Culottes Become the Silhouette of the Season
Long thought of as dowdy and unflattering, the cropped, wide pants are suddenly many designers' favorite style
By Alexa Brazilian
Aug. 8, 2014 1:40 p.m. ET
Danny Kim for The Wall Street Journal, Styling by Paula Knight, Hair & Makeup by Liz Christensen, Models: Ada Roth/Major Model Management and Alex Nyame/Red Model Management
OUR CLOSETS MAY be stuffed to the gills, but we all go through phases when we want to wear just one piece of clothing. Over and over again. My current fashion fixation is a pair of culottes: wide-leg, fluid silk pants from London-based label Mother of Pearl that fall just below my calf in a festive stripe-and-floral pattern.
Shown Above
Left: Angora T-shirt,
$695, Michael Kors, 212-452-4685; Ankle-Length Midi-Pants,
$1,550, Delpozo, 305-573-1009; Gianvito Rossi Leather Brace Ankle Cuff Sandal,
$875, net-a-porter.com
Right: Silk Neck Tie Blouse,
$1,990, Valentino, 212-355-5811; Billy Leather Shorts,
$1,495, Joseph, 212-535-2503; Brass Double Flat Chain Link Ring,
$175, Jennifer Fisher, 888-255-0640; Lexi Pointed Toe Pump,
$825, Tabitha Simmons, 732-536-0702
This summer, I've worn them everywhere but to bed—although they'd be perfectly comfortable there, too. For a work dinner in London, I paired them with loafers, a white shell and my favorite Stella McCartney tuxedo jacket. The breezy, cropped trousers cut a much chicer line than any full-length suit could. At a casual weekend party in the country, they were easier and more elegant than a summer dress, worn with a simple linen T-shirt and flat bronze K. Jacques sandals. And for a wedding in New York this fall, I'm planning on wearing them with a vintage neoprene racer-back top and my favorite spindly sandals from Manolo Blahnik.
It seems designers are having a similar love affair with culottes at the moment, even if the silhouette—with its voluminous wide leg and cropped length that can fall anywhere from just below the knee to just above the ankle—is often considered tough to pull off. (More on that later.)
But culottes also have many advantages, not the least of which is their barbecue-to-black-tie versatility. They're also transitional, the perfect piece to wear from summer into fall (and winter into spring, too). This year Balenciaga, Rosie Assoulin and Proenza Schouler endorsed the style for spring. French designer Christophe Lemaire sent a lightweight A-line khaki pair down his runway for spring and then created thick drab wool and gray-denim versions for fall. Other brands in the fall-season culotte camp include
Michael Kors, Derek Lam and Marni. Chloé designer Clare Waight Keller cut them in supple tan leather, and Delpozo designer Josep Font created voluminous variations in powder-blue and ochre-yellow wool.
"The culotte is a little bit of an 'F-you' piece," said Lowell Delaney, co-designer of the two-year-old London label, Trager Delaney, which has included culottes in nearly every collection to date. "It's such a power move because it isn't a conventionally sexy look. It says, 'I don't care and I still look better than you even though you're wearing a miniskirt.' It's androgynous but feminine at the same time."
Before its recent resurgence, "culotte" was a bit of a dirty word in the fashion world. "It can make you think of 1992, when your mom was wearing skorts," said Ms. Delaney. The style also has costume-y connotations stemming from its historical connection to the "split skirt" (very wide-legged pants made to look like a skirt) which enabled horse-loving Victorian women to switch from riding sidesaddle to western.
They can also have a mumsy and institutional air about them. "People often associate them with school uniforms and the Brownies," said Mother of Pearl creative director Amy Powney, who created printed-silk renditions for spring and wool versions for fall. "But
the silhouette actually [works for] lots of different body types."
Despite designer endorsements, the skirt-trouser hybrid—which not only adds volume to the leg but falls at a rather unconventional spot—is still a hard sell for the average woman. The shape du jour can be surprisingly flattering, however. "[One of ] the lengths of the season hits the lower calf, which looks really fresh and chic and gives the illusion of slimmer legs because you're just seeing the skinny ankle," said Suno co-designer Erin Beatty.
Matches Fashion buying director Natalie Kingham started snapping up the silhouette this past spring for the luxury London retailer.
"The reality is, they can be more flattering than the popular midi-skirt and more streamlined and sophisticated than a summer dress. It's slim over the hip and bottom and then kicks out, so it's great for women with bigger thighs," said Ms. Kingham. "At the moment the culotte customer is still young, fashion-forward and likes to experiment, but that will change."
That shift is sure to happen as more women learn how best to wear the shape. For taller, slimmer women, a chunky brogue or Vans-style slip-on sneaker matched with a relaxed T-shirt easily nails the gamine quality that many designers (Acne Studios, Marni, Emporio Armani) captured on their catwalks. However, a substantially high heel is the surest and sexiest way for women with less than Amazonian frames to make the look work. Ms. Delaney wears hers with a vintage pair of peep-toes with a chunky heel and thick velvet straps. "
You need to balance the proportions of the wide leg with a substantial shoe, whether it's a heel or a heavy flat," she said. For the chillier months of winter, Ms. Kingham suggested trying culottes with a clog-type heel or a knee-high boot.
This idea of contrast applies equally to what you wear on top. Anything that accentuates the waist and slims your torso will do nicely—from a tucked-in silk button-down to a cropped cashmere crew neck sweater or a strapless bustier top paired with a tailored jacket or skinny cardigan.
Los Angeles designer Rosetta Getty created Bermuda-length culottes—ripe for vacation or a day in the city—for her upcoming resort collection, inspired by visionary artist and art dealer Betty Parsons, who was partial to wearing shorts.
"There has been this shift toward more-comfortable yet still-polished clothing as of late, and the culotte speaks to this demand," said Ms. Getty. "My personal style is very much tomboy with a feminine edge, which in essence is what the culotte embodies."
Indeed, many of the designers who offer the silhouette in their collections find culottes' can-do spirit most appealing.
"I cycle to work in them—they look as sophisticated as a skirt but you can jump around in them if you need to," said Mother of Pearl's Ms. Powney. Trager Delaney's Ms. Delaney finds culottes especially handy when hosting one of the regular dinner parties she throws in the garden of her London apartment. "They're totally perfect for entertaining. You don't have to worry about bending over to pick up a piece of chicken that fell off the barbecue," she said.
Ms. Delaney has also designed forest-green versions for female staffers of chef Skye Gyngell's hotly anticipated restaurant, Spring, opening in London's Somerset House this fall.
"Essentially, you can run around frantically in them," she said, "and still look completely elegant."
wsj.com
