Summer is here and it’s time to sport loose pants to stay cool. Culottes come as a trendy solution this season, where one can show off a little bit of those legs and feel airy. Popularly known as divided skirts, these are available in black and other solid colours.
Ranjitha Ananthabhadran, a young professional, says that from floral prints to solid-coloured ones, culottes are a must-have. “Team a pair of floral-printed ones with a plain top and a nice straw hat, and you are ready to hit the beach, laze around or shop with friends. Add a striped shirt to a solid black pair of culottes and you are ready for office. These loose pants can be played around with easily,” says Ranjitha.
Culottes are getting popular by the day, vouches Sreetama Ghosh, founding partner of ‘Myrah’. “They are selling fast as they are very comfortable and flattering. They come in different patterns including the floral ones. We also have the chambray ones which have a denim feel to them, but aren’t stiff.”
She says that these look like a set of palazzo jeans but they are at ankle length. “We also have khadi ones for those who doesn’t like anything that sticks to their body. They come in summery colours like lime yellow, whites and even reds,” says Sreetama.
Women above 20 years often pick up shirts with culottes so that they can wear it for work as formal wear. “If you have to step out of office, you can wear a sleeveless top and voila! It’s a very versatile piece of clothing. Since many stars are wearing them, they are getting increasingly popular,” she says.
Designer Diming Rubu, who has designed culottes for ‘Styletag’, says that there are different types of culottes of which the pant-like ones are the most known ones. “There’s also something called the culotte skirts, which looks like a skirt from the front because it has a flap, but when one parts the flap, it’s a pair of pants inside. This is also in now!” says Diming. She says that even men can be seen sporting culottes nowadays.
“I usually make these in sturdy fabrics like cotton. But it depends on the designer and the wearer,” she says. She says that the solid-coloured ones are most popular. “People want to own these in black and toned down colours.”
What the culottes are worn with, makes it a headturner, says designer Michelle Salins. “What one teams it up with determines the look. A lot of people tend to wear printed culottes with printed tops, but this suits a slim-sized person best. If its a print, then wearing simple footwear is the way to go. If one goes elaborate with the footwear too, there will be too much of prints, which isn’t appealing.” She says that soft denims are a top choice this season. “Smudgy prints or graphic prints are nice choices for people who are tall. But the right footwear is the focus. If the footwear isn’t right, it can cut one’s body into parts or make the people look short,” says Michelle. She says that cotton and crepe silk culottes are also great additions to one’s wardrobe.
Stylist and designer Rashmi Jaidabu points out that these are very comfortable and can replace the traditional Little Black Dress if worn in the right combination. “These were in fashion long back and were known as the divided skirt or the bifurcated skirt.” Rashmi adds that the colours for the season are orange. “But the colours vary according to the occasion. The choice of fabrics vary from soft denim to leather and cottons to silk,” adds Rashmi.
She adds that pastel shades like soft pink and colours like burgundy and dark blues with sequins work for parties are the varied choices. “For the casual look, one can add a casual jacket and team it with a crop top; and for a formal look one can wear it with a blazer,” she says.