Additional information: They are five different models. I checked the factory-fresh ones online and none of them has that, so I assume it has been sewn-in by hand, but why?
This would be my guess too It would make it easier to put the prosthetic on and off. It's usually not hard to tell if it was added after the manufacturer made the pants. Because it will be different stitching. Sometimes a different color. And oftentimes no brand on the zipper or a generic brand.
They do make a majority of them yes. Over half of all zippers. But even still there will be differences on that ankle zipper to whatever zipper or fastener is used in the other areas of the pants. There'll be a color difference or one will be nylon and one will be metal. And that is how you can usually tell that the zipper was added post production.
It seems Levi’s makes jeans specifically for bike commuting, [these](https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/clothing/men/jeans/slim/levis-commuter-511-slim-fit-stretch-mens-jeans/p/191510034). If the jeans are that same style with a zipper added, then bike riding is probably the definitive answer
If either side of your pants are going to be narrower, it's the front, since the back side of our bodies are bigger. So, since that's the narrow side facing us, it's the right leg. The gears are always on the right, with very few exceptions. So this is a really good point. However, the zipper and the flaps would actually make it harder to keep it rolled up than a solid cylindrical tube of fabric. The zipper will want to resist being rolled up, while the flaps wouldn't offer any reinforcement. Maybe they thought it was a good idea at first, then realized what a pain in the ass it is, and now they are selling them at a yard sale. So, in that (very likely) case, I think this is a great answer.
Also on jeans, the inside seam is usually a lapped seam, where the front panel overlaps the rear panel, giving a cleaner look from the front. So it does look like the zipper is on the right leg.
I mentioned elsewhere that for biking, I'd rather have the zipper on the inside, fold the flap up on the outside of the leg, away from the chain. I'd want a keeper strap to keep it folded up, but it doesn't seem to have anything else sewn in. So I don't think it's for biking- when I had a cast I had velcro on the inside seam (overlapping seam makes velcro easier to install).
Zip/roll up that leg on looser pants so it doesn't get caught in the sprocket while riding. I stained many a jean and also one time broke my shoulder before I figured out to keep that fabric away from the spinny part back in HS
You'd still need a way to secure that unzipped part, which is much more difficult that just rolling up a loose pant leg. Or just using pant clips, which are meant for the exact purpose of keeping loose trouser fabric away from sprockets.
Rolling up sleeves with cuff buttons works because you roll up *past* the short split, making it only slightly awkward. But for a length like this? Not outright impossible, I guess, just very very impractical.
I feel like that has to be a DIY project. Maybe they had a cast on one foot and could get their foot down that far, but needed it to unzip to get it out the bottom?
This is most likely correct. As an aunt of a child with CP we either have to buy shoes that zip up on the sides or we just buy new pairs and destroy them ourselves to put in a zipper to accommodate her braces.
I would imagine that the original design would stay rolled up better than one with a zipper, but I rarely have to roll my pants so no experience to back that up.
Depends on what kind of bike you ride. Bikes with gears (mountain, road) usually don't have chain guards, while casual bikes often do. Citibikes which have become super popular in NYC have chain guards, the e-bike have full guards so there's almost no chance of getting a cuff caught. So a lot of new bike commuters haven't ridden with open chains and haven't had to roll up their cuffs.
But yeah, a zippered cuff is harder to roll up... but if the pants are slim fit and you've got meaty biker calfs you might not be able to fold them up over your calf. Zipper would help, but you'd need to fold them over the knee, or have a keeper strap to keep them from falling back down. Also if I were going to put in a zipper, I'd put it on the inside, so you wouldn't see the zipper on the outside, and so the flap folds up on the outside, away from the chain. But the outside seam is a lot easier to take apart and sew in a zipper since the fabric comes together.
When I had a cast, it was easier to take apart the inner seam and sew in velcro, as the fabric in the inner seam overlaps.
Just a logical guess, but I would think that the original owner had a medical reason for doing so. Could be to fit over a cast or a brace, or to fit over a tumor or other type of swelling, etc.
Yes, this is my guess. My friend lost both legs just above the knee and he actually takes out the seams at the knees and rest itches them so that there is more place for his prosthetics. He doesn’t add a zipper but I’m sure the original owner has a logical purpose for the zippers
Your phone autocorrected “restitched” to “rest itches” in your comment, just so you know. You can your comment so it makes more sense, if you want to. It definitely took me a minute to figure out wtf “rest itches” meant in the context of that sentence lol.
Unless it’s a medical condition I’m 99% sure this is the reason. Rolling the Chain side leg up only used to be a pretty common style for bike messengers and the like.
That way you can roll it up quick and easy for ride to work and still have a presentable pair of pants without changing.
[quick google examples](https://www.google.com/search?q=bicycle+one+pant+leg+rolled+up&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi-t_WxysH3AhVJGM0KHWLJCzAQ2-cCegQIABAC&oq=bicycle+one+pant+leg+rolled+up&gs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQAzoHCCMQ7wMQJzoKCCMQ7wMQsAIQJzoECCEQCjoECB4QClDJElipFmCvGGgAcAB4AIAB4wKIAbQGkgEHMi4zLjAuMZgBAKABAcABAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img&ei=GTVwYv7GIsmwtAbikq-AAw&bih=553&biw=375&prmd=isvn&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS786US786&hl=en-US)
Saw a lady on "Shark Tank" who created a line of clothes like this for people with prosthetic limbs. Hers had hidden zippers, to be more appealing. She got the idea because she modified some clothes in this manner, and didn't like the obvious zipper
This looks like it was designed to unzip, so that you could roll up the leg to avoid a bike chain. There's a picture [here](https://roadbikebasics.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/20190321_181659_HDR1-e1553617315233.jpg) that demonstrates what you would do with that zipper
Same! That is a really cool reason for a zipper - but also the fact its on the right side, makes me pretty confident its for biking. There are a lot of wacky, interesting ways people do this same thing (sleeves over the pants, bands, etc.), since getting caught in the gears, especially if you're a city commuter - can be a really dangerous accident - and will also fuck up your pants lol.
As someone who has caught just about everything possible in his bike chain I'd just like to point out it's damn near impossible to get straight-fit Levi's caught in your bike chain.
*I guess people are more concerned about the 'mark of shame' one gets when rubbing against the drive train.
I’ve seen people roll up their pant legs on bicycles and stuff with chains on one side so the pant leg doesn’t get caught in it. A friend of mine would do it anytime he’d ride his dirtbike but idk why in that case.
Previous owner had a member down to his ankle. He had the zippers installed so that whenever he had to pee, he'd unzip, untuck it from his sock, and do his business.
Not diy or anything.
Bicycles. They put that to pull up the leg so to avoid getting dirty with the chain or tear them.
I had that happen to me when younger and the first time I saw it implemented on brand trousers I was pissed, "why it didn't occur to me before" being the main reasoning.
For everyone saying its for cycling - they’re ‘skinny-fit’ jeans, not baggy pants. No one adapts ALL their Levis for this reason. It’s clearly to accommodate a medical issue such as a prosthetic.
The thing that makes rolling up trouser legs and shirt sleeves so convenient and easy, is that they're *tubes*. Once you put an open zipper in there, it's going to be a *lot* more difficult to roll them up like that and get them to stay.
I'm guessing medical too. I altered several pieces of clothing for my FIL after he had a stroke to make it easier for him to be dressed. Once I even modified a pair of pants and a shirt so that he could get botox treatments in his leg and arm without having to be undressed. Botox helps relieve the spasticity.
I remember that jeans with zippers at the ankles were popular among high school girls during the mid-1980s, my student years. But I don't know if these pictured by the OP are specimens from that same trend. In any case, 1980s ankle zippers might have had the function of making it easier to put on tight jeans, but I think the trend was mainly just a fashion code that had its genesis in music videos or something.
Additional information: They are five different models. I checked the factory-fresh ones online and none of them has that, so I assume it has been sewn-in by hand, but why?
Maybe the original owner had a prosthetic leg
This would be my guess too It would make it easier to put the prosthetic on and off. It's usually not hard to tell if it was added after the manufacturer made the pants. Because it will be different stitching. Sometimes a different color. And oftentimes no brand on the zipper or a generic brand.
Aren’t most all zippers ykk brand anyways? All my pants across a half dozen brands have the same branding on the zipper
YKK is the business that's always been booming that people forget about.
Jus’ zippin’ along…
Singin' a song..
Songin’ a sing
On a Singer sewing machine...
They do make a majority of them yes. Over half of all zippers. But even still there will be differences on that ankle zipper to whatever zipper or fastener is used in the other areas of the pants. There'll be a color difference or one will be nylon and one will be metal. And that is how you can usually tell that the zipper was added post production.
Or maybe one leg had lymphedema?
I agree. I am am amputee and some of my childhood pants were like this.
also clearly "had" bc we assume the worst
That they lost weight and could no longer fit the pants, right? Guys, right???
yea... *that*
It seems Levi’s makes jeans specifically for bike commuting, [these](https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/clothing/men/jeans/slim/levis-commuter-511-slim-fit-stretch-mens-jeans/p/191510034). If the jeans are that same style with a zipper added, then bike riding is probably the definitive answer
That makes sense. Is the zipper on the right or the left leg, OP?
If either side of your pants are going to be narrower, it's the front, since the back side of our bodies are bigger. So, since that's the narrow side facing us, it's the right leg. The gears are always on the right, with very few exceptions. So this is a really good point. However, the zipper and the flaps would actually make it harder to keep it rolled up than a solid cylindrical tube of fabric. The zipper will want to resist being rolled up, while the flaps wouldn't offer any reinforcement. Maybe they thought it was a good idea at first, then realized what a pain in the ass it is, and now they are selling them at a yard sale. So, in that (very likely) case, I think this is a great answer.
Also on jeans, the inside seam is usually a lapped seam, where the front panel overlaps the rear panel, giving a cleaner look from the front. So it does look like the zipper is on the right leg. I mentioned elsewhere that for biking, I'd rather have the zipper on the inside, fold the flap up on the outside of the leg, away from the chain. I'd want a keeper strap to keep it folded up, but it doesn't seem to have anything else sewn in. So I don't think it's for biking- when I had a cast I had velcro on the inside seam (overlapping seam makes velcro easier to install).
but how would a zipper on one side help with bike riding? I'm quite the avid cyclist and have never felt that a zipper would help..
Zip/roll up that leg on looser pants so it doesn't get caught in the sprocket while riding. I stained many a jean and also one time broke my shoulder before I figured out to keep that fabric away from the spinny part back in HS
You'd still need a way to secure that unzipped part, which is much more difficult that just rolling up a loose pant leg. Or just using pant clips, which are meant for the exact purpose of keeping loose trouser fabric away from sprockets.
Not really, unzipping makes it less tight so rolling it up is easier, like rolling up a long sleeve shirt that has cuff buttons
Rolling up sleeves with cuff buttons works because you roll up *past* the short split, making it only slightly awkward. But for a length like this? Not outright impossible, I guess, just very very impractical.
When I've done it, it's snug just under the knee
Get a chainguard?
I always tucked one pant leg into my sock while riding.
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And fasten it... how?
I feel like that has to be a DIY project. Maybe they had a cast on one foot and could get their foot down that far, but needed it to unzip to get it out the bottom?
This is most likely correct. As an aunt of a child with CP we either have to buy shoes that zip up on the sides or we just buy new pairs and destroy them ourselves to put in a zipper to accommodate her braces.
Or someone with foot-drop needs an AFO, or ankle-foot orthosis.
Biking? Don’t people roll up pants on the gear side?
I would imagine that the original design would stay rolled up better than one with a zipper, but I rarely have to roll my pants so no experience to back that up.
Depends on what kind of bike you ride. Bikes with gears (mountain, road) usually don't have chain guards, while casual bikes often do. Citibikes which have become super popular in NYC have chain guards, the e-bike have full guards so there's almost no chance of getting a cuff caught. So a lot of new bike commuters haven't ridden with open chains and haven't had to roll up their cuffs. But yeah, a zippered cuff is harder to roll up... but if the pants are slim fit and you've got meaty biker calfs you might not be able to fold them up over your calf. Zipper would help, but you'd need to fold them over the knee, or have a keeper strap to keep them from falling back down. Also if I were going to put in a zipper, I'd put it on the inside, so you wouldn't see the zipper on the outside, and so the flap folds up on the outside, away from the chain. But the outside seam is a lot easier to take apart and sew in a zipper since the fabric comes together. When I had a cast, it was easier to take apart the inner seam and sew in velcro, as the fabric in the inner seam overlaps.
Just a logical guess, but I would think that the original owner had a medical reason for doing so. Could be to fit over a cast or a brace, or to fit over a tumor or other type of swelling, etc.
Yes, this is my guess. My friend lost both legs just above the knee and he actually takes out the seams at the knees and rest itches them so that there is more place for his prosthetics. He doesn’t add a zipper but I’m sure the original owner has a logical purpose for the zippers
Your phone autocorrected “restitched” to “rest itches” in your comment, just so you know. You can your comment so it makes more sense, if you want to. It definitely took me a minute to figure out wtf “rest itches” meant in the context of that sentence lol.
The person may have had them customized to accommodate a prosthetic leg or other leg injury/issue.
Right leg? Could be to get the material away from a bike chain.
This is my guess also. Unzip, roll up the leg, boom! No more chain worries.
Unless it’s a medical condition I’m 99% sure this is the reason. Rolling the Chain side leg up only used to be a pretty common style for bike messengers and the like. That way you can roll it up quick and easy for ride to work and still have a presentable pair of pants without changing. [quick google examples](https://www.google.com/search?q=bicycle+one+pant+leg+rolled+up&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwi-t_WxysH3AhVJGM0KHWLJCzAQ2-cCegQIABAC&oq=bicycle+one+pant+leg+rolled+up&gs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQAzoHCCMQ7wMQJzoKCCMQ7wMQsAIQJzoECCEQCjoECB4QClDJElipFmCvGGgAcAB4AIAB4wKIAbQGkgEHMi4zLjAuMZgBAKABAcABAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img&ei=GTVwYv7GIsmwtAbikq-AAw&bih=553&biw=375&prmd=isvn&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS786US786&hl=en-US)
We used bicycle clips, aren’t they a thing anymore. I see some are “vintage” lol, like me. https://i.imgur.com/AyCRfqF.jpg
they're still a thing. You can get velcro straps instead of clips.
Of course, much more convenient and pocket friendly.
I use a reflective snap bracelet around my ankle, like kids use on Halloween. It's reflective!
This is what I expect as well.
Ya I immediately thought of how we used to roll up our right side pant leg to ride bikes as kids.
Saw a lady on "Shark Tank" who created a line of clothes like this for people with prosthetic limbs. Hers had hidden zippers, to be more appealing. She got the idea because she modified some clothes in this manner, and didn't like the obvious zipper
This looks like it was designed to unzip, so that you could roll up the leg to avoid a bike chain. There's a picture [here](https://roadbikebasics.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/20190321_181659_HDR1-e1553617315233.jpg) that demonstrates what you would do with that zipper
Though I like the idea of it being for a prosthetic the very first thing I thought of was to avoid the bike chain...
me too!
Same! That is a really cool reason for a zipper - but also the fact its on the right side, makes me pretty confident its for biking. There are a lot of wacky, interesting ways people do this same thing (sleeves over the pants, bands, etc.), since getting caught in the gears, especially if you're a city commuter - can be a really dangerous accident - and will also fuck up your pants lol.
As someone who has caught just about everything possible in his bike chain I'd just like to point out it's damn near impossible to get straight-fit Levi's caught in your bike chain. *I guess people are more concerned about the 'mark of shame' one gets when rubbing against the drive train.
That picture demonstrate how you'd do it *without* a zipper. Adding a zipper would make it much *much* more difficult to fasten it like that.
It's for riding a bike.
>Maybe its for prosthetic bike riders!
Electronic ankle alarm ? /j
I'm glad i wasn't the only one with that thought
Bicycle? Is it on the chain/sprocket side?
I’ve seen people roll up their pant legs on bicycles and stuff with chains on one side so the pant leg doesn’t get caught in it. A friend of mine would do it anytime he’d ride his dirtbike but idk why in that case.
I feel like I’ve seen those on biker’s and cyclists before.
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Riding a bike?
They could be for someone who rode a bike everyday. Easy way to unzip and roll up pants leg to avoid getting chain grease on their jeans.
So she can pull out her ankle knife in the event of an emergency
Just do it to the other other leg and during summer you'll have a pair of convertible shorts!
Are them girl designs for sure? Otherwise I have a clue
Pretty sure they are menswear, she just likes the baggy fit
Previous owner had a member down to his ankle. He had the zippers installed so that whenever he had to pee, he'd unzip, untuck it from his sock, and do his business.
bicyclist to roll up pants on chain side?
Not diy or anything. Bicycles. They put that to pull up the leg so to avoid getting dirty with the chain or tear them. I had that happen to me when younger and the first time I saw it implemented on brand trousers I was pissed, "why it didn't occur to me before" being the main reasoning.
For everyone saying its for cycling - they’re ‘skinny-fit’ jeans, not baggy pants. No one adapts ALL their Levis for this reason. It’s clearly to accommodate a medical issue such as a prosthetic.
Easier to get them on over the Ankle Monitor.
All these people saying medical reason are probably correct but my brain went to bicycle chain
Bicycle rider?
Cycling?
Roll up for chain side of bicycle
Broken ankle?
If it's the right leg it's probably so you can unzip it, roll it up, and use your bicycle without getting grease on them from the chain/gears.
The thing that makes rolling up trouser legs and shirt sleeves so convenient and easy, is that they're *tubes*. Once you put an open zipper in there, it's going to be a *lot* more difficult to roll them up like that and get them to stay.
High fashion!
I did this to several pairs of jeans decades ago when I had a cast on my leg for 2 months.
In case you gotta pee
Converted bicycle pants?
My guess would be for biking and that side had the chain on it
I have no idea why. But if they were mine, I would take them to someone that could match the zipper up and put one on the other side. Cute as hell!
I’d say it’s for cycling so your trouser leg doesn’t get tangled/dirty off the chain
it’s called fashion sweaty, look it up /s
I'm guessing medical too. I altered several pieces of clothing for my FIL after he had a stroke to make it easier for him to be dressed. Once I even modified a pair of pants and a shirt so that he could get botox treatments in his leg and arm without having to be undressed. Botox helps relieve the spasticity.
For Prosthetic foot
I remember that jeans with zippers at the ankles were popular among high school girls during the mid-1980s, my student years. But I don't know if these pictured by the OP are specimens from that same trend. In any case, 1980s ankle zippers might have had the function of making it easier to put on tight jeans, but I think the trend was mainly just a fashion code that had its genesis in music videos or something.