Culottes vs. capris: where's the line?

Zibbets

Culottes haven't taken off here either. Capris have to fit right to not be frumpy, but that didn't stop a lot of women around here wearing them last summer. Lately everyone around here seems stuck in a safe jeans and dress pants rut.

9 years ago

CocoLion

(website)

Veteran

I think culottes are more skirt like. Whereas capris, the fuller ones often with cargo pockets, are more pant-like and look dated and frumpy to me. A lot of middle-age and older women around here wear those. With sneakers or other comfort shoes. A fitted or slim cut capri does not look frumpy to me.

I haven't seen culottes being worn much. I got two pairs last year and admit I hardly wear them at all, although come Summer that may change. It's only in the 50s today.

9 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Wait - the line? As in when you'd wear one or the other?

9 years ago

always trying

Veteran

No culottes around here either. Mostly only jeans, shorts and some capris. the capris are mostly just below knee lengths, and mostly the workout kind. I have been scouting the racks a bit for a possible maxi skirt, and maybe some just below knee whatever you want to call them. saw a few culottes mixed in but no one trying them on, none in the piles in dressing rooms, etc. I seriousy doubt I will see anyone wearing them.

I think the difference between culottes and capris is the width of the legs, However the culotte photos Angie showed some looked fairly narrow. Maybe it is the fabric-like the cotton -poly cotton type or denim are capris??

9 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

Rachy, the line between when a capri morphs into culottes or vice versa. For example, I would have called Staysfit's culottes capris, but what do I know? I know Angie's culotte post described many variations... Is the difference in how they are styled?

9 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Mm. Capris in my mind fit close to the leg, and culottes don't... So dif styling required...

9 years ago

catgirl

Veteran

So this is what I'm talking about below. I see this style here a lot, worn with Danskos or Keens, and I could thrift an identical pair this minute. The word "gaucho" is in there too, which is what we called them in the 70s. All of these came up in a search for "culottes".

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/on.....personaliz...

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/sp.....alizedsort...

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/jo.....personaliz...

9 years ago

Joy

Veteran

Those all look like wider capris to me. I had linen gauchos in the 70's and they were more like a split skirt, a fairly full skirt that you could not tell was split unless you looked very carefully.

9 years ago

Marlene

Veteran

To me, culottes are defined as when you look at it and ask "is that a skirt?" and styled in the same way as a midi length skirt.

Those wide legged capri pants you were talking about are a separate beast and should never be mentioned again. Modern capris are slimmed down and sophisticated.

9 years ago

Kirstjen

Veteran

My guess is that culottes are going to be a fringe fashion thing. I doubt they will really "take off" but they give another option to some people who like extra variety.

I agree with Marlene who says that culottes are a lot closer to a skirt than they are to pants.

9 years ago

Carole

Veteran

I haven't seen any culottes around here, either...seems capris are always around in some form or another. At least when the weather warms up!

9 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

I don't count any of the examples as culottes (or gauchos), but the catalogs definitely don't seem to agree with me...

9 years ago

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I would classify those as culotte-lite as per Angie's definition. I would say that cullotes is a variation of capri pants with wider legs - does it make sense?

9 years ago

Jaime

(website)

Veteran

Where is the line between frumpy and chic? It doesn't even stay still. But you know it when you see it.

9 years ago

old chic

Active Member

Drawing on my memories of 45 years ago or so, which is the last time I remember culottes being in style, I'd say Marlene hit it on the head with the observation that it has to look like it's a skirt. Back then, there were some that looked identical to an A-line skirt with a sharp inverted pleat starting at the crotch area. And I think of what used to be called gaucho pants as mid-calf or longer.

8 years ago

old chic

Active Member

Drawing on my memories of 45 years ago or so, which is the last time I remember culottes being in style, I'd say Marlene hit it on the head with the observation that it has to look like it's a skirt. Back then, there were some that looked identical to an A-line skirt with a sharp inverted pleat starting at the crotch area. And I think of what used to be called gaucho pants as mid-calf or longer. Everything else is capris or pedal pushers or cropped pants.

8 years ago

Aziraphale

Veteran

This is a fascinating thread. I am now informed.

When my mom used to wear culottes back in the 70s, they looked like an a-line skirt, like Marlene said. I would have guessed that culottes have to have legs that get wider toward the bottom.

ETA doesn't "culotte" mean "panties" in French? How on Earth did that ever translate to the trouser-skirt thingy that we're all talking about?

8 years ago

Nebraskim

Veteran

I have a poison eye for all three of the examples you posted. The denim ones seem particularly fugly. I cannot imagine a juniors girl wearing them. But I also am not keen on the black ones (they scream work-out) to me. The "splendid" ones are OK. Sveta has some gray culottes that I think are beautiful for her.

I love Shevia's comment about the line between frumpy and chic isn't well-defined but you know it when you see it.

8 years ago

Anonymous

The whole culotte thing is interesting indeed. I have yet to see a single woman wearing them yet - and other than in Club Monaco, I haven't even seen any at retail. (well, ok probably in H&M, but I can't handle that nightmare of a store with 100 round racks jammed with clothes) ) So many of these trends seem only so in the media and in the odd street style shot, if they get off the ground at all. Capris are an abomination to design--kind (made up word) if they are those wide legged loose fitting things I'm thinking of.

8 years ago

unfrumped

Veteran

Well, I think the makers use whatever names they think will work, or sell.
Think of "slim BF" vs. straight vs anything.
I just have my own idea of culottes as being fuller and either drapey-straight or more A-line and wide crops are just that. Also "regular crops" from many years are now too wide IMO and that is what looks frumpy, along with lengths. So, crop is a pants length, though it's variable, it's higher than ankle, and it can be tapered or full or that funny high-water flair, and culotte is a width and/or angle, plus long enough not to be shorts, needs to be at bottom of knee or below (maybe mid-knee at most).
That's my take!

8 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Well, I saw a couple of culottes in TJMaxx today, so clearly they are in retail -- even discount retail! -- in my area. Just for grins I tried on a pair of black ones, but they had multiple pleats starting below the hip, which is not a great look on me. Definitely note tempted at all by those.

I agree that capris would be more slim cut and culottes would have a more skirt-like appearance.

8 years ago

Adelfa

Veteran

Right, to me culottes are wider in the leg than the ones you linked to. I'm in LA and I haven't seen a single pair of culottes. Or wide capris either.

8 years ago

ada36

Member

For me, I like the style of both. Much wider lines. I would prefer trying them in spring or summer days.As once I owned one like both styles.
http://www.nextshe.co.uk/light.....-2952.html

8 years ago

Category