Love or Loathe: Culottes

While watching Ferris Bueller's Day Off the other day, I kept admiring Sloane's culottes. Yes, her culottes. (No, I don't have a brain fever. Proof: her fringe jacket and whatever the hell that vest thing is on Ferris strike me with fashion terrors. Although, I'd wear Cameron's buckle suspenders in a heartbeat.)
I don't understand why women hate culottes. It seems to me to be another thing people hate because of the decade it's from rather than because of the look and functionality of the clothing. I have big thighs. Chances are very good that many of you have big thighs. When I wear normal shorts, they creep up and transform into short-shorts. Not cool. Not comfortable. While I adore dresses and skirts, they're not always the best thing for summer roller coasters and playing on the swings. Pants, meanwhile, are too warm for the season. Behold! There's a short that is cut loose like a skirt! Why are you booing?

There's no denying some of them are a bit momish with elastic waistbands and a walking-short cut. Others scream private school casual. But I love the loose, is-it-a-skirt version. What say you?

Culottes pictured are available in black or pink at ASOS.

Comments

Jennifer Wells said…
I suppose I haven't given culottes a second look because I attended a private, Christian school while growing up. For school functions and sports, we were required to wear culottes.
Susanelle said…
I love culottes and own two of them.

But what decade do you think they are from, you young whippersnapper? People were wearing them in the '60s and '70s -- are those "hated" decades???
becca said…
Nora, this is the same reason I have trouble with culottes. Most of the ones worn at my school were ordered from some freakish private school catalog or made from the same, elastic waist pattern, which was passed around by all the moms. There were never cute.

While the word "culottes" brings up bad memories, I really like the idea of long loose shorts. Sadly, I've seen very few cute pairs in stores, and they tend to cost a bit too much.
Jael Paris said…
Nora, I have a friend who won't wear kelly green because it was part of his school uniform for 13 years.

Susanelle, I don't think people as a whole associate them with the 60s and 70s. Like when people complain about shoulder pads, they reference the 80s but give the 40s a pass.
Susanelle said…
Yeah, but '80s shoulder pads were really bad.

And their culottes weren't flowy enough.
Jennifer Wells said…
Becca--

Our volleyball team uniform consisted of a jersey and black culottes made from some hideous polyster material. They were below the knee and flared WAY out. Imagine a poodle skirt. Now imagine it being pants. Yeah.

Oh, and I grew up in metro Detroit! High-five.
Fanya said…
Yes! I've always wanted shorts that look like skirts (and not the super mini skirt variety) but I didn't know what it's called.

I'm relieved. My short shorts are always riding up and look awkward and I always wondered how everyone else keep them not riding up. I also like floaty skirts but they don't do well in summer wind. And now you just proposed a solution to my prob.
Anonymous said…
I just love those, and I would be one of the first to buy them, if they came back in fashion or there were some stylish models with a nice waistband, maybe some that can be worn with a nice belt around... I imagine some nice high waisted types, like the shorts they are currently selling, but for big thighs.

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