DIVIDE & CONQUER
Ignore the naysayers; this trend has legs. culottes are making a comeback.
Who wears the trousers? That was the perennial and political question thrown up at the 51st Wimbledon Championship in 1931 when Elsa Schiaparelli dressed tennis champion Lili Alvarez in a pair of culottes. The bold choice ignited the press, which condemned Alvarez and set the tone for the divisive reception of the pants.
Dating back to the 1500s, when they were the exclusive domain of French aristocratic men, it wasn’t until the Victorian era that the ‘divided skirt’ became available to everyone. To resolve the quandary of riding bicycles and horses, women too adopted the silhouette, thereby associating culottes with liberty, practicality and style.
“With origins rooted in menswear, [culottes] are an empowering piece, focussing on what they feel like wearing, rather than how others will respondtothem,”saysSohyunJoo,USheadbuyer of curated e-store W Concept, where customers have been reintroduced to the style in linen, leather and denim varieties. “[Though culottes exude] a mood that maintains professionalism, these pants are much more versatile and provide
many more styling options than the tailored suit-pants,” Sohyun adds.
Margaret Howell, Acne Studios and Michael Kors reified this versatility in their respective collections. The pant’s mutability was shown o – each brand interpreted the silhouette with cus, pleats and paper-bag waists. As Sohyun says: “With the wide-pants trend dominating throughout the past several seasons, culottes have entered more aggressively than ever as its seasonal sister.”
For proof, turn to Paris, where culottes were solidified into the bedrock of Hedi Slimane’s new guard at Celine. Versions were worn on the runway in pleated houndstooth, chevron wool, autumnal tartans and denim emphasised utility. At Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri extended their application, pairing culottes in oversized plaid patterns with fitted blazers to defamiliarise traditional feminine shapes.
Styling cues abounded. Princess Diana may well have played on the subconscious of Alessandro Michele at Gucci autumn/winter ’19/’20, when the royal’s ensemble from her 1991 Brazil tour was immortalised once more. Culottes were paired with a revised version of the princess’ doublebreasted vest in long sleeves, which Alessandro accessorised with a tie for good measure. Elsewhere, amid the fallen leaves at Khaite’s forest, a leather pair, teamed with just-below-theknee boots, flashed a surprising hint of flesh. Meanwhile, at O-white, silk culottes fell down the legs like liquid, conservatively layered over trousers and pooling at diamante encrusted heels.
Sohyun says tailoring is key. “The most important feature for culottes is the length: the most flattering [should be] hitting right at the slimmest point of your leg, falling a few centimetres above the ankle,” she adds. And, for a seamless transition between work and weekend wear, replace a tucked-in blouse with a cropped top or swop flat shoes for a pair of heels. Easy.
“The most flattering [should be] hitting the slimmest point of your leg”