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MA N MAGE: STYL ST: KATE DARV LL PHOTOGRAPH: DUNCAN K LL CKOTHER MAGES: ALAMY GEORG NA EGAN GETTY MAGES GORUNWAY.COM ALL PRICES APPROXIMATE DETAILS AT VOGUE.COM.AU/WTB
SEPTEMBER 2019
WHO WEARS THEpants? That was the perennial and
political question thrown up at the 51st Wimbledon
Championships in 1931, when Elsa Schiaparelli dressed
tennis champion Lilí Álvarez in a pair of culottes. The bold
choice ignited the press, which condemned Álvarez 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 to
wear, rather than how others will respond to them,” says
Sohyun Joo, US head buyer of curated e-store W Concept,
where customers have been reintroduced to the style in
linen, leather and denim varieties. “[Though culottes
Ignore the naysayers, this trend has legs. Culottes
are making a comeback. By Jen Nurick.MINI TREND
VOGUE VIEWPOINT
exude] a mood that maintains professionalism, these pants are much more versatile
and provide many more styling options than the tailored suit-pants,” Joo adds.
Margaret Howell, Acne Studios and Michael Kors reified this versatility in their
respective collections. The pants’ mutability was shown off – each brand interpreted
the silhouette with cuffs, pleats and paper-bag waists. As Joo 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 delivered down 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 for autumn/winter ’19/’20, where the royal’s
ensemble from her 1991 Brazil tour was immortalised once more. Culottes were
paired with a revised version of the princess’s double-breasted vest in long sleeves,
which Michele accessorised with a tie for good measure. Elsewhere, amid the fallen
leaves at Khaite’s forest, a leather pair, teamed with just-below-the-knee boots,
flashed a surprising hint of flesh. Meanwhile at Off-White, silk culottes fell down the
legs like liquid, conservatively layered over trousers and pooling at diamante-
encrusted heels.
To maximise the potential, Joo 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 couple of inches above the ankle,” she adds. And, for seamless
transitioning between work and weekend wear, replace a tucked-in blouse with
a cropped top or swap out flat shoes for a pair of heels. Easy. ■ACNE STUDIOS A/W ’19/’20
OFF-WHITE A/W ’19/’20
Princess
Diana in
19 91.Twiggy
in 1968.Viktoria&
Woods
pants,
$350.MaxMara
pants,
$1,10 0.Models in
Mary Quant,
London,
1978.