Culottes

Culotte (of French cul = buttocks) is the French term for a knee breeches. In a narrower sense it refers to the typical men pants of the late 17th and the 18th century.

Forms of Culotte

The historical Culotte enough to just below the knee and was very closely after 1700. To get started, the outer seam was slotted at the bottom. This slot was closed with buttons, the collar band with a knee buckle. Early Culotten ( before 1750 ) usually had a buttoned fly at center front, while later - as the West became shorter and thus could see the pants front - had a to the hip ranging from hip bib in the way of Bavarian lederhosen, the permanently attached collar been. Both variants had two large front pockets, which were closed with a button and a small watch pocket on the right in the covenant. The nobility wore Culotten made ​​of velvet or silk, riding leather, the simple people such of linen or wool.

Dissemination

The Culotte was the entire 18th century through the entire Western Europe and in almost all walks of the generally used trousers. Therefore, it is still preserved in many folk costumes, such as alpine leather pants. The revolutionaries of the French Revolution, however, wore long pants, which is why they were called sans-culottes. The European aristocracy and conservative commoners clung to the Culotte to about 1820. In the courtly evening wear she was still common until the First World War.

Furthermore, in the Sport-/Tanzbekleidung " culotte " is also a gymnastics hüftnahe pants ( panties) be meant.