Trews (Gaelic Truibhs) are men's clothing for the legs and lower abdomen, a traditional form of Scottish apparel. Trews could be trimmed with leather, probably buckskin, especially on the inner leg to prevent wear from riding on horseback.
Trews may be origin of the word trousers.
Tartan trews shared the fate of other items of Highland dress, including proscription and the Romantic Revival; see kilt for a full discussion.
These trews were cut on the cross-grain (US bias), which allowed the fabric to stretch sufficiently to mould to the body, and placed the tartan "sett" on the diagonal.
Military trews are usually worn by members of the lowland Scottish regiments as part of their dress uniforms and mess uniforms. Members of highland Scottish regiments are usually authorized to wear Kilts with these uniforms. Trews are also part of the uniform of the composite regiment known as The Highlanders (Seaforth, Gordons and Camerons).
Scottish dress | Scottish cultural icons | Military uniforms