women's attire for play in the late 1940s and 1950s as part of a reaction to the end of WWII. Earlier in the century, while trousers were often shocking for women, nautical fashions did appear in the clothes of both women and children, especially during the time bracketing the world wars.

Despite sailor style being fashionable for women and children, it's never really caught on with civilian men.

Today's sailor pants for women usually step away from traditional wool and appear in denim, corduroy and other non-standard, comfortable and durable fabrics.

Today, the words parka and anorak both generally mean a puffy, insulated coat designed for cold winters, but originally these were two separate clothing items with their own distinct histories. The anorak, a coat originally made by the Inuit people, was usually made out of animal skin (caribou or seal) and to maintain its waterproof nature was coated with oil, generally from fish. The parka, on the other hand, is of Aleutian origin, but was also designed to protect its wearer from wind, moisture and cold.

The modern, commercial distinction between the parka and the anorak, when the term is still used, is that the anorak is a hooded, waterproof, pullover jacket with a hood and elastic at the wrists to keep out the elements. The parka, meanwhile, is knee-length, stuffed with down or synthetic insulating material and has a hood lined with fur (artificial or real).

The emergence of the parka as a pop-culture garment is sometimes credited to Edie Bauer who produced a quilted, waterproof jacket known as the Skyliner for his store in 1936. He is said to have gotten his inspiration from the insulating garments his grandfather had worn in the Russian-Japanese war in 1904.

The history of the parka has many military connections. Garments described as both parkas and anoraks have been used by the U.S. Military. The fishtail parka and the snorkel anorak are two of the most famous, because both became a part of fashion culture; the fishtail parka because it was favored by mods as a way to protect their clothes from the elements while riding their signature scooters in the 1960s, and the snorkel anorak because of its success as a European fashion trend in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

While people who live in truly severe cold weather climates view the parka as a necessity more than a fashion statement, today the parka remains a highly fashionable winter garment. Snorkel parkas have seen a revival amongst many European stars of both sports and music. The parka has also become part of hip hop fashion for both men and women, with garments being produced by well known brands like Baby Phat.

The cocktail dress, now a staple of modern attire, began its life in the 1920s, when women attending parties with illegal alcohol needed something to wear that was festive, but less formal than an outfit that would be worn to a dinner. These early cocktail dresses resembled the flapper dresses of the time and were knee-length, made of fine fabrics and often heavily decorated.

How did the somewhat risqué cocktail dress of the 1920s morph into today's pretty, semi-casual, yet polite evening wear?

By the 1930s, the cocktail dress became more elegant, with more staid styles being invoked for an older crowd (all women were now part of cocktail culture). This decade saw the rise of the little black dress, and like today, it differentiated itself through cut and style, as well as quality. It was one clothing item no sophisticated woman could do without.

In the 1940s, the cocktail dress was largely a moot issue because of the war, but then became more exotic and varied as returning soldier brought goods and fashion influences, including those from Asian, back home with them.

The 1950s, however, were the true age of the cocktail, with a range of styles for women that were very body conscious. Cocktail parties and dressing for them became the height of fashion, both in public and in private.

In the 1960s, cocktail parties and the clothes worn to them became more casual. Fabrics used in cocktail dresses were less relentlessly expensive, and clothes often had a simple and more casual cut. In many cases, pants even became an option. As having a drink became more acceptable and less of a special event, the cocktail party faded from prominence in some ways.

In the ensuing decades, the cocktail party became a moniker for dressy events that were not formal, and the cocktail dress became shorthand for a festive, knee-length dress, usually worn by women who want to look great, but not over-the-top, for events like office parties and class reunions.

The often-hated necktie worn by men, and in some circumstances women, has a long history. No matter how uncomfortable, confining or outmoded we periodically decide this accessory to be, the fact remains that neckties have been a part of male dress for thousands of years. Versions of the necktie as markers of male status even appeared in ancient Egypt, Rome and China.

Many also consider the necktie to have descended from the codpiece. Certainly, the necktie may be a more subtle bit of fashion, but it is, as detractors point out, no more useful.

The journey towards the modern necktie probably began in the 17th century, in the military uniforms of mercenaries who severed under the French banner. This began the fashion of a neck scarf worn by both men and women that most resembles today's cravat. Moving in the 18th century, the cravat was simplified into something known simple as a "stock." Exclusively worn by men, this was merely a piece of linen folded several times and wrapped around the neck and collar of a shirt. Stocks were generally white or black.

By the 19th century, increasingly elaborate versions of the cravat were back in fashion, but mostly for men. Fashionable men were constantly inventing and using new ways to tie their cravats, and the styles were often elaborate and sometimes, to the modern eye, absurd.

Beginning around the time of the Civil War, ties began to move towards the forms they take today, with bowties becoming wildly popular, and the ascot coming into fashion. The long, straight tie as we know it today was, however, a purely 20th century invention; it came about as the result of better fabric technology and understanding that allowed the fabric to be cut so that it would lie flat. These early long-ties were often hand-painted and sometimes absurdly wide to the modern eye.

While the 20th century has seen a range of tie fads in terms of styles, colors and width changes (skinny in the 60s, wide in the 70s), the long tie has become the dominant form of necktie, despite some men favoring the ascot or bowtie as a personal fashion quirk. The use of the bowtie has become standard in black-tie and white-tie formal wear.

Stockings have a long history dating back to the 16th century and the creation of the first machine for knitting. With the advent of this early technology, stockings made of wool, cotton, linen, silk and other fabrics became wildly popular for both men and women. For men, this early hosiery was worn and on display until the early 19th century, but women's legs remained largely hidden until the early 20th century.

And the 20th century, of course, was when stockings and hosiery underwent huge transformations. The invention of nylon in the 1930s provided an affordable alternative to silk and an easier way for women, regardless of economics, to get a sheer look when stockings made of the material first went on sale in 1940.

Nylons, as stockings were universally called, became popular at a difficult moment in history, however, and all nylon fabric production was directed toward the war effort after the United States entered WWII. Women, eager to look like their legs were not bare, generally painted lines on the backs of their legs with makeup, pen or ash to mimic the seams of stockings of the time. It is a detail that commonly appears in films about the era.

After WWII, the stocking continued to evolve. Stretch nylon was developed, creating stockings that fit better and requiring manufacturers to produce them in fewer sizes, thus reducing the price. As hems rose drastically in the 1960s, tights became popular both for modesty and for the bold colors they were often produced in. These quickly dominated the market for comfort and ease of wear (no more garter belts). Soon, sheer stockings were also made using this model in the form of pantyhose.

Today, many women don't bother to wear any sort of hose or stocking, but when they do, the now-seamless pantyhose dominate. Separate stockings, both with and without seams also continue to be available but usually only at higher-end retail stores or online shops that specialize in retro fashion trends.

Sweater dresses have a surprisingly long history. While we tend to associate their first burst of popularity with the 1950s, patterns for such garments were produced by pattern companies and in sewing magazines in the 1940s and 1930s. Today we tend to think of the sweater dress as a comfortable, casual clothing item, but this wasn't always the case.

Through the 1950s, the soft lines of the sweater dress didn't mean that wearing them was remotely comfortable. Foundation garments for women including girdles, corsets and highly structure bras were still the standard, and the clingy shape of the sweater dress only made them more essential.

In the 1960s, sweater dresses took on a split personality. Conservative dresses, usually in a single color and with small stitches, were appropriate for women in the workplace. Meanwhile, the sweater dress also became popular with the rise of the hippies who incorporated multiple colors, layers and stitch styles, including crochet. Sleeves became wide and outrageous. As they moved towards the 1970s, sweater dresses came in all lengths - from the micro-mini to floor-length versions. Some were worn alone, other were worn over slacks and blouses or smaller, clingier dresses.

In the early 1980s, the sweater dress was largely co-opted into the dance-wear craze, and sweatshirt dresses were as common as their knit cousins. Worn with leggings, the lengths were often quite short, and bold patterns in primary colors were popular. Bright reds and blues, along with black, white and yellow dominated the sweater dress in the first half of the eighties. In the later eighties, hems came down a bit (but were still largely above the knee), and the dresses took on more muted colors. Sweatshirt materials were out, and the traditional sweater dress was back to being knit. That said, the silhouette still remained loose.

Beginning in the 1990s and moving through the turn of the century to today, the sweater dress went back to its roots, becoming clingier, more appropriate for office settings and often homemade as knitting once again became a popular activity for women.

As we move towards winter in the northern hemisphere, gloves are an inevitable item on many people's shopping lists. But while we mainly think of gloves as a way to keep warm, these hand coverings actually have a long history as statements of fashion, affection and power.

Gloves may be mentioned in many ancient stories, such as Homer's "The Odyssey," and the histories of Herodotus, but it is hard to be certain because of translation issues. What one translator views as a glove may have really been a gauntlet, a glove-like object that covers the hand by not the fingers, or a sleeve.

While gloves and mittens were surely used for warmth even earlier, gloves first appear as a high-fashion item in the 1200s when they were made of a range of materials including linen, silk, fur and leather. Gloves, like most clothing of the time in Europe, were governed by sumptuary laws that enforced class structure by limiting certain fabrics, jewels and styles to persons of a certain rank. Gloves became increasingly ornate and the subject of ritual throughout the next several centuries, particularly during the reign of Elizabeth I.

Gloves for fashion and social purposes were not just restricted to women. Men also wore gloves to signify rank and as a part of basic good manners. For many centuries at formal events neither a woman nor a man could be properly seen without gloves.

While gloves were a proper part of ladies attire until the mid-20th century, today, most gloves are worn only for warmth. And while stylish models are preferred, gloves are rarely seen indoors. An exception to this remains formal occasions that often have women wearing gloves for proms, the opera and black tie events; the appropriate length of the gloves (wrist, elbow, opera length) is determined by the occasion, event time and dress cut. Gloves remain a required part of some men's formal attire as well - usually white tie or military formal dress.

Despite the fact that many people find gloves a frustrating and confining part of winter, they can be a remarkably fun fashion accessory.

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The vest, or waistcoat as it's known in most of the English-speaking world outside America, first appeared as part of standard fashion in the mid-1600s. For centuries, they were the focal points of men's wardrobes, imparting color, cut and style. By the 19th century, however, they evolved into practical undergarments. While seen in glimpses with the fashions of the time, they were largely used to provide structure to a man's silhouette (for many decades in this period, corseting was fashionable for men, and this structure was often built into waistcoats), before evolving into a bland, required, but largely unnoticed part of a man's three-piece suit. Of course, all this changed with the outrageousness of disco, which almost killed the vest entirely.

Today, the vest is making a comeback in an array of styles and purposes. While two-piece suits remain the most common, three-piece suits are making a comeback, especially in Europe. And vests worn without a covering jacket or with casual items, like jeans, are increasingly in fashion. Vests, too, are fashionable for women. While this has been a periodic trend since women entered the work force en masse, and there's been an effort to settle on agreed upon workplace attire for them, a cultural interest in both androgyny and a return to more structured fashions have heightened the vest's popularity.

When wearing a vest, there are a few key things to remember. First, never wear a vest and a belt. Braces, commonly known as suspenders for Americans, are the correct option for pants. These should be buttoned in, not clipped on, if you can possibly help it. Second? Always leave the bottom button of a waistcoat undone. It has long been considered the mark of a gentleman, although fashion legend varies as to whether this is related to the necessities of horseback riding or the habits of England's Edward VII. Either way, it shows a bit of savvy with an article of clothing that has swung back and forth between outrageous and buttoned up, time and time again.

The poncho is an extraordinarily simple and practical piece of clothing that exists in many forms around the world. While the poncho is often associated with the Americas, it also exists as a traditional clothing item in parts of Europe, albeit under different names.

While the poncho has its origins in indigenous cultures, much of its development can be owed to the military. In the United States, ponchos were first used in this capacity in the 1850s. While the early poncho was made out of cloth coated with rubber for waterproofing, today ponchos intended for bad weather are usually made out of nylon or other light-weight synthetic materials.

But the poncho is more than just a bit of rain gear. It has become a movie and television icon, appearing memorably in everything from Sergio Leone films (specifically on Clint Eastwood in his role as "The Man with No Name") to today's wildly popular show "Ugly Betty."

The poncho has also become a fashion statement with designer versions of the simple garment appearing on runways and on the street since the 1960s. While once exclusively thought of as a part of "hippie fashion," the poncho is now being seen from designers such as Carolina Herrera. Additionally, with the periodic revival of the hippie look, it can never hurt to have a retro poncho in the back of your closet . It might not be in fashion all the time, but it will certainly be in fashion often enough.

Today's fashion ponchos are slimmer and more body conscious than those heavy, wool, knitted items of decades past. Often in a single color or muted tones, popular fabrics include silk, cashmere and various luxury-fabric blends. Today's ponchos are ideal for in-between weather or as a more practical wrap for an outdoor party, where it might be cool in the shade but warm in the sun.

For those of us that remember the fringed monstrosities of our 1970s childhoods or the ugly practicality of a rain poncho when camping, the idea of a fashion poncho might be surprising, but it certainly shouldn't be overlooked.

The blazer has long been a staple of schools, sporting teams and other organizations requiring a somewhat formal uniform, but they've also become a key part of fashion both for their durability and the elite worlds they evoke.

A blazer differs from a normal suit jacket, because it is made of more durable cloth, its pockets don't usually have flaps, and its buttons are almost always metal in a brass, gold or silver tone. Blazers also commonly feature a patch either of the organization they represent or something fictitious designed to evoke affiliation. Sometimes blazers have a contrasting stripe or piping on the lapel or other edges for a similar reason. While blazers are often thought of as navy blue, they actually come in a range of colors. Legend even has it that that term for these jackets came into use because the first sport coats of this sort were a blazing red.

Blazers have been in fashion since the early 20th century, when the affiliations they signaled were representative of a certain type of elitism. Periodically, there has been a revival in these jackets, specifically in the mod fashions of the 1960s and then again in the late 1970s. The 1980s also saw a burst of blazer popularity as the preppy look celebrated a particular sort of American elitism and wealth. Blazers were particularly common on Wall Street at the time. During the same time, blazers were even popular with teenage boys, because they associated blazers with the idea of summer formal and wore the jackets with khaki or white pants.

Blazers, however, aren't just for men. They've been freely adapted by women's organizations and fashion for decades. While masculine, the blazer is easy to fit to a woman's form and style, since it doesn't rely on a tie to off-set it.

Today blazers continue to be worn as part of everything from school uniforms to a classic country club look to pop-music fashion. You can see them in the office, on the runway and even on the movie screen in everything from Harry Potter to Chariots of Fire.

Like many other fall and winter weather choices, today's fashionable trench coat is military in origin. Lightweight and rain-resistant, it was created as an alternative for officers and other ranked personnel during World War I, which was, of course, dominated by trench warfare. The coat is somewhat common; however, it is often easy to forget its origin, even though many of the details we consider hallmarks of the trench coat's style actually originated as military practicalities for the display of insignia and the carrying of equipment and weapons.

Military clothes have always had a presence in civilian fashion, usually because they are retained after war both for durability and as an indicator of status as a veteran or survivor. The trench coat was no different, and because its use had been restricted to those of rank, it quickly morphed into an indicator of wealth and sophistication. Civilian versions of the trench coat for both men and women began to be produced between the two world wars, and the military version of the coat remained in use during World War II, although in more variants as more countries added similar garments to their uniform options.

After WWII, the trench coat's trendiness really took off, and the coat became a staple of fashion in both books and films, particularly the detective genre. Perhaps most surprising, though, is the way the trench coat has been embraced by various alternative youth fashion movements for decades.

The trench coat was popular with the mods in the 1960s and is often seen in both the goth and heavy metal scenes (although usually in longer, black versions more accurately known as dusters). In more mainstream fashion, Sex in the City's Carrie also popularized the trench coat for women by making it sexy and flirty. For a coat that started in battle, the trench coat has had a surprising fashion history that is only likely to continue.

Capri pants, which have enjoyed a prolonged popularity over the last several years, were first invented just after World War II and had their first surge of popularity in the late 1950s and early 1960s. While capris themselves are a relatively new invention, they descend from a long history of calf-length pants.

Like many of today's popular women's fashions, capri pants can be traced to early menswear including the formfitting breeches that were popular in the Baroque period and through the early 1800s. These pants, which ended just below the knee, were worn with socks designed to showcase the male leg as an object of beauty during a time in which women's legs were always covered.

As men's pants came down beginning in the mid-19th century and women's hemlines rose at the beginning of the 20th, a shapely leg went from a male beauty requirement to a female one, and as women increasingly wore trousers, especially as women joined the work force and war effort in the 1940s, it became logical that pants should be invented that would show off the leg.

Capri pants also have cousins in the pedal pusher, a female pant of the same length that is usually cuffed, and knickerbockers (often shortened somewhat confusingly to knickers, which in British English refer to women's underwear), which were baggy pants young men and boys wore in the early 20th century.

Capri pants are clothing's perfect compromise. Easy and casual with flats, sandals or athletic shoes, capri pants in fancier fabrics can also be dressed up with ease, simply by adding a pair of high heels and a well-fitted blouse for either a retro or modern look. It is important that capri pants be at the correct length, to accentuate the swell of the calf; the wrong length can make the leg look stocky instead of shapely and can create the illusion of reduced height.

The miniskirt, which seems a rather ordinary part of fashion today, was shocking when it first emerged on the scene. While hemlines started to go up significantly with the abandonment of corsetry by some in the 1920s with flapper-style dresses often showing off the knees, women's clothes for most of the first half of the 20th century remained fairly modest and well structured.

Then the miniskirt arrived. Considered part of the Mod fashion trend of mid 1960s in Britain, the skirt, which generally must be at least eight inches above the knee to qualify as a mini, is usually credited to fashion designer Mary Quant who began experimenting with the shorter skirts as early as the 1950s. Other designers picked up on the trend and hemlines continued to rise, resulting not just in the ubiquity of the miniskirt but also the arrival of the micro-mini. In fact, it was thanks to these skirts that pantyhose and tights became more common than stockings with garters. The short skirts would reveal garter belts, stocking tops and possibly more without the new hosiery.

In the 1970s, the miniskirt faced a backlash, not on moral grounds (although there have always been some objectors) but on fashion grounds. With hemlines unable to go higher, and fashion always thriving on change, skirts necessarily became longer and more flowing in response to the mini. The 1980s brought the return of the miniskirt (not that it ever really went away) and more styles and cuts. Popular miniskirt trends included those based on the skirts of cheerleader uniforms and those structured into puffs and spheres with tulle and other even heavier construction.

The miniskirt, however, became truly tame in the 1990s, when it became a common part of women's business wardrobe, at least on television. The sexy business suits of shows like Ally McBeal and Sex in the City became so ubiquitous that many workplaces found their dress codes and expectations challenging by younger office workers who had used these shows for blueprints.

Today the miniskirt, micro-mini and mini-dress continue to be alive and well and appear both on their own as well as worn over pants, leggings or tights, often in a nod to international styles that pair long tunics (or short dresses) with pants.

The wrap dress, a popular silhouette today because it is flattering to so many figures and accommodating to a fluctuating size, got its start in the 1920s, when hemlines went up and the heavy structural garments that had been a part of women's clothing for not just decades but centuries went away. The wrap dress was just one of many fashions to come out of the flapper
era and was a celebration of women's free movement. But more than being part of the outrageousness of the time, the wrap dress was deeply practical, being easy to construct and not needing to be fit precisely.

Diane von Furstenberg is widely credited with bringing the wrap dress back to
modern fashion in a trend that has now lasted more than 30 years. She highlights how easy the dress is to wear and the way it echoes more traditional garments from kimono to togas. The kimono comparison is particularly apt; the 1920 were mad for all things Asian in fashion, hence the wrap dress's initial success.

Since then the dress has found succes for any number of reasons -- it's quick and easy to put on, but looks great, thus accommodating the modern woman and her very busy life and is just as easy to take off, a real bonus in a society that is relatively nonrestrictive about women's sexuality.

Today's wrap dresses come in a huge range of fabrics and styles, making them perfect for everything from casual to formal wear. The silhouette has even become to popular that the faux wrap dress is now often seen on racks, allowing women to have that look of criss-crossing fabric without having to worry about slipper ties that made need adjustment. The true wrap remains the most practical however, allowing one to wear it as modestly or outrageously as is appropriate for the occasion. A knee-length version can be the perfect day to evening dress with an under 60-second adjustment.

Blue jeans -- or, in fact, jeans in all colors and fabrics -- are now ubiquitous. But how did denim work pants go from fields and garages to schools, restaurants and high fashion?

The earliest form of today's jeans was invented by Levi Strauss & Co (which was really Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis) in the second half of the 19th century, but their true precursor was the 16th century cotton dungaree worn by sailors.

Jeans found their way into fashion consciousness and pop culture with the rise of the teenager in the 1950s. Considered a form of low-level rebellion, jeans-wearing teens emulating James Dean and other movie sex symbols of the times were often barred from restaurants and movie theaters. Certainly, jeans could never be worn at school.

But all of that changed quickly. With the advent of the 1960s pop culture, fashion got a lot more outrageous than jeans, and by the end of that turbulent decade jeans were a comfortable, uncontroversial part of most Americans' casual wardrobes. In the 1970s, jeans innovated to keep up with the styles of the times leading to versions of the pants made in different cuts, including bell-bottoms, and treated with different colors and washes.

As clean jeans in good condition became acceptable at schools, teens found other ways to rebel with the pants, leading to fashion fads where jeans were ripped in specific ways. Even so, the acceptance of jeans continued to march on, with most people of all ages owning several pairs.

With the advent of more casual dress codes in white collar workplaces during the Internet boom of the 1990s, jeans arrived at the office on casual Fridays or every day, even as they were often paired with a sport jacket, collared shirt and tie for men, and fashionable blouses for women.

Perhaps most startling in the rise of the jean was the shift from affordable work pant to high-priced status symbol. In the 1980s brands like Jordache and Guess dominated. Today it's names like True Religion, Lucky Brand and Ben Sherman.

But despite the ability to spend $200 or more on a pair of jeans, they're still not welcome anyway, with high-end restaurants, bars and even clubs. But with the persistence jeans have shown, these rules are unlikely to last for long.