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Culottes

Apparel
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Garments with wide, divided legs that resemble a skirt when worn, traditionally falling from the waist to around the knee or calf.

Detailed Definition
Culottes are divided garments with broad legs, often ending below the knee or at mid-calf, so that they combine the visual freedom of a skirt with the practicality of trousers. They can suggest independence, modernity, or resistance to restrictive dress codes. In poetry, the split silhouette may embody a life lived between categories, while each stride makes hidden structure briefly visible.
Example
Example in poetry:
“She stepped into culottes, and the wind mistook them for a skirt”; Culottes can symbolize independence because they combine the appearance of a skirt with the freedom of trousers; “The dancer’s culottes opened like dark petals with each turn”; A poem may use culottes to evoke a vintage wardrobe without calling them a full skirt
Additional Notes
Culottes are trousers with wide legs that end around the knee or mid-calf, giving the appearance of a skirt while allowing easy movement. The name comes from French fashion vocabulary. Pleats, fabric choice, and length can make them resemble either a skirt or conventional trousers.
Also Known As
Split Skirt Gaucho Pants
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