106

patterns for
Historical
clothing

Men’s 1630s Breeches

 Men’s Breeches in the 1630s
In the Elizabethan period, breeches were fancy, pumpkin-shaped affairs that look very
strange to us today. By the 1620s, breeches were becoming the high-waisted, knee-
length garments that we’re used to seeing at historical reenactments. Often breeches
matched the doublet, but this was not always the case.
After 1620, trunkhose and canions were discarded in favour of closer fitting breeches.
That is not to say that breeches were not roomy; in fact they were still quite large. But
the strange shapes of pants in the 16th century had died out by this time. As the
doublet skirts lengthened, breeches became less and less interesting. Although as
elaborately decorated as the doublets of the time, the shape and construction of
breeches in the 1630s was quite simple.
Up to this point, the breeches were held up by tying them to the inside waist of the
doublet. This technique had been in use since the 15th century when joined hose
came into fashion. In the 1630s and 40s, hooks were attached to the waistband of the
breeches and they were hooked into the holes in the doublet through which they
previously tied. Some breeches hooked into eyeleted bands sewn inside the doublets.
However, men were reluctant to discard the decorative bows that accompanied these
ties. So in this decade, we see bows all around the outside of men's waists even
though their breeches no longer require such security. And they say women love
decoration…
Our first example is the breeches from the yellow satin
costume in the Victoria and Albert Museum [T.58B-1910]
pictured at right. Like the doublet and cape that complete
the costume, these breeches are decorated all over with
pinking, slashing, and silk braid. The breeches are slender
but not skimpy, with a waist measurement of 54” gathered to
35” and legs that taper to kneebands of 14” in circumference.
Near the hip, there are bound slashes in the satin for pocket
access. The fly closes with 10 thread buttons. There is
evidence of points or hooks on the waistband at 4” intervals.
A pair of pinked and stamped white
satin breeches in the V&A [348-1905]
accompanies a matching doublet
(shown left).
The white quilted silk breeches in the V&A [347-1905] appear in
a diagram in Nora Waugh’s Cut of Men’s Clothes5. The 51”
fullness is set into an inverted pleat at center front and the rest
gathered to a 34” waistband that is closed with two sets of eyelets
at center front. The bottom of the outseams are left open 2½”.
There is a slot for a ribbon tie. The waistband holds 12 hooks for
attachment to the doublet. The fly closes with 10 buttons.

© 2003
This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 The breeches that make up the suit of black damask in the collection of the Victoria
and Albert Museum are illustrated in Waugh’s Cut of Men’s Clothes6. They appear to
follow the above examples in all details except that they are much larger in the leg
(nearly 100” in total waist circumference), open 8½” at the bottom of the outseam and
gathered into a ½”-wide band at the knee. Fourteen hooks adorn the 46” waistband
(there are corresponding rings in the doublet) and the center front closes with four sets
of eyelets on a yoked front. Nine buttons close the fly.
An earlier set of breeches is described in Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion. These
breeches (or Venetians) live in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nürnberg,
Germany and date to 1615 or 1620. However, they are of a very similar pattern to the
breeches thus far described. The are made from horizontally striped olive green cut
and uncut velvet, lined with white linen and interlined with coarse brown wool. The
side seams are trimmed with narrow rows of braid and a vertical slit is delineated near
the waistband for pocket access. The bottoms of the legs close with hooks and eyes
and the waistband ties closed through two tiny eyelets. Eight 1”-long hooks would
have attached these breeches to the doublet. The fly closes with three buttons. This
pair of breeches was made for a very large man. The total circumference of 76” is
gathered into a waistband measuring 53”.
Suit of Prince Christian of Denmark, c1634 (shown at
right) is housed in the Rosenborg Castle, Copenhagen.
The outfit is made out of brocaded silk. It consists of
long breeches and loose jacket. The shape of the
breeches appears very similar to those previously
discussed. Like the previous example, the bottoms of
the legs appear not to be bound or beribboned.
Dutch, French, and English paintings of the 1630s
show similar breeches (see below for some examples).

after Bosse after Bosse after Brosse

“After the Edict” “Courtier after the Edict of 1633” “The Ball”

© 2003
This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 Notes
5
Diagram VI, pg 24.
6
Diagram IV, pg 22.

Bibliography
Arnold, Janet. Patterns of Fashion: The cut and construction of clothes for men and
women c1560-1620. 1985: Macmillan, London.
Boucher, François. 20,000 Years of Fashion. 1987: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York.
Cunnington, C. Willett and Phillis. Handbook of English Costume in the Seventeenth
Century. 1972: Plays, Boston.
Hart, Avril and Susan North. Fashion in Detail. 1998: Rizzoli International
Publications, New York.
Payne, Blanche. History of Costume. 1965: Harper Collins, New York.
Waugh, Norah. Cut of Men’s Clothes 1600-1900. 1964: Routledge, New York.

© 2003
This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 Breeches Instructions
Before cutting, transfer all pattern marks to your fabric. The pattern is marked
in the smallest size only. Measure from the outseam and transfer those marks
the same distance from the outseam in your size.
Legs
1. Cut out two Back and two Front pattern pieces. If lining, cut two Backs
and two Fronts out of your lining material as well.
2. Seam the Backs together along the center back seam.

3. Lay the Backs open flat and lay the fronts

on top of them, right sides to right sides.
Sew the Fronts to the Backs along the
inseam and outseam stopping at the mark
on the outseam.
4. If lining, sew the lining together in the same manner, turn it right side
out, and stuff the lining legs inside the outer material legs. Make
sure everything lays flat.
5. There are two ways to finish the legs: lining and self-binding.
a. To line, turn the lining and outer material raw edges towards each other from the mark on
the outseam on the Front down and around the bottom and up to the mark on the outseam
on the Back on each leg. Prick stitch together.
b. To self-bind, turn the Breeches right side out and cut a binding strip of the outer material 1”
wide by 24” long. Line the Binding Piece up with the bottom edges of the legs, right sides to
right sides, and attach. Turn the binding to the inside and whipstitch down.
The bottoms of the legs can be closed with hooks and eyes or ties. One extant pair of breeches has
a slot on either side of this opening through which a ribbon is threaded and tied.
The outseam may also be left open as much as 12-14” and closed with domed metal buttons, like the
portrait of the Earl of Holland in the historical notes shows.
Waist
1. The width of the breeches is caught into the small waistband by
means of gathering and an inverted pleat at center front. To make
this pleat, mark the fabric with the dotted and dot-dashed lines from
the pattern piece.
2. If lining, treat both fabric and lining as one.
3. Crease the fabric along the dot-dashed line and bring it toward the
edge of the Front piece, making an opposite fold at the dotted line.
Pin or baste into place.
© 2003
This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 4. Make a large running stitch all the way around the
waist of the breeches, from center front, around
the back, to center front on the opposite side.
5. Pull this thread to gather the waist to fit the
waistband.

6. Cut out the Waistband pattern piece for your size.

7. Lay the waistband on top of the gathers, right sides to right sides, line up the
edges, and sew over the gathers.
8. Fold the Waistband in half lengthwise, right sides together. Sew the ends closed.
Turn right side out.
9. Tuck the remaining unsewn edges inside the Waistband, trim any bulk, and blind
stitch or whip stitch closed.
Front Closure (fly)
1. Fold the Fly pattern piece in half lengthwise, right sides together. Sew the ends
closed. Turn right side out.
2. Sew both raw edges of the Fly to the left
Front opening outer material, right sides to
right sides.
3. Flip the fly over and tuck the raw edges
inside the lining and sew the lining closed.

Finishing Touches
1. Fold the remaining raw edges of the front opening to the inside and tack down.
2. Make buttonholes in the Fly. The original garment had ten buttons spaced
approximately one inch apart.
3. Sew buttons to the right Front edge opposite the Fly aligned with the Fly
buttonholes.
4. Make two small eyelets in each end of the Waistband, thread a small cord or
ribbon through these eyelets, and tie closed.
5. Add large (1”) hooks to the interior of the Waistband so it can hook into your doublet.
One extant pair of breeches has hooks at 4” intervals around the waist. Another
example has twelve hooks at 1 ½“ intervals to the left and right of center back. Add
your hooks to correspond to the eyelets in your doublet.

© 2003
This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 Fitting Adjustments
Breeches in the early to mid-17th century were meant to be baggy and comfortable.
Because they hook into the doublet, they have to be loose enough to allow you to
bend without tearing them. However, if they are too baggy or not roomy enough, you’ll
have to make some adjustments. If your waist is much larger or smaller than the waist
sizes contained in this pattern, use the Waistband pattern piece as a guide and cut a
new Waistband the width of the pattern piece and as long as your waist measurement
plus ¾” for seam allowances. Use the Leg pattern closest your size and gather more
or less to fit the new Waistband. Follow the rest of the directions above.

Embellishments
Small domed metal or passementerie (embroidered) buttons are appropriate for
closures. Wide (1” to 2”) silk ribbon can be used to decorate the leg bottoms. Stitch
your ribbon to the leg bottom to keep it from slipping. If desired, the pocket slash
indicated on the Front pattern piece can be cut open and bound with ribbon. The
“pocket” is actually a fabric or leather pouch that hangs from a belt inside the
breeches. A great variety of embellishments were practiced by the nobility of this time.
Please see the historical notes and period artwork for ideas. For a common impression,
keep it simple: No elaborate braid or silk ribbons.
Credits
Thanks to Mara E. Riley and Robert P. Davis for the Technical Edit.

© 2003
This document may not be copied wholly or in part without the express permission of the author. All rights reserved.
 RH 106
Men’s 1630s Breeches
Included in Pattern: Full size paper patterns Suggested Fabrics:
for Men’s Upper Class, Middle Class, or
Common breeches for the 1630s. Detailed wool, heavyweight silk
instructions. Embellishment suggestions. lightweight silk or linen for lining
Historical notes. Notions:
thread
10-5/8” buttons for fly closure
8-12 1” coat hooks
buttonhole floss
hooks and eyes, no. 1 or 2 (optional)
10-5/8” buttons for leg closure (optional)
silk ribbon (optional)

Sizing: All sizes included in envelope.

Men
size 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50
chest 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56
waist 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50
hip 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57

Yardage Requirements
Breeches 3 yards at least 36” wide
lining 3 yards at least 36” wide

Kass McGann is an historical clothing researcher specializing in

Irish, Highland Scottish and Japanese medieval dress. For over
a decade, she has studied extant garments in museums
worldwide and made accurate replicas using only period-
appropriate materials and handwork. She has given lectures all
over the US and Ireland on studying and making replicas of
historical clothing. She runs the website
www.reconstructinghistory.com to educate the Internet public
about historic clothing from all over the world.

She is an avid living historian and participates in reenactments

of the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 20th centuries. She currently
lives in Easton with her husband and two greyhounds.

© 2003, 2005 Reconstructing History All Rights Reserved. RECONSTRUCTING HISTORY Printed in USA
This pattern is to be used for non-commercial home sewing only. 2064 SOUTH DELAWARE DRIVE
Cover illustration © 2003 by Robert P. Davis EASTON, PA 18042