Breeches

thumb|200px|right| Breeches are still worn as livery for special occasions in several European courts. Here, a coachman in the Netherlands wears them during , 2013. thumb|200px|right|Breeches as worn in the United States in the late 18th century: Elijah Boardman by [[Ralph Earl, 1789]] Breeches or britches ( ) are an article 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. Formerly a standard item of Western men's clothing, they had fallen out of use by the mid-19th centur

stage role representing a male character played by a female actor

thumb|upright=1.35|A horse show competitor wearing contemporary stretch-fabric jodhpurs

breeches or trousers that extend 4 inches (10 cm) below the knee (and thus four inches longer than traditional knickerbockers, hence the name)

items of Jewish religious clothing

thumb|Charles II of England in rhinegraves, painting by [[John Michael Wright, 1671-1676]]Rhinegraves are a form of breeches which were popular from the early 1660s until the mid-1670s and early 1680 in Western Europe. They were very full petticoat breeches gathered at or above the knee. They were worn under petticoat breeches or under an overskirt which was decorated with ribbon loops around the waist and around the knee. Where the knee was gathered, a large frill of lace and stocking tops added further decoration. File:Gerard ter Borch - Man in Black.jpg|Man in Black, by Gerard ter Borch, c