Women in Paris are now legally allowed to wear trousers.
The obscure 1799 law - which was repealed on January 31, 2013 - states that any woman in the French capital that wishes to 'dress like a man' must obtain special permission from the police.
The rule was relaxed in 1892 by an amendment which said trousers were permitted as long as the woman is holding the reins of a horse.
The decree was watered down again in 1909 by a clause allowing women to wear trousers while on a bicycle or holding it by the handlebars.
A contradictory law stated that trousers are compulsory for Parisian policewomen. They were, in theory, all breaking the law.
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