Hose are any of various styles of men's clothing

Clothing

Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...

 for the legs and lower body, worn from the Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 through the 17th century, when the term fell out of use in favor of breeches

Breeches

Breeches are an item of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles...

 and stocking

Stocking

A stocking, , is a close-fitting, variously elastic garment covering the foot and lower part of the leg. Stockings vary in color, design and transparency...

s. (See also trousers

Trousers

Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...

.) The old plural form of "hose" was hosen. The French equivalent was chausses.

Early wool hose were fitted to the leg, and 15th century hose were often made particolored or mi-parti, having each leg a different color, or even one leg made of two colors. These early hose were footed, in the manner of modern tights

Tights

Tights are a kind of cloth leg garment, most often sheathing the body from about the waist to the feet with a more or less tight fit, hence the name....

, and were open from the crotch to the leg. When very short doublets

Doublet (clothing)

A doublet is a man's snug-fitting buttoned jacket that is fitted and shaped to the man's body which was worn in Western Europe from the Middle Ages through to the mid-17th century. The doublet was hip length or waist length and worn over the shirt or drawers. Until the end of the 15th century the...

 were in fashion, codpiece

Codpiece

A codpiece is a covering flap or pouch that attaches to the front of the crotch of men's trousers and usually accentuates the genital area. It was held closed by string ties, buttons, or other methods...

s were added to cover the front opening.

By the 16th century, hose had separated into two garments: upper hose or breeches and nether hose or stockings.

From the mid-16th to early 17th centuries, a variety of styles of hose were in fashion. Popular styles included:

• Trunk hose or round hose, short padded hose. Very short trunk hose were worn over cannions, fitted hose that ended above the knee.
• Slops or galligaskins, loose hose reaching just below the knee.

Trunk hose and slops could be paned or pansied, with strips of fabric (panes) over a full inner layer or lining. Pansied slop is a round hose characterized by the addition of a layer of panes, or strips of fabric running from the waistband to the leg band. These are commonly referred to as "pumpkin" pants.

• Pluderhosen, a Northern Europe
  Northern Europe
  Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
  
  an form of pansied slops with a very full inner layer pulled out between the panes and hanging below the knee.
• Venetians, semi-fitted hose reaching just below the knee.

External links

• Hose in the Middle Ages and Renaissance 13th–16th century hose, from illustrations and museums