Step 1 : Introduction to the question "Who first popularized bell-bottom pants?"
...Before they became all the rage in the 1960s and '70s, bell-bottoms had been worn by sailors since the 1600s. The pants could easily be rolled up if a sailor needed to wash the decks, and they doubled as a life preserver if the wearer fell overboard. In the 1960s, though, young people started wearing them for fashion rather than function. Initially found mostly in military surplus stores, the style quickly caught on among designers, too.