Belle Bottoms

Origin of Bell-Bottoms
The pants that the world has come to know and love is a fitted yet flowing fashion staple amongst young people, but originally were designed for much more practical reasons. Though the actual creation of the first pair of bell-bottoms is unknown, the first mention of bell-bottom pants was in 1813, a reference to the uniforms of U.S. Navy sailors. Bell-bottoms were a functional choice for sailors since they were easy to remove over boots, easy to roll up to avoid becoming water-logged, and--perhaps most interestingly--could be morphed into a flotation device by filling the pant legs with air.

Bell-Bottoms in the 1960s and 1970s
Bell-bottoms truly became regarded as "fashion" in the 1960s and 1970s when the pants resurfaced as part of the hippie movement. These free-flowing pants fit in with the hippie lifestyle and carefree attitude, and it wasn't long before the world of fashion caught on to the trend and began marketing bell-bottoms to the masses. The pants were popular choices for both men and women; men would pair polyester bell-bottoms with suit jackets and women would wear a high-waisted variation with tight blouses. The ubiquitous blue polyester suit was an extremely popular look for young men, and is a widely sought after parody look in men's costumes today. The pants became popular in more comfortable fabrics such as denim and corduroy in the 1970s.