How To Wear Culottes
Make a great style statement with these pants and learn to pair them up to look trendy.
Josephine Rigney has been involved with fashion for over 9 years, including owning an accessories boutique, organizing and commentating for fashion parades, and offering personal styling sessions on color and style. She did her advanced diploma in Fashion Styling & Image Consulting at the International Career Institute.
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Pratima Ati is a postgraduate in International Business from Staffordshire University. After working in Marketing and Business Development for a few years, she jumped ship to pursue two things she loved – fashion and writing.
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Experience: 3 yearsAsmita De is an associate editor with over three years of experience. She graduated in English Literature from the University of Calcutta. She has collaborated with several digital companies and reputed publishing houses as an editor.
Read full bio of Asmita De
Experience: 2 yearsSrijita De is a makeup and fashion enthusiast with a passion for empowering readers through practical tips and tricks to present their best selves with confidence. Armed with a postgraduate degree in English and Literature from the University of Calcutta, she has honed her writing skills and developed an in-depth understanding of the beauty and fashion world.
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Welcome aboard as today, in this article, we will give you all the deets about how to wear culottes and make the whole dressing process easier. Though it looks like these pants just sprung out of absolutely nowhere, they were a trend in the 70s. These pants have made an excellent comeback in the fashion world today. Culottes are wide-legged pants typically ending near the mid-calf or at the knee. They look like skirts due to their relaxed fit. The most practical reason behind these pants being famous is that they are super comfortable. And it is not just the comfort that these pants provide; they look super chic if carried well. They can be paired well with both casual and formal clothes. So, if you want to try out culottes, you are definitely in the right place because below are some styling ideas that are reading. So go ahead and check them out.
Ace The Look- Fabric: Opt for light to medium-weight fabric, such as double or triple crepe, rayon, linen, lightweight wool, peach skin, or viscose linen for the perfect draping.
- Color: Wear solid-colored culottes with patterned tops for a striking look, or with a monochrome top for some gorgeous color blocking.
- Footwear: Wear strappy heels on flowy dress-like culottes for formal and feminine vibes. Put on wedges or athletic shoes for a casual look with the ankle-length or shorter culottes.
- Length: Culottes that end right at the skinniest part of your legs, i.e., ankles, are the most flattering.
In This Article
How To Wear Culottes – 21 Styling Ideas
1. Pleated Culottes With A Shirt
Ditch your regular pants to work or an event that demands formal wear and choose these pleated culottes instead. Pair them with a chic shirt like this one, which is both stylish and elegant. Add a statement belt to add flair to this chic outfit. You can just wear flat ballerinas or sandals if you are not the kind who can do pumps.
Trivia2. Black Striped Culottes With A Bold Colored Top
Monsoons can be quite tricky because it’s easy to step on puddles and wet the bottom of your pants. So, how do you deal with it? You guessed it right, a pair of striped culottes with a cold shoulder top or an off-shoulder one can keep it functional, chic, and airy. Carry a clutch or a stylish sling bag to enhance the overall elegance of this outfit.
3. With A Loose Checkered Shirt, Cap And Sneakers
For a sunny afternoon brunch, throw in a pair of bright culotte pants. Team it up with a loose checkered shirt, sneakers, sunglasses and a hat. You can just keep the pants plain and play around with other details.
4. With A Leather Jacket And Floral Top
When you first imagine a culotte, it’s hard to visualize and put things together in your head. But, sometimes it’s just a mix of clothes from your wardrobe and marry it all together. Wear a floral tank, a vibrant pair of culotte pants and throw in a leather jacket. You could wear wedges or just sneakers too.
Karolina, a blogger, shares how she took a risk and jumped on the trend of trying out culotte pants. She writes, “I tried to keep my outfit minimalist, so I paired my black culottes with a gray plain sweater. On top, I am wearing my favorite leather jacket that goes really well with my black leather handbag (i).”
5. With A Captioned T-Shirt
Of course, a captioned T-shirt, something we all practically live in these days. Instead of your regular denim, wear it with a funky pair of culotte pants. Comfortable and trendy!
6. With A Sweater, Scarf And Stockings
Who says winters should only be about pants and boots? I think we should try and avoid them as long as we can. Next time around, try a formal pair of culotte pants and wear it with an elegant blue sweater, scarf and also stockings if you can pull it off.
7. Floral Culotte Pants With A Plain Black Top
Reverse your floral top, and plain culotte looks like this one. There’s something about this that makes you look like someone who knows her fashion game. If you look at it, there’s hardly anything here, but it’s just the outfit that works like magic.
8. Sequin Culotte Pants And A Silk Top
I know what you are thinking. Yes, who would have thought of this? Stand out in the crowd with these sequin culotte pants and an elegant silk top while keeping everything else simple. You don’t need to wear anything extraordinary to get attention, an attractive attire like this is enough to get heads turning.
9. With A Plain Shirt
You think blending dull white pants with a plain shirt is not such a great idea? I thought so too. But have another close look at it. An easy, yet classy way to style those culottes, isn’t it? The midi-length, flared culottes look absolutely stunning when paired with the humble shirt to creat a crisp and clean look.
10. With A Sweater Tucked In
Fall is one of the most beautiful seasons. Everything around you is vibrant, colorful and it’s best just before winter enters making it all gloomy. Enjoy your last few days of manageable weather with a pair of culottes and a warm yellow sweater tucked in. Team it up with a choker or preppy accessories.
Quick Tip11. With A Trench Coat Or Jacket
Culotte pants are definitely not the first thing that comes to your mind when you want to wear a trench coat or a long jacket. But, it’s the next big thing right now. So, you should try this too, it looks uber chic and is functional too!
12. With An Oversized Sweater And Sneakers
Oversized sweaters, shirts, and T-shirts are like comfort food to most of us. Plus, it is a rage now and considered kind of cool if you can pull it off. I’m sure we all can do it in style. That and a pair of those big white sneakers that are all over the place right now. You are all set to go take on the world girl!
13. With A Crop Top And Boots
Let’s face it, we don’t need a reason to wear crop tops, just more ideas to pair them up with will do, right? So, here’s yet another set of pants that will look just as dapper with crop tops. It makes for a chic and stylish way to wear a crop top! Complete this look with a pair of ankle length boots!
14. With A Hip Length Top And Shrug
If you have been assuming that only short tops go with your culotte pants, you are mistaken. Pair those striped culotte pants with a plain top that goes beyond your hips and layer it up with a shrug of the same size. You could add a thick waist belt if you want to take it to the next level. A contrast pair of heels will make this interesting.
15. With An Off-Shoulder Bell Sleeves Sweater
If you have used the regular culotte pants, try the slit pants and team it up with an off-shoulder sweater with bell sleeves. Pair it up with pumps and a side body bag to get you party ready.
16. Get The Monochrome Look With Black Culotte Pants
Monochromes are so in right now. So, here’s another way to try this look. A simple way would be to team up culotte pants with a black T-shirt or spruce up the look with a cold shoulder, tank or off-shoulder. Follow it up with black pumps or change gears with red shoes, accessories and smoking hot lipstick.
17. Camel Colored Culotte Pants With A Lace Bodysuits
If you’ve been living under the rock and had no clue about the bodysuits yet, these are fitted shirts that are to be worn like onesies. They give you a great fit and sit like a perfectly tucked in shirt. Wear a high-waisted pair of camel culottes with a lace or chiffon bodysuit.
18. Leather Culotte Pants With A Well Fitted Top
Okay, we’ve done a lot of talking and styling ideas with regular and striped culotte pants. If you are someone who likes to explore it further, try the leather culotte pants and pair it with a well-fitted top. It makes you look stylish instantly and effortlessly!
19. Striped Culotte Pants With A Blazer
Yes. Of course, you can wear it with a blazer! And, your pants do not necessarily have to be prim. You can still wear loose culottes, a plain tank and blazer with stilettos still look ravishing.
20. Culotte Style Jumpsuits
It is established by now that jumpsuits are not going anywhere, plus we welcome them in any form they come back to us in. The culotte style jumpsuits are taking over right now, and we could not have been thankful. For women like me who are conscious about wearing tight fitted bottoms, this is a blessing.
21. Wrap Blouse With Beige Culottes
If you are looking for an effortlessly cool and chic look for the office, a wrap blouse with culottes is the answer. You can opt for a subtle shine with metallic shades, making it an ideal choice for standing out in meetings and interviews. Additionally, you can wear the ensemble even after office hours when catching a drink with your friends and colleagues. You can go for either open hair or top knot and accessorize with minimal jewelry, a bright red lip, and a light-colored handbag and heels for the perfect after work drinks attire. You can also layer with a long trench in winter without bringing down its appeal.
These versatile pants can be styled in amazing ways to enhance your silhouette. They blend comfort with elegant style, making them ideal for all occasions. However, it can be tricky to figure out what to pair with these pants due to their wide-leg cut and varied lengths. In the next guide, we have explored tips on choosing and styling culottes for different body types. Scroll down.
How To Style Culottes For Different Body Types
Culottes can enhance your best features if you pair them with the right clothes. Here we have provided some tips on styling culottes for different body types to achieve a well-balanced, flattering look. Check them out.
- Rectangular: Wear wide-legged culottes or those with pleats or patterns at the waist area. Pair them with well-fitted tops such as peplum styles to create the illusion of curves.
- Hourglass: Choose culottes with a sinched design to highlight your waist. Combine with structured tops to accentuate your natural curves.
- Apple: Wear relaxed-fit culottes with flowy tops or shirts to create balance.
- Pear: Choose solid culottes or those with minimal designs around the waistline. Match them with heavily patterned tops to draw attention to your upper body.
- Inverted Triangle: Pick culottes with a wide-cut style or those with more volume on the bottom. Opt for a simple, fitted top to enhance the width of your lower body.
Infographic: 6 Uber Stylish Ways To Wear Culottes
Whether you adore understated minimalism or are a sartorial risk taker, culottes are just the ‘it pieces’ that can go with every style. When heading to the office, toss on that blazer and pair it with neutral-toned culottes. Or, add some jazz to your look with sequin pants for a party. Still unsure of how to style them? Check out the infographic below for some ideas. Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team
We cannot deny that culottes are crowd favorites and in trend nowadays. But even then, fashion faux pas can happen to the best of fashionistas, and everyone needs to have multiple pairing options with culottes. Long gone are the days when you would spend ages thinking about different ways to wear culottes and how to pair them up. The versatile garment complements all looks and can be donned in all seasons, be it scorching summer, breezy autumn and spring, or chill winters. You can easily elevate the look with accessories like handbags, clutch, or minimalist jewelry. Go with a leather jacket, humble sweater vest, or with a block top — they do the trick just perfectly. Remember this; if you are unsure of what to wear to the party, culottes are there to save you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should culottes fall on the leg?
It depends on your height. If you are short and curvy, your culottes shouldn’t be lower than 2-4 inches from your knees to look flattering. Taller people can wear slightly longer culottes that fall on the lower half of their calves.
Are culottes slimming?
It depends on the fabric and the stitch. If your culottes are heavily pleated, they can make you look curvier than you are. However, the ones with no pleats and a vertical zipper can be slimming.
What is the difference between palazzo and culottes?
Palazzo and culottes differ in their lengths. Palazzos are full-length, wide-legged pants, while culottes always end above the ankles.
Key Takeaways
- For a revamped office look, wear pleated culottes with a shirt that exudes formal elegance, while also being stylish and trendy.
- Pair solid color culottes with floral tank tops and a leather jacket for the perfect fall season outfit style that oozes endless oomph.
- Level up your classic T-shirt by ditching the denims and pairing it with a pair of stylish culottes.
- Go beyond the boring by styling sequin culottes with a chic silk blouse and bring the spotlight on you.
Illustration: How To Wear Culottes
Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team
If you’re wondering how to style culottes, you’re in luck! This video has outfit ideas for work, weekend, and even date nights. Check it out and get ready to rock those culottes!
Personal Experience: Source
StyleCraze's articles are interwoven with authentic personal narratives that provide depth and resonance to our content. Below are the sources of the personal accounts referenced in this article.
i. Let’s try something different! | Culottes pantshttps://marsovamoda.wordpress.com/2016/10/03/lets-try-something-different-culottes-pants/
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