Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
Hotpants, hot pants, or booty shorts describe extremely short shorts, which may be worn by women and, to a lesser extent, by men. While hotpants were briefly a very popular element of mainstream fashion in the early 1970s, they continue to be popular as clubwear well into the 2010s, and are often worn within the entertainment industry, particularly as part of cheerleader costumes or for dancers. Hotpants were innovative in that they were made from non-activewear fabrics such as velvet, silk, crochet, fur and leather, and styled explicitly to be worn on the street, for parties, or even as bridal wear. This page explains the hotpants fashion of the early 1970s, who is credited with them, and the uniform and performance uses that kept the style in production.
Who wears short shorts? We wear short shorts. (Sorry if you are too young to get that reference. The "who wears short shorts..." was an advertisement campaign from the 1980's for Nair. If you want to see the Nair commercials you can find on youtube.
Hotpants, hot pants, or booty shorts describe extremely short shorts, which may be worn by women and, to a lesser extent, by men. While hotpants were briefly a very popular element of mainstream fashion in the early 1970s, by the mid-1970s they had become associated with the sex industry, which contributed to their fall from fashion. However, hotpants continue to be popular as clubwear well into the 2010s, and are often worn within the entertainment industry, particularly as part of cheerleader costumes, or for dancers (especially backup dancers). Performer's such as Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue have famously worn hotpants as part of their public performances and presentation.
Whilst the term "hotpants" is used generically to describe extremely short shorts, similar garments had been worn since the 1930s. These garments, however, were designed mainly for sports, beachwear and leisure wear, while hotpants were innovative in that they were made from non-activewear fabrics such as velvet, silk, crochet, fur and leather, and styled explicitly to be worn on the street, for parties, or even as bridal wear. Dorothy Tricario, a fashion curator at the Brooklyn Museum told The New York Times in 1971 that hotpants were part of a greater nostalgic revival of 1930s and 1940s fashion, specifically the short posing shorts worn by Hollywood stars like Ruby Keeler, Deanna Durbin, and Betty Grable. However, Tricario also observed that shorts had never before had such widespread acceptance as street or business wear as they did in early 1971.
At the end of the 1960s, the fashion industry had tried unsuccessfully to promote the mid-calf-length or midi skirt as a fashionable replacement for the miniskirt. In contrast to the lukewarm response to the midi, shoppers enthusiastically embraced the idea of short shorts, which were made available at all price levels from haute couture to inexpensive ready-to-wear.
Hotpants are also increasingly credited to Mary Quant, who reportedly offered them in the late 1960s.
Hotpants can also be part of an uniform worn by cheerleaders and perfomers, or required wear in certain service industries. Southwest Airlines became notorious for the hotpants uniform they supplied for their stewardesses (nick-named "Love Birds") in 1971, as featured in an ad campaign with the slogan "Someone Else Up There Who Loves You."
Also in 1971, the Hot Pants Patrol was introduced as an elite corps of female ushers for the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team, with the intention of attracting greater audiences for the games. While the majority of "Fillies" wore white microskirts as part of their uniform, the 36 members of the Hot Pants Patrol wore a red hotpants jumpsuit with white vinyl go-go boots. After pressure from feminist organisations, the Phillies retired the Hot Pants Patrol in 1982.
Hotpants or booty shorts remain a popular costume for cheerleaders and
dancers, particularly hip hop performers, and are frequently worn by backup
dancers. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleading squad has a particularly
recognisable uniform featuring hotpants and midriff tops.
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styles. Hopefully this hot pants definition helps you on your quest to
learn about the many different types of pants in the market.
Short shorts themselves were not new: similar garments had been worn since the 1930s, designed mainly for sports, beachwear and leisure wear. What made hotpants a separate fashion was the fabric and the setting. Cut in velvet, silk, crochet, fur and leather — fabrics with no connection to activewear — and styled for the street, for parties and even as bridal wear, they were presented in 1971 as a deliberate alternative at the moment the fashion industry was failing to promote the mid-calf midi skirt as a replacement for the miniskirt; shoppers embraced the short shorts instead, at every price level. The style's second life was as a uniform and costume: hotpants became part of the uniform worn by cheerleaders and performers, required wear in certain service industries — Southwest Airlines supplied them for its stewardesses in 1971 — and a standard performance garment for dancers and pop performers, the uses that kept the extremely short short in production long after its season as everyday fashion ended.
Hotpants, hot pants, or booty shorts describe extremely short shorts, which may be worn by women and, to a lesser extent, by men.
Hotpants were briefly a very popular element of mainstream fashion in the early 1970s, made available at all price levels from haute couture to inexpensive ready-to-wear.
Hotpants are increasingly credited to Mary Quant, who reportedly offered them in the late 1960s, as part of a nostalgic revival of 1930s and 1940s fashion and the short shorts worn by Hollywood stars of that era.