what are culottes?
Ruth: What are culottes? And how is one supposed to wear them?
Alicia, TulleBox: Culottes are the French equivalent to what the Italians call Palazzo Pants. I imagine Americans called them “knickers” when our Founding Fathers were donning this fashion. They are somewhere between a skirt and pants ~ “hangs like a skirt, but is actually pants.” The shorter version are known as “skirts” but the traditional culottes are longer and wide in the leg.
Since history does inevitably repeat itself, culottes are coming back this fall. My suggestion on how to wear them is to consider them a skirt with a lot more comfort. When utilized correctly, this look is quite chic. A few things to consider is that if you have volume on the bottom, keep your top more tailored. I like culottes with a heel rather than flats since they hit lower on the leg. An actual heel is better than a wedge too. This provides a more modern look to the culottes than the throw back to the ‘70s when they were worn with platforms. (I have just had a flash of Soul Train in my head! The precursor to American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance!)
I digress…so here are a few inspirations from my “Culottes” pin board.
