Historical story

Calzabraga:the fifteenth century "Leggings" (Male)

Adoration of the Magi by Luca Signorelli (detail):the two young men depicted wearing the typical fifteenth-century sock

What you see reproduced in the image is a detail of the Adoration of the Magi (1495) by Luca Signorelli :the two boys portrayed are wearing the typical calzabraga then fashionable.

In practice, as you can see, they were real leggings ante litteram , in this case strictly masculine, which perfectly wrapped legs and buttocks, remaining very adherent to the body; this type of sock was the evolution of the previous separate socks, also intended only for men, which had the drawback of leaving the "underpants" visible.

These new very tight "pants" were characterized by bright colors and rather eccentric patterns, which were not casual but instead had a heraldic meaning very precise, as they took up the colors and patterns of the insignia of the family they belonged to; in the same way, however, they could indicate, on the contrary, a lower social condition, of subordination.

Calzebraghe remained in vogue until the 16th century.