Written by The Strategy
Culottes seem to be in the same category as bedazzled cell phone cases and ballet flats. Meaning you either love them or you hate them. If you love them, great! You should keep reading. If you hate them, that stinks…but you should still keep reading.
Without getting too boring, culottes started a really long time ago in France around the sixteenth century. And just like heels, they were not originally intended for ladies. High society men wore culottes so exclusively that they even called the working class people “sans-culottes” because the workers refused to wear anything similar to the fancy pants aristocrats.
Somewhere along history, culottes changed from pants to a more skirt-like garment and they transitioned into women’s wear. Though they may have faded from popularity for a while, they are in fact back in the fashion game.
Culottes are like a mix of all things typically repelling to the male species. If harem pants and midi skirts had a lovechild, it would be culottes. While they might not be the prettiest girl at the dance, they have got to be one of the most comfortable, and that earns them bonus points. They were made for people who want the comfort of a dress or a skirt without the stress of a breeze coming by to help you flash half the city. Because honestly, no one really loves dresses. It’s just that they don’t like pants. Culottes give you the best of both worlds.
They’re versatile too. You can go all Audrey Hepburn and wear them with a clean oxford shirt for a relaxed but still very chic vibe. Or you can pair them with a sporty tank and go with the athletic luxe trend. They look equally fantastic on both those who are vertically blessed or challenged. There are long culottes, short culottes, wool culottes, denim, silk, tailored, baggy…you can have your culottes and wear them, too.
Found in many a retail location, it still seems that not too many people are actually out there wearing culottes. It begs the question of whether or not we are still too scared to wear clothes that out of the ordinary. It probably has something to do with the fact that, while everyone wants to stand out, its easier to blend in. Then again, it is hard to blend in when your skirt is flying around you in a skyscraper-generated wind tunnel on your way home from work.
The moral of the story is that if you love skirts and dresses but have a severe phobia of windy days or if you’re like us and think they look cool, culottes are for you. Trust us on this one, guys.
