.jpg) Sketch of culottes | |
| Type | Pair of shorts that look like a skirt, or shorts with a skirt-like panel in front and back |
|---|---|
| Material | fabric |
Culottes are an item of clothing worn on the lower half of the body. The term can refer to either splitskirts, historical men'sbreeches, or women'sunderpants; this is an example of fashion-industry words taken from designs across history, languages and cultures, then being used to describe different garments, often creating confusion among historians and readers. The French wordculotte is (a pair of) panties, pants, knickers, trousers, shorts, or (historically)breeches; derived from the French wordculot, meaning the lower half of a thing, the lower garment in this case.
In English-speaking history culottes were originally the knee-breeches commonly worn by gentlemen of the European upper-classes from thelate Middle Ages or Renaissance through theearly 19th century. The style of tight trousers ending just below the knee was popularized inFrance during the reign ofHenry III (1574–1589).[1] Culottes were normally closed and fastened about the leg, to the knee, by buttons, a strap and buckle, or adraw-string. During theFrench Revolution of 1789–1799, working-class revolutionaries were known as the "sans-culottes" – literally, "without culottes" – a name derived from their rejection ofaristocratic apparel.[2]
In the United States, onlythe first five presidents, fromGeorge Washington (1732-1799) throughJames Monroe (1758-1831), wore culottes according to thestyle of the late 18th century.[3][4]John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) wore longtrousers instead of knee breeches athis inaugural ceremony in 1825, thusbecoming the first president to have made the change of dress.
Europeanmilitary uniforms incorporated culottes as a standard uniform article, the lower leg being covered by eitherstockings,leggings, orknee-high boots. Culottes were a common part of military uniforms during the European wars of the eighteenth-century (theGreat Northern War, theWar of the Spanish Succession, theWar of the Austrian Succession, theSeven Years' War, theFrench and Indian War, and theRevolutionary War).
Historical Japanese field workers and militarysamurai worehakama that were sometimes tight at the bottom as French military culottes. Wider bifurcated wrap-skirt hakama were for horse-back riding. Eighteenth and nineteenth-century European women introduced culottes cut with a pattern looking like long hakama, hiding their legs while riding horses. TodayAikido andKendo masters wear long hakama, to hide their feet from opponents.
Jews in Poland wore culottes with high socks from around the 1800s. Culottes were abandoned among non-Hassidim in the mid-1900s[5] to early 20th century (due to upheavals in traditional Jewish life in those times), but ended up staying customary only amongHassidim, who continue to wear them today. However, culottes are not worn by Russian Hassidic sects, such asKarlin andChabad.[6]
Different sects of Hassidim have different customs as to when and how they are worn, and whether and how unmarried men wear them onShabbos and Jewish holidays, or if they wear them at all.[6]
Culottes can also describe a split orbifurcatedskirt[7] or any garment which "hangs like a skirt, but is actually pants."[1] During theVictorian Era (mid- to late-nineteenth century European culture) long split skirts were developed forhorseback riding so that women could sit astride a horse with a safersaddle, like that used by men in that era, rather than riding on aside-saddle designed for the women in that era, that elevated style or 'modesty' over safety. Horse-riding culottes for women were controversial because they were used to break a sexual taboo against women riding horses astride when they were expected to hide their lower limbs at all times. Later, split skirts were developed to provide women more freedom to do other activities as well, such asgardening, cleaning,bike riding, etc. and still look like one is wearing a skirt.[8]
During the 1960s, some upscale restaurants resisted modern fashion trends by refusing to admit women wearing pants, which were considered inappropriate by some proprietors.[9] This posed a problem for women who did not want to wear the skirt styles that were then in fashion. Some women opted to circumvent restaurant bans on women in pants by wearing culottes orpalazzo pants as evening wear.[10]
Culottes became associated withPrincess Diana during the 1980s.[11][12]
In modern English, the use of the word culottes can also mean a close-fitting pair of pants ending at the knees,[1][verification needed] such asPrincess Diana also popularised during the early 1980s.[citation needed] The term is used as such in the United Kingdom and Canada. In this sense, culottes are similar to the American knickerbockers (knickers), except whereas the latter are loose in fit.
Culottes are used inschool uniforms for girls. They can be used along with skirts, or they may be used as a replacement for skirts. Culottes are worn as part of a uniform mainly to primary and middle schools. Culottes were also part of the uniform of UKBrownie Guides[13] up until recently, when the uniform was modernized and the traditional brown culottes (and the navy blue culottes worn by the Girl Guides) were replaced.
A cut which emerged in the 21st century – a combined silhouette of pants which appear to be made out of two separate garments. They look like slim fit jeans from behind, like a skirt or culottes worn on top of slim fit jeans – from the front.[14]
The term "culottes" inFrench is now used to describe women'spanties, an article of clothing that has little or no relation to the historic men's culotte breeches, except that in French, calling something "culottes" is like calling them "bottoms". The historical French term"sans-culottes" which was once the rejection of aristocrats' breeches, is now used colloquially to mean the same as an English colloquialism"going commando" or not wearing under-pants.[15]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)And from no bra on the Upper East Side ... ... to no panties in Times Square.
