Culottes were cool in the ’60s and ’70s. Then they dropped off the fashion fave list. But not for long. They have just made a comeback on today’s red carpets and runways.
But are culottes cool or not? Are they considered cool or uncouth?
Men would vote for “uncouth.” They feel culottes are masculine and anything but sexy.
But women tend to love them, sexy or not. They’re comfortable. They’re fun. And they’re liberating-literally and figuratively.
Let’s stroll down fashion memory lane
Where did these fashion-forward (or, according to the male of the species, “fashion-backward”) bloomers first show up?
During the Renaissance, culottes were the knee breeches commonly worn by gentlemen of the European upper classes. They were popularized in France during the reign of Henry III (1574-1589). In fact, during the French Revolution working class revolutionaries were known derogatorily as “sans-culottes” for their refusal to wear what they considered elitist, aristocratic apparel.
In the Victorian Age, women adopted culottes for the first time. Long known as “split skirts” or “divided skirts,” they were originally developed for equestrian women who chose to sit astride a man’s saddle rather than ride sidesaddle. But culottes also gained popularity because of the era’s bicycle craze, allowing women to become more independent and mobile.
Soon after, split skirts became popular for non-equestrian and non-bicycling women, giving them more freedom to garden, clean and ride while still appearing to wear skirts.
Feminist favorite
With the unleashing of women’s fashion freedom came a push for political freedom. In the 1850s, culottes came to be associated with feminists and suffragists such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her cousin, Elizabeth Smith Miller, who was seen socially sporting a set of billowing “Turkish trousers.” Fellow feminist Amelia Bloomer also adopted them, lending her name to the “bloomer” style, which then became the official suffragist uniform.
The French weren’t fans, however. In Paris, women were actually arrested for wearing culottes in public. A French law forbade female trouser wearing unless “the woman is holding a bicycle handlebar or the reins of a horse.”
Defying the laws of the day, French fashion icon Coco Chanel created her own version of the “split skirt” in order to ride in high-society fox hunts, shocking her French compatriots. Fashion fans followed.
Access across the pond
In the ’30s, women’s tennis ace Lili de Alvarez actually received death threats from a shocked public when she dared to wear a Schiaparelli version of culottes to Wimbledon.
Several years later, “Mommie Dearest” Joan Crawford, along with fellow A-list movie stars Lauren Bacall and Katherine Hepburn, took culottes Hollywood.
Next, culottes were crowned royal. Britain’s Princess Diana, the “Queen of People’s Hearts,” toured Brazil in the ’90s wearing a trendy, London Sloane Ranger-esque culotte suit.
Recently, following the fashion world’s thumbs-up on culottes, fashionista Rihanna was seen wearing an all-white, split-skirt ensemble to a dinner party–all without a hitch (and all without a stain!)
What’s the verdict on culottes? Cool or not?
Culottes still have haters, but there’s no stopping its red-carpet resurgence. Armani, Alexander Wang, Hermes and Proenza Schouler all featured culottes on their 2015 spring and summer runways, reminding women that these split skirts are still literally and figuratively liberating.
How to wear culottes, this season’s fave rave:
The softer your culottes, the better-in both shape and fabric. This year Givenchy debuted them in a heavy satin fabric and another designer showed them in wide-legged leather. Soft shapes are not only much more comfortable, they’re more feminine.
When in doubt, choose culottes in black. They’re slimming. And as you know, black goes anywhere.
Tops are tops with culottes. You can pair them with a short-sleeved tee, a long-sleeved sweater, a casual tank top or a dressy jewel-neck top. But always choose a top that’s classic in style with simple, clean lines that could remain in style for at least five years.
Depending upon whether the fabric of your culottes is casual or dressy, you can give them some vavavoom with a broad choice of footwear. For dress occasions, try them with a high sandal-style heel, peep-toeless heel or flirty strappy sandal. For more casual outifts-think denim, khaki or prints–sandals, sneakers and espadrilles look fab with more athletic-looking casual fabrics like denim, khaki or prints.
Whether you choose to be fashion-forward in culottes or not, do know that they are a recent wardrobe staple that is not only comfortable but practical, not to mention liberating. And what woman doesn’t want be liberated from the dictates of fashion–making her own rules about what makes her the dynamic, beautiful woman she is? Go for it. And shine on!