Culotte Controversy

Pants or shorts? Love or hate? Flattering or nah? So many questions when it comes to culottes.

Personally, I am ALL about a culotte, but it’s definitely a controversial trend w/ a whole slew of haters.

Rewind to two weeks ago. I was having a nice little lunch date with my two best friends & all of the sudden things turned into some weird kind of culotte intervention. I had just did a blog post wearing ankle cropped jeans & I guess it spiked up some sort of discussion between the two of them on how much they hate that I wear culottes… because they felt the need to bring it to my attention over matcha smoothies. Total buzz kill, but hey… I always appreciate the honesty.

It was kind of an in one ear out the other on my end. Not that I don’t value their opinion tremendously (love them!), but I also know what I like & I like a damn culotte. Not everything is for everyone. OK?

I think the big culotte controversy is mainly due to the fact many people just don’t know how to wear them & are so worried that they are going to be terribly unflattering on them. Yes- it can happen, it has happened (to me)… but once you get more comfortable with the whole vibe + how to style culottes, I am pretty sure you’ll change your stance on the situation.

Since culottes don’t seem to be just a fleeting trend anymore, it’s time you get on board. Here are a few styling tips, to get you started:

1. It’s always a concern that wearing culottes will make you look stunted. If you’re more on the petite side, I understand your concerns. Culottes can make you look shorter so the first thing to take note of is the length of them. You want to find the perfect mid-calf length to avoid making you look shorter than you are & you also have to show some skin (above & below the belt). Throw on a crop top & some open toe sandals to help make you appear more elongated!

2. You can also wear sneakers (very European-ish) or closed toe flats with your culottes (I love a culotte jumpsuit + oxford combo, as seen in this post!) as long as you leave out the socks. The more ankle the better when it comes to closed toed kicks & culottes. Also, if wearing flats with your culottes, the shorter you are the shorter the culotte should be.

3. For a more minimal silhouette, I love pairing long layers w/ with culottes! Tuck in a t-shirt or a blouse to your culottes & top off the look with a longline blazer or vest. Add in some showing stopping heels + great jewelry & you’re good to go.

Okay okay, so NOW you guys have got to weigh in on if your pro or anti the culotte? I would love to hear!! If you are into it or want to try it out, you can shop this look below + all my top cropped Summer pant picks! x, E

wearing: The Fifth Label ‘lovers + friends’ culotte jumpsuit (coming in Fall, similar style here & here!) | square toe oxfords (sold out, similar— love the cutouts!!) | oversized hexagon aviators | gold chain anklet

The Edit | Culotte Favorites

[ PHOTOS BY ARIELLE LEVY ]