Who’s Wearing the Pants?

25 March 2025 to 1 February 2026

Skinny, baggy, formal, PJ-style: they are a deeply familiar global phenomenon that comes in all shapes and sizes. They are a marker of cultural and social belonging and the fabric of fashion statements. Trousers.

In its new special exhibition, opening on 25 March 2025, Weltmuseum Wien will sally through three millenia of global legwear history. Treasures and quite a few oddities from all collections of Weltmuseum Wien, Theatermuseum, and Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna will be brought together with loans from other Austrian museums and international collections. The exhibits tell a tale of perfected functionality as well as craftsmanship and design. They bear witness to the conditions of human existence – in luxury or poverty, during daily routines, and in finery.

The narrative spans from the Bronze Age and the oldest kinds of trousers to rebellious women and their striving for social and political equality. It addresses the religious roots of laws against cross-dressing as well as the transgressions against the resulting rigid gender norms in theatre, carnival and dance. Representing the evolution of trousers in European menswear, iconic sports and military legwear and trousers are shown. More and less known trousers from the Habsburg wardrobe are contrasted with fascinating legwear shapes from Latin America that blend colonial orders and indigenous tradition. Last but not least, we turn to undergarments and conclude our journey of by casting a look at current challenges in legwear production.