Culotte

Luis XVI of France dressed in ass.

James Monroe, the last president of the United States who dressed in the style of the late 18th century, with his cabinet in 1823. Monroe wears panties, while his secretaries wear long pants.

A culote (from French culotte) is a garment that covers the lower part of the body in which the two legs are separated unlike skirts. Until the 19th century it referred to the male lower dress and from the XX designates a female or male undergarment. In current Spanish, it is used to name the tight-fitting pants made of elastic fabric used by cyclists. The correct translation into Spanish is calzón, a garment that reaches the knees with loose or gathered legs with an elastic band. Traditionally it was a dress typical of knights and soldiers, currently it is worn by some mounted uniformed corps, either on motorcycles or on horseback, and by ushers and waiters on very solemn occasions (short pants). In current French, panties are called culotte or petite culotte, a meaning that is also included in the RAE dictionary

Derivation of the term

The word culotte comes from the French term cul, familiarly designating the buttocks. During the Revolution of 1789, the revolutionaries were called sans culottes (meaning "without breeches"), a metonym for the dress style of French peasants who wore trousers instead of breeches, a much less distinguished garment. for the taste of the time.

Military uniform briefs

Military uniforms incorporated culottes as a standard uniform item, the legs being covered by either stockings, tights, or knee-high boots. Culottes were a common part of military uniforms during the European war of the 18th century (the War of the Spanish Succession, the War of the Austrian Succession, the Seven Years' War, the Franco-British colonial wars, and the American Revolution).

Other definitions

The women's fashion industry commonly takes words that have historically been used to describe men's clothing and uses them to describe a completely different garment, creating confusion among historians and those who read history. For example, today the term "culottes" in French it is currently used to describe a woman's panties, an article of clothing that has little or no relation to the historical culotte.

Women's briefs

Another use of the term is jupe-culotte which describes a special type of skirt. During the Victorian era (mid to late 19th century) the long skirt began to be divided into two wide legs so that the Women could sit in a normal riding saddle instead of womanizing (with both legs on the same side) in a special female saddle. These skirts provided women with more freedom to do activities like gardening, cleaning, bike riding, etc.

Shorts in school uniforms

Culottes are used in schoolgirl uniforms with skirts as an option or are worn as a replacement for skirts. Culottes are worn as part of the uniform mainly at elementary, middle, and Catholic schools. Culottes were also part of the Brownie Guides uniform until recently when the uniform was modernized and the traditional brown skorts were replaced.