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Bras -

Bras have been around for quite some time. They can be traced back to ancient Greece and ancient Rome, when women wore them to support their breasts while playing sports.

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Bras -

This piece of undergarment then evolved, but it was not until 1913 that New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob (aka Caresse Crosby) patented the design of the modern bra.

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T-shirts -

The predecessor of the T-shirt can be traced back to ancient Rome, where tunics would be worn.

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T-shirts -

But the modern T-shirt has a closer link to the "union suit" of the 19th century. Essentially a onesie, these were first commercialized by Cooper Underwear Company in 1904, and later adapted by the United States Navy.

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T-shirts -

As for the word "T-shirt," it first appeared in print in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1920 book 'This Side of Paradise.' By the 1940s, the T-shirt had become popular, and continues to be so.

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High heels -

High heels were originally worn by men. The Persians and other cultures used to wear them, but it wasn't until they were brought to Europe at the end of the 16th century that they became popular.

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High heels -

By the 17th century, royals were wearing them. Louis XIV of France famously wore high heels. It was not until the end of the century that women started wearing them.

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Neckties -

King Louis XIV of France was not just about high heel shoes. He's also credited with popularizing the use of the necktie.

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Neckties -

An early version of the necktie was already popular among Croatian mercenaries, and then Parisians adopted it. These were originally made of lace or silk.

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Pants -

The oldest pants ever found date back to between 3,000-3,300 years ago. These were used by nomadic horsemen in Central Asia.

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Pants -

Many other ancient cultures wore them, but it took a while for the ancient Greeks and Romans to adopt them. The Romans believed pants were something barbaric people wore, but when the Empire expanded beyond the Mediterranean, they changed their tune.

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Suits -

The suit is alive and well, but where does it come from? You can thank 19th-century English dandy George "Beau" Brummell for it.

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Suits -

"Brummell was the first to really popularize the pre-cursor to the modern suit, a hybrid of the formal military uniform mixed with practical English country gentleman dress," says Matt Jensen, founder of Australian menswear brand M.J. Bale.

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Swimsuits -

It was not until the 19th century that people started to have more access to the seaside. Women would wear bathing dresses, which over time became more form-fitting.

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Swimsuits -

An example is this one worn by Australian pro swimmer Annette Kellerman circa 1905. She was once arrested for indecent exposure for wearing her one-piece athletic swimming suit!

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Leggings -

There have been many versions of leggings over the years, but perhaps the most similar to the modern version we wear today were the hose worn by men in medieval Europe.

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Leggings -

It was not until the 1960s that women started to regularly wear leggings. This was after the very first lycra leggings were created in 1959.

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Hats -

We have been covering our heads since the dawn of time. The famous Ötzi the Iceman is an example, as he was discovered with a bearskin cap. This dates back to 5,300 years ago.

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Hats -

An ancient drawing of a hat dating back to about 3200 BCE was discovered in a tomb in Thebes, Egypt. This goes to show how long we have been adorning and protecting our heads.

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Jeans -

The iconic blue jeans were invented at the end of the 19th century by Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis, for miners in Nevada.

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Jeans -

The first pair of blue denim Levi's 501s were manufactured in 1890, and they remain a fashion staple to this day.

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Panties -

Humans have worn undergarments for centuries, but the traditional one-piece featuring two separate sides for each leg only appeared in the 1600s.

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Panties -

These have evolved in different directions over the years, with a number of different formats. The Victorian dress reform of the late 1800s, for instance, introduced new, more practical clothing (including undergarments) for women.

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Aloha shirts -

Also known as Hawaiian shirts, these popular buttoned dress shirts with floral patterns can be traced back to the Japanese women living in Hawaii in the 1920s.

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Aloha shirts -

These women would use kimono fabric to create the shirts. Their popularity rose over the years, and by the 1960s lots of famous men were wearing them (e.g. Elvis Presley).

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White wedding dress -

If you wore a white dress on your wedding day, or dream of wearing one, you can thank Queen Victoria for the inspo. Victoria was the trendsetter when she married Prince Albert.

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Cargo pants -

Cargo pants can be traced back to the military uniform worn by British soldiers in the 1930s and 40s, as this image illustrates.

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Cargo pants -

The Americans first came into contact with the multi-pocket pants during WWII, and adopted them as part of their uniform.  

Sources: (Royal Collection Trust) (The Washington Post) (The Guardian) (Ranker) (All That's Interesting)

See also: How many of these early 2000s fashion crimes are you guilty of?

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