Remember when I posted this photo and wrote about “maybe” giving culottes a try if I could find some in a thrift store?
I actually wrote an entire post of 5 Chic Ways to Wear Culottes trying to convince myself that even though they looked like hell on me when I was 10, somehow, for some magical reason, at the age of 49 they would now look fantastic.
Well I found some.
And I was wrong.
So very wrong.
If you want to add weight to your hips/leg/bum and shorten your body dramatically, these culottes are perfect!
Some of you are going to say I should have worn a form fitting shorter cropped top to balance all the lower body volume, but the culottes didn’t have a high waist. In fact the waist was kind of low. I tried a similar outfit showing the waist band and it looked even worse. Admittedly, I have chosen some of the better photos here. I should have chosen the really bad ones but I’m too vain. (I know it is hard to believe but my husband assures me it is true.)
These pants would be great for a 3 legged race as they would easily be wide enough to accommodate another leg.
I didn’t give up though.
Oh no!
I was determined to make these damn culottes work!
I looked again at my previous post and knew that I needed to give them another try wearing boots.
And I will admit, I do like them more.
But no way did I like them enough to keep them. Lucky for me the thrift store where I bought them at actually does refunds and I was able to take them back.
These culottes might have been marginally better if I had cut them at that lower hemline, but honestly, I didn’t want to risk cutting them and not being able to take them back.
When I pinned them up to see if shortening them would help it looked like I was wearing giant shorts, the kind basketball players wear. Which is fine if you are 7′ tall but really awful when you are 5’4″.
It wasn’t all a loss, I picked up a pair of great shoes and this little plaid crested blazer I’m wearing.
Unless I find some culottes that are actually like what Vix was wearing here, I think I will be staying far away from them.
This is proof that even though I can make a compelling argument and Polyvore sets on how to wear culottes, that doesn’t mean that they will work for me and my body type. The only way to know for sure is to try.
‘Tis better to have tried and failed than to never have tried at all.”
Cause climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and culottes are pretty much the same thing in blogland.
What is your clothing equivalent to Mount Kilimanjaro and did you fail or succeed?
I think the with-boots version looks very fab. And I agree, we MUST TRY new things or else how we we ever know (e.g., that a cucumber martini is terrible).
And now that I know you’ve bought piles of clothes for the meet-up, I am panicked and feeling very insecure, and must go shopping. Ack!
Didn’t want to put pressure on you Patti! LOL I’m just using it as an excuse to buy WAY too many clothes.
What a difference it makes wearing them with boots! LOVE the crested blazer.
Darlene
I have another plaid blazer almost exactly like this…but without the crest. LOL I had to have it because of the crest.
Hello….of course!!! I would have bought it too. 🙂
Darlene
Hmmm…well, I actually thought these looked very nice in both versions—one look for summer and one for fall—but you’re the one that has to wear them and feel good in them.
I’m just amazed by a thrift store that will let you take things back!!!
That thrift store chain is the only one I know that allows that. It just gives you a credit, but I shop there all the time so I use the credit immediately. I used this credit to buy 2 pairs of shoes.
I agree with you. It’s fascinating how different clothes look on us. Their shapes and designs create impressions that it’s smart to be aware of. You taught me which types of dresses look best on my cylindrical body and the soundness of that advice is manifest. Culottes are not your friend. Don’t send them a birthday card.
I think you can wear culottes. I think you just need a more narrow pair. A slimmer cut would look great on you with boots. I can’t wear too much volume on the bottom because my shoulders are so narrow so when I want culottes basically I take a slim cut pair of bootcut pants and hem them at just the right length. That seems to work for me and I think for you too. I love them with boots.
I had a friend once wear a cute pair of over-alls and she suggested we go shopping for some for me. I warned her that I didn’t think they worked on my body shape and she just couldn’t understand why…until I came out of the dressing room and we both ended up in hysterics!
I think I need your height to carry them off. That’s fine. It’s not like I have nothing else in my closet to wear : )
Overalls and me are the same.
I really like them on you with the boots and fitted red jacket ( love thatjacket)! I have tried things I thoght I would not wear, it is fun to try!
Jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
Sometimes it is good for a laugh if nothing else : )
youre so funny! And so brave. I agree that the second version rocks more. In fact it just rocks. Maybe the only way to wear them is with insanely high shoes which preclude actually being able to walk. So returning them maybe was the best option. But kudos for giving it a go. I can’t wait to see what you try next. Xx
I agree…if I had been wearing 6″ heels these would have looked great, but I would have been in hospital.
Well, I think there’s no “too vain”, there’s only self-conscious 🙂 My struggle is with culottes, too, and pencil skirts. You will seldom see me wearing them. I am short, I am not thin (a good way to say fat, maybe 🙂 and I don’t wear culottes in public 🙂 I wore some yesterday at home 🙂 I liked both versions, but I agree, the second one with boots and checked jacket looks really beautiful. I liked the jacket a lot! And to be honest, culottes are not my favorite piece of clothing, though I may wear them on the blog one day 🙂 I think you look very beautiful, but I know how critical we can be towards ourselves!
DenisesPlanet.com
I agree that we are often our own worst enemy.
I’m happy to leave the culottes to someone else : )
I can’t wear pants or anything close to it…. unless they stretch… a lot… or they’re like MC Hammer pants. My thighs are too big and booty too flat.
I have some MC Hammer pants : ) I can carry around a Christmas turkey that’ll feed 20 in them. Super handy. LOL
Well, I think you are being slightly too hard on yourself. They really don’t look so bad! Perhaps it is the flattering photos you selected, but I think you also styled them well. But then, I am a fan of all things loose and billowy and baggy even though I know that is probably exactly the opposite of how I should dress my figure. 😉
I really “wanted” to love these because they were very comfy. I convinced myself though that a fit and flare dress is just as comfy, maybe moreso and looks better on me.
After reading your blog for several months I so appreciate your point of view, fearless writing and crack up sense of humor. This article was perfect for me. As soon as culottes appeared this season as a new “trend” I knew they weren’t for me. At 5’2″ (same as you I think) with body shape requirements to contend with I knew immediately they were not for me. After endless articles and advice about “how to wear” them etc., etc. blah, blah…….. You finally had the guts to tell the story and show how they are a disaster for some of us. They violate every fashion rule that I need to adhere to avoid looking like a moron. Kudos to the tall girls who look good in them of course but thank you, thank you, thank you for speaking the truth for the rest of us!
PS They do look better (possibly passable) with boots but why go there……really? Just sayin’.
I’m 5′ 4″ so I’m towering over you! LOL
My husband told me I look like SpongeBob Square Pants wearing these. Not a fashion icon I aspire to.
I agree. There simply isn’t enough room in my closet for something that is passable.
So glad you commented Elaine : )
LOL!
Even more depressing…….. I used to be 5’3″. Ah! the joys of life over 40.
I love reading your blog if only for the laugh a minute I get from you!! I agree that I’m thinking culottes aren’t going to be my thing (however, I did think that about the maxi dress and lo & behold I have and love one now). But let’s be totally honest….it’s really not the fact that they are culottes…it’s the style & cut of them! Because many that I’ve seen almost look just like a skirt, which does look fab on you! Do you really need one (ha ha…that’s like asking me if I need another toothbrush), but I don’t think you should totally write them off and not try on another pair if the situation arises!!! Just sayin’ (with love) jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Culottes, schmulottes I say. I can’t be doing with them either. I’ve tried, oh so tried, but I know when to admit defeat. Same with dungarees and jumpsuits. I’m even smaller than you at 5’1″, so can you imagine what I’d look like in them – Mrs Pepperpot!
They do work better with the boots and that jacket is GORGEOUS! But quite right to return them. Hopefully, some tall, willowly blonde will buy them and absolutely rock them. In the meantime, you just rock the world.
Hi Suzanne, Culottes are very different from Cropped Wide Leg Pants. The ones you’re wearing, technically, are not culottes. Culottes are much shorter (usually about 2 inches below the knee) and have a much fuller leg. The pair Vix is wearing are Culottes.
I am just over 5 feet tall and I wear cropped wide leg pants. As a matter of fact, I’m wearing them in my most recent post (http://sowhattotwenty.blogspot.com/2015/06/mute.html). The key is in the fabrication and the shoe. Loose woven fabrics work much better on us shorter women. Denim is too tightly woven and stiff to hang right for us. I bet if you selected a pant with a loose fabric, you’ll reconsider. I discuss it more on this post – http://sowhattotwenty.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-pants.html
Good luck
I don’t think they look too bad on you but I hear how you feel about them. I have a pair of shorter length ones that hit at around the knees and they look awful on me. I’ve had them for years and thought I would give them a try since they are so poplar. It just made my calves look GIGANTIC! Like you, I am vain and have yet to post them on the blog.
Glad you were able to return these for store credit.
Alice
http://www.happinessatmidlife.com
Hope to see you Thursday for TBT Fashion linkup.
I’ve been seeing this trend everywhere, but as a fellow 5’4″-er, I don’t think I could pull it off. Thanks for trying it for me -haha. I love how you styled them, even though you didn’t end up keeping them. Have a great week!
I am FINALLY, at the ripe old age of 48, trying things that I swore I could never wear. Like maxi dresses. Thought they would be terrible on me, but I actually really like them. I think the culottes with the boots looked great on you, but if you weren’t feeling it, you were right to take them back.
We have a few local charity shops that are nice and let you take things back, though usually I just pass them on to friends or sell them on Ebay in the vain hope that I will make more on them, and usually make a loss instead, but oh well, it was a charity donation!!
Now on to the culottes…I wonder if it’s because the fabric of these is quite stiff rather than drapey? I don’t know, I haven’t tried culottes since the late 80s. I never used to wear trousers because they all looked terrible on me, but I have persevered over the years and now know which styles will work on me. It’s a constant battle though!
xx
Thanks for the shout-out! I promise I’ll leave you my culotte dress in my will.
D’you know, I don’t think those culottes are as bad as you think, I rather like the hippy chick vibe with the first pair but wonder about the practicality (I know, that doesn’t sound like me). If it’s hot enough to have bare legs why wear heavy denim?
Boots definitely work better as that unbroken line elongates the legs and, as a fellow shortie, I know how good that feels! xxx
I too was traumatized by culottes/gauchos at the age of 10 my soul sista! I remember wearing them and thinking I was oh so cool…apparently the kids at school did not agree…lol! Kudos to you for giving them another try, but I’m with you on the not keeping them. I am totally in love with that blazer though.
Debbie
http://www.fashionfairydust.com
Oh! these are not for you- they don’t look bad exactly- just like you’ve stepped into another more casual version of yourself, not as chic and streamlined as you usually are. Maybe if they were wool instead of denim they would suit you- you know like a nice mens trouser feel? with a bit better drape, that denim is so stiff!!
I love the plaid blazer. I agree that you look better with the second outfit choice that the first one. Glad that you post 2 kind of pictures to make comparison. Thanks for sharing.
I didn’t think I would suit culottes either, but I love my vintage pairs. And you look way better in these than you are allowing for, especially with boots. But I don’t think these are the right type for you, they are just a pair of wide legged cropped jeans, not real culottes. In a drapier, softer fabric, you would have a different silhouette. I think culottes are a essentially a divided skirt, not just a short pair of pants. Keep trying, the right pair are out there, Suzanne! xxx
I don’t want to sound like some fashion know it all (and this is aimed against stores who insist are marketing this style of pants as Cullottes, not you), but having lived through the original days of wearing cullottes, those pants are not “cullottes” in the classic sense, they are wide-leg cropped pants, and that shape is rarely flattering on anyone (although I think they look ok with your boots and jacket). Cullottes were originally split skirts – when you stand still, it looks like you’re wearing a skirt, but when you walk, you can see they are pants, so they offered more coverage on windy days. They were usually made of a fabric that drapes so that it wasn’t obvious they were pants until you moved. They were not very flattering on most people then unless your were tall and wore them with boots. *Now I just read Curtise’s comment and realized she said basically the same thing as I am, only not as long-winded*
I found a pair of black cullottes on the sale rack at the Gap, of all places – they look like a knee-length full skirt. I’ve never seen any other real cullottes anywhere except in thrift or vintage stores. I think if you found a pair in a drapey fabric, in the right length, you could wear them with boots.
Cheers to you for giving them a try, Suzanne!! I do think the second look with boots is one that you can definitely pull off-stylish. Proportion is everything right? You are a hoot!
xx, Heather
PS-so fun to hear that you shop at Desigual! I had fun putting that post together in collaboration with them. 🙂
I agree that I like the culottes more with boots. But, I don’t necessarily think you can’t EVER wear them. =)
xo,
nancy
http://www.adoretoadorn.com
I agree, leave the in the shop. You have so many other type of clothing which look fantastic on you (like fitted maxi dresses), why would you bother?
They don’t suit me either by the way.
Fun that you have showed us this though.
Greetje
I totally agree with Greetje. I consider culottes to be men-repellers most of the time and I never understood the desire to wear men-repelling stuff anyway. And by men-repelling I actually mean people-in-general-and-most-pets-too-repelling;-).
I keep reading that culottes are coming back, and I think, “Really? For whom?” I know they’d be disastrous on me, much like wide-leg pants or trouser jeans. I think you’ve styled them well, though. Enough to show their potential. Just for someone else. lol Thank goodness the store accepts returns. It’s a bummer when you love something in theory, do your best to style it to perfection, and even then it’s a no-go. You gave it your all, though. You almost convinced me they’d look good on a model. Ha!
<3 Liz
http://www.withwonderandwhimsy.com
Yes, there is that certain magical something that happens to us as we hit our late 40s. Aaaah.
Bwa-ha-ha on this post, Suzanne. These would only look good shorter if you also showed your bum crack and we’ll have to wait a while more until that precious trend hits the runways. Glad you nixed these because they don’t make you feel faaaabulous. Ba-bye culottes.
I think it was great to try, but good you could take them back. I love to see how you try things and analyze what is working not working (like, the second outfit, you are right, is a total improvement, and I’d wear it with different pants) because it helps me think critically about my own clothing choices and what does/doesn’t work. And you keep a balance of trying things but also recognizing that you don’t have to do ever fashion trend ever.
For me, I’m not a fan of culottes in general and especially not jeans. I’ve always felt the idea is that they are suppose to look almost like a skirt, which jeans are too stiff and heavy to really mimic in that cut. I think you’d do better with culottes in a flowy-er fabric, but I also wonder with culottes, why not just wear a skirt?
I think that while your sentiment is (to me), in part, correct, there are a couple major issues that, if resolved, could make culottes and you a doable pair.
1: Yes, height does help. Culottes inevitably cut off the leg, which can be a great look for taller people, sometimes not for shorter people. HOWEVER, there is a way to make this work for any height. The hem above is too low. The jean style you’re sporting is more of a tea-length, which means that the eye sees largely the actual culottes, and not the smaller size of the calf that pokes out beneath them. I think if you tried a just-below-knee-length version, you’d be pleasantly surprised. However, that would also be assuming that…
2: You must ditch the denim. In this case, at least. For one thing, you have an ill-fitting pair, which is giving you an undeserved camel toe. The type of fabric in this pair is also not helping; I think seeing jeans, the mind immediately associates the fabric (especially since this is a pair of pants, after all) with the shape of a normal pair of jeans, so it makes your legs look thicker than they are. This is not helped by the overly long length of the pair you’re wearing.
I would try a still substantial fabric that is NOT denim (one that doesn’t cling, but is thick/stiff enough to keep from hugging too much), and it would be WELL worth your time to find a pair that properly fits around the hips and crotch. Also, a higher waistband is a no-brainer for shorter women (and a thicker, non-elastic version will be most flattering). Ideally, a pair that would work the best for you would be just below knee-length, higher waisted, abiding my the fabric recommendations above, fitted but NOT bunchy at all or tight in the hips, and ideally a pleated, dark, relatively slim version (not to say it shoudln’t properly fit around the hips, that’s essential).
I only wrote this out because I genuinely feel it would be a shame for you to live the rest of your live sans culottes, and because I also do genuinely feel that you can pull them off and REALLY LIKE the way you’d look.