Grin and bare it: the unexpected rise of crotchless trousers

Mostly, civilians are wearing them at festivals, where the usual rules of sartorial decorum don’t apply. Photograph: Alicia Canter/The Guardian

Not content with exposing our midriffs and chests this season, fashion has found a whole new area to leave undressed: the undercarriage.

Enter this summer’s funniest trend: chaps, those crotchless over-trousers that were once the preserve of actual working cowboys – and, of course, actors playing at being cowboys.