Rhinegraves

The so-called Rheingraf pants (French Rhingrave, Eng. Petticoat breeches ) was a divided skirt for men who belonged in the 17th century for several decades for the clothing of the European nobility and partly also of the bourgeoisie. There were essentially two models: a wrinkled skirt, which was closed in step, laced with two leg openings, and a skirt pants with legs further under which a silken bloomers worn. To do this, put on a short doublet, a lace-trimmed bulky white shirt, silk stockings and shoes with heels.

Had introduced the new pants fashion in 1660, the Dutch ambassador in Paris, Florentin Karl zu Salm ( 1638-1676 ). She was an exaggeration of the Landsknecht costume from the Thirty Years War in principle. The French court attacked the new fashion to fast; the courtiers there anyway already oriented to the female fashion and wore long-haired wigs, high heels and wore make-up. Since the entire European nobility fashionable at the court of Louis XIV oriented, Rheingraf pants were soon worn in England, Germany and Holland.

The pants were mostly made ​​of fine linen or silk, the preferred colors blue and red A large role was played by the lush decorations with ribbons, gold and silver lace. For full skirt then the men still wore long underwear, which peeped down and were also trimmed with lace and ribbons. So the men saw in this presentation for the first time in modern fashion history more like women, although there was no lack of critics and scoffers.