Hammer Pants Throughout History

Hammer Pants, parachute pants, or harem pants, also known as harem trousers, genie pants, or bloomers, are a style of loose-fitting, baggy pants that gather at the ankle or below the knee. The style has been worn in various forms throughout history, particularly in the Middle East and South Asia.

The origins of harem pants can be traced back to ancient Persia, where they were worn by both men and women. They were also commonly worn by women in the Ottoman Empire (a.k.a. modern-day Turkey) and were part of the traditional dress of female dancers in Egypt.

In the Western world, harem pants became popular during the mid-19th century as part of the “dress reform” movement, which aimed to make women’s clothing more practical and comfortable.

In the mid-1800s (19th century) when New York socialite Elizabeth Miller traveled to Switzerland, she discovered that female patients at Swiss sanitoriums wore shortened dresses over genie-style harem pants that allowed for comfort and freedom of movement. Upon her return, she spread the word, and fashion magazines quickly picked up the call.

These new trousers were a far cry from the Victorian fashion of the era, which restrained women’s bodies with bodices, corsets, and tight belts. Soon, activists like Amelia Bloomer – editor of The Lily, America’s first for women by women newspaper – heralded “freedom of dress” encouraging women to drop pant styles that bound the legs. During Bloom’s time, harem pants became known as “Bloomers” and were often worn as part of a “bloomer costume” which consisted of a knee-length dress over the pants, along with a jacket or vest.

However, the bloomers never fully caught on as they became controversial and were widely criticized by conservatives and traditionalists who believed they were immodest and unbecoming of women. Although feminist activists continued to wear them, bloomers were mostly abandoned by women in favor of more conventional clothing until about 1911, when designer Paul Poiret, America’s “King of Fashion” brought them back to the forefront.

Harem pants or pantaloons, thus once again became popular in the 20th century as part of the “Orientalist” fashion trend to which Paul Poiret subscribed and which drew inspiration from Middle Eastern and Asian styles.

The Orientalist fashion trend in the early 20th century was part of a larger cultural movement known as Orientalism, which romanticized and exoticized the Middle East and Asia. This movement was fueled by Western imperialism and a fascination with Eastern cultures.

During this time period, fashion designers drew inspiration from traditional Middle Eastern and Asian clothing, textiles, and motifs. Harem pants, as well as other styles such as caftans, turbans, and saris, were popularized in Western fashion. The trend reached its peak in the early 1910s but began to decline by the end of World War I as attitudes towards the East shifted.

Harem or parachute pants once again gained popularity again in the 1980s as part of the larger trend of “ethnic” or “world” fashion, peaking in the early 90s with the rise of MC Hammer Pants.

MC Hammer, also known as Stanley Kirk Burrell, popularized the trend of wearing the so-called “hammer pants” during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The pants, which were characterized by their baggy and parachute-like appearance, were actually inspired by traditional harem pants worn in Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures.

In an interview, MC Hammer mentioned that he first saw the pants while touring in Europe, and was struck by their unique design and comfort. He decided to incorporate them into his performance wardrobe, and the style quickly caught on among his fans.

The popularity of MC Hammer’s music and his energetic dance performances helped to popularize the hammer pants trend in the mainstream, and they became a signature part of his image. Today, hammer pants remain a nostalgic fashion statement of the era and continue to be worn by some fans of 90s hip-hop and dance culture.