Stop Being Afraid Of Culottes

Culottes are not easy. But, hey, we never back down in the face of a little fashion challenge. Especially one that pays off in spades and is as flattering as this one. Yes, we said it: flattering.

We understand culottes have had a bad rap, and one that was only perpetrated with the popularity of stretchy gauchos in the early 2000s. But, despite the fact that they look a bit different now, and have the stamp of approval from glossy editorials, street-style stars, and yours truly, we don't begrudge the eye rolls.

Off the rack, these part-pants, sorta-skirty pieces look like they were made for super-sizing the bottom half of your body while chopping your height. But, hangers and product images can't really do them justice. Trying them on makes all the difference.

Once you slip into a pair, culottes are as graceful as a midi-skirt, as easy to toss on as your favorite pair of cropped trousers, and can actually lengthen your frame as well as any above-the-knee cut. Plus, you'll find that now there are so many more sophisticated styling possibilities that those Lycra ones ever afforded.

To prove it, we tasked seven women — of different sizes and styles — to let go of the wide-leg panic and put on their big-girl skirt-like pants. Click on to see how culottes killed it, across the board.