The trouser material is made of cotton fibers that swell when wet and can hold air. In the event of a sailor falling overboard or having to abandon ship without a life vest, the bell-bottomed trousers can be quickly removed in the water without having to remove footwear.
Flared pants originated from sailors in the US Navy around the early 19th century because they did not have a required uniform. Later the British Royal Navy adopted them into their uniform. They were easy to roll up and functional for the work the sailors did on the boats.
The Navy got rid of the bell-bottom on its dungarees at the turn of the 21st Century, some 180 years later. In 1999, the Navy phased out the pants with flared 12-inch bottoms for a utility uniform that features straight-legged dark blue trousers. Sailors were not thrilled.
Someone may well decide 100 years from now that the Navy eliminated the stripes because it figured Admiral Nelson couldn't possibly have won those battles because he didn't have any carrier air support. Those 13 buttons are supposed to represent the 13 original colonies.
The flared trouser supposedly has it origins in the US Navy, with American sailors being the the first to adopt bell-bottomed trousers as early as 1817. They went for wide legs, due to the practicality of being able to roll up the legs when scrubbing the deck and easing removal when wet.
Background of the bell-bottom trend
Bell-bottoms first came into fashion in the early 1970s. At the time, jeans, symbolizing "freedom" and "rebellion," were beloved, and baggy pants and wide pants were in vogue in addition to bell bottoms (boot cut).
Bell-bottoms, pants with legs that become wider below the knee, were an extremely popular fashion trend during the late 1960s and 1970s. The belled or flared legs on bell-bottom pants were originally a functional design, worn by those who worked on boats since the 17th century.
Originally with seven equally spaced horizontal creases down each leg, (supposedly representing the seven seas but that, in reality simply made the trousers easier to fold away in a limited space!), the early bell-bottoms featured a flap held in place by buttons rather than a fly.
It is widely believed to derive from the orders used in firing shipboard cannon in the British Royal Navy. The team of six men had numbered roles. After loading, it was the task of the men numbered two and six to heave (in a coordinated fashion) the cannon out the gunport for firing.
The three lines are by tradition said to commemorate the Battles of Copenhagen, the Nile and Trafalgar.
The trouser material is made of cotton fibers that swell when wet and can hold air. In the event of a sailor falling overboard or having to abandon ship without a life vest, the bell-bottomed trousers can be quickly removed in the water without having to remove footwear.
Currently made from 100-percent cotton, the white service hat—also called a “squid lid,” “Cracker Jack hat,” or just plain “cover”—of course serves as protection against the scorching sunlight at sea, and when used properly is a quite serviceable flotation device.
U.S. Navy sailors began calling their service dress uniforms "cracker jacks" because of the mascot of the popular caramel-coated popcorn and peanut snack. Cracker Jack was introduced in 1896 and the mascot "Sailor Jack" made his debut in 1916.
Dungarees, a denim, bell-bottomed working uniform with a blue over shirt existed in the Navy from 1913 to 1999.
- Bell Bottom are fit with bell shape from knee downwards. - Flares are narrower which loosen from keen to hem or widen more around mid calf. There are a lot of different variations but this distinguish should help.
Yes, bell bottoms are one of those fashion trends that came back in fashion for 2023 together with rave trend. Are overalls back in style? Overalls are always in fashion. So if you were actually wondering if the boiler suit is still in style for 2023 – let me tell you, it is.
Since port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are independent of a mariner's orientation, and, thus, mariners use these nautical terms instead of left and right to avoid confusion.
Ahoy is a signal word used to call to a ship or boat. The word stems from the Middle English cry “Hoy!”, a greeting derived from the Dutch “Hoi”. Seafarers used the word 'ahoy' in song well before the word's first recorded use in print.
“Fair Winds and Following Seas” is a gesture of good luck to those we will miss and sailors who have served with honor and courage. The combination of phrases implies that a vessel will have good winds, and not have to pound into the waves. The phrase can be used as a toast or salutation between mariners.
United States Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Coast Guard
A red U.S. Navy service stripe, denoting four years of service. For the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, service stripes are given to service members for every four years of service.
Those in the engineering and hull community are called firemen apprentice and wear red stripes on both navy blue and white uniforms. Those in the aviation community are called airmen apprentice and wear green stripes on both navy blue and white uniforms.
White keeps you cool.
For seafarers who may spend long periods of time on the deck, wearing white uniforms is often preferable to darker ones due to the cooling effect of the color. This is the primary reason why white is the predominant color for seafarer uniforms across various cultures.
Hippies and others would split the seams of their jeans to widen the leg openings, sewing in panels of contrasting fabric, bandana prints, or denim remnants. The fuller fits could accommodate boots, and wider pant legs added movement and flow — perfect for the street or stage.
What are bell-bottoms called now? According to the European Fashion Heritage Association, women's bell-bottoms were reintroduced to the general public in 1996 as "boot-cut" or "bootleg" trousers. But, as of 2022, the pants are known as bell-bottoms or flared jeans.
Bell-bottom pants were very popular in the 1970s. They were a defining fashion trend of the era and were worn by both men and women. Bell-bottoms were characterized by their wide flared legs that widened from the knees down, often featuring decorative embroidery or fringes.