Elle UK – September 2019

ELLE.COM/UK September 2O19 87

ELLEMood Board

THECULOTTERY

Fromtrailblazers

CelinetoMargaret

HowellandGucci,

they’reoutinforce

ewgarmentsareasunappealinglynamedasculottes.Soundit out.

Coo-lotts.Doesn’texactlyrolloffthetongue,doesit?Neitherdoits

evenmoreunfortunatesynonyms:palazzopants,gauchosorskorts.

Inthepantheonofsartorialportmanteaus(shackets,treggings),the

dividedskirtisoneofthemorepolarising.WardrobeMarmite.Inthe

eyesofsome,it’stoonon-committal— neitherskirtnortrouser.Others

sayit’stoodowdy.But,if youaskme,I’vefoundthem

largelyunflatteringanddifficulttowear,combining

themostawkwardelementsofthemidiskirt(that

wide,roomyshape)withtheworstaspectsofsome

trousers(pleatsandstrangelengthsthatfallbetween

thekneesandankles).Whattodowiththatstretchof

legthatshowsunderneath?Witha skirt,anypairof

shoesorhosierywilldo.Manolocourtswithàpois

tights?VerySaintLaurent,verychic.Butwiththehumble

skort?Yourfootwearchoicesshrinkconsiderably.

AsfarasFrench-borngarmentsgo,culottesareall

bofsansfrisson. Shame.Thisseason,though,they’ve

had an impressive rebrand. And, after several years spent gathering

dust in your grandmother’s attic, culottes are staging a comeback

of the highest fashion order. It started in March, with Hedi Slimane’s

sophomore collection as creative director of Celine, which the fashion

pack christened ‘new Celine’ (following Phoebe Philo’s decade-long

chapter at the house), even though the clothes were, in fact, a reimagining

of very old Céline — 197Os and 198Os, to be exact.

There they were at the centre of it all: a pair of swooshy, swingy and

(yes!) pleated culottes in a Prince of Wales check, sitting on the

model Karo Laczkowska’s hips just so. Hedi had given culottes the

lead role in the first look out on the runway. Momentous placement.

Themessage was clear. The fashion pendulum has swung and

a new statement piece would now get star billing: the culotte.

Hedi drove the point home with no fewer than 27 looks featuring

culottes in all manner of styles and colourways. There were swishy

midi-length ones, slouchy denim ones and straight-legged ones that

stopped just below the knee. Some were made from leather, others

featured heritage prints. And, for evening: culottes in disco sequins.

All came paired with hallmarks of French bourgeoise style: silk

blouses, pussy-bow scarves, pie-crust tops, ladylike jackets, swingy

capes and tall, high-heeled boots. These were no American-style skorts.

I was intrigued. Full disclosure: I got my first pair of culottes as a

GirlScout in primary school. The experience of wearing scratchy skorts

with itchy knee socks and loafers (in summer!) permanently put me

off.In my entire adult life, I’ve only ever owned one pair: an excellent

tailored version in pale grey wool, with ivory chiffon panels by Sacai.

Creative director Chitose Abe specialises in hybrid garments, so if

anyone could make a pair of culottes look and feel as easy and fluid

as a pair of silk pyjamas, she could. I happily wore them with flats and

men’s cashmere jumpers from Uniqlo during a month of ready-to-wear

shows in the autumn of 2O17 and never failed to get compliments.

Beyond this, I’ve steered clear of culottes because I’ve found it

difficult to find options that, as we editors often say, ‘look fashion’ and

feelfresh.Thisseason, though, I have a pair by JW Anderson hanging

inmycloset,ready to wear with a white men’s Brooks Brothers shirt

andtallChristian Dior boots, after being swayed.

Eventhemost staunch skeptics may be tempted by the wide range of

culottesonofferthis year. For autumn, extroverts will love the sexy leather

versionsatJacquemus, while British eccentrics who favour heritage

checkswillsurely want the tailored, pleated iterations shown as part of

Gucci’sPrincess Diana-style suiting. For the minimalists, Jil Sander has

themcuffedand oversized. And for fans of the 198Os: Chanel’s slimmer,

peg-legversion in pastel tweeds and primary-coloured leather.

It allamounts to the return of the grown-up charm of the bourgeoisie,

anideathatruns counter to fashion’s decade-long infatuation with the

millennial. The trend hasn’t come from nowhere. In fact,

Hedi Slimane’s French bourgeois muse is a close first

cousin to Britain’s Sloane Ranger, a woman who had

her moment last year when ever yone f rom Of f - White

to Balenciaga revived the codes of Britain’s middle

class through floral dresses and country tweeds. It’s

a prim and buttoned-up look, yes. And here it’s worth

noting that, like the Sloane, the Bourgeois had fallen

far out of style, viewed by fashion circles as dull and

conservative. But the new interpretations have bite.

‘Bourgeois style has been on the rise for several

seasons with the appointment of Natacha Ramsay-

Levi at Chloé, but the all-encompassing mood at Celine is really

the start,’ explains Elizabeth von der Goltz, global buying director

for Net-A - Porter, which has an especially robust category of culottes,

ranging from two-tone wide-leg denim options by Alexander McQueen

to graphic silk versions by Stella McCartney. ‘It has that retro, vintage

charm with a modern twist, which is inspiring so many designers

right now. We all want the old and archival in a new way!’

“I GOT my FIRST

CULOT TES as

A GIRL SCOUT.

The SCRATCHY

SKORTS

PERMANENTLY

PUT me OFF ”

F

Alberta Ferretti

Céline

Each x Other

Celine by

Hedi Slimane

Celine by Hedi Slimane