Michael’s trousers had extra fabric in the pockets so that whilst he was dancing, he could easily lift up the pocket and expose more of his feet to the audience. The stripe down the side was meant to elongate and accentuate his legs and height, but also with the shine added to the fabric, it enhanced the visual movement when the lights from the stage hit.
One tiny little detail that I love (of course has to do with history), is during the HIStory tour, when he changed to the black pants for billie jean, the stripe down the side was gold for some shows, which I think may have been an extension of the iconic gold & chrome outfit.
He also had the cuff of his pants length dependent on the size of the crowd, so that people in the back could still see his feet. Another example of how his meticulous attention to detail was second to know and even the minutest of details had a purpose.
My favorite thing in the world is doing a deep dive into Michael’s work, whatever topic it might be. And the deeper you go, you begin to realize every single thing he done had intention behind it. Like even the smallest of detail was at the forefront of his mind it’s incredible.