I'm Serious: Culottes Really Are Back

I should have seen the signs, all of which were pointing directly at a looming return for culottes. It's my job to see the signs, after all, but somehow, not even Bermuda shorts—a more approachable entry point—prepared me for the longer, often wider version's return to fashion's good graces. One day, culottes didn't seem to exist in any of the many modern fashion references I keep stored in my brain. The next? They were everywhere—on celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Charli XCX; on models at COS, Tory Burch, and Chloé; and on generally well-dressed people across street style and Instagram.

But while industry insiders have, for the most part, accepted 2025's breakout culotte pants trend, many others that I've gauged on the subject aren't quite so welcoming. "I can't pull them off" is the number one reasoning they give, having been put off by the below-knee, above-ankle hems associated with culottes. Others have refused to accept that culottes can be elegant despite their somewhat bland and uncool past reputation. They're back for a reason—brands saw potential in the outdated pants style and gave them new life in the form of fresh silhouettes and unexpected styling. Now, viral fame is imminent.

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To help ease the transition from hating culottes to loving (and wearing) them, I thought I'd share some of the inspiration I turned to when I first acquired a pair of 2025 culottes. Mine, for instance, are from COS, a product of the brand's S/S 25 show that took place earlier this spring in Athens, Greece. They're white and made of heavy, tailored poplin, and my first time styling them, I looked at how they debuted on the runway—alongside a matching white, oversize anorak (that I also added to my closet after the show). Instead of see-through, plastic footwear, I paired the ensemble with tall block-heel pumps, a solution for the aforementioned unflattering cut. In my experience, heels are really the only way to go with pants like this, whether that's a stiletto kitten heel, a chunkier and taller block heel, or a boot. I've also styled them with simple camisoles, flowy T-shirts, and knit polos, proving to myself and those around me just how versatile these bottoms can be if you're willing to give them a shot.

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Others have drawn up their own ways of mastering culotte styling in 2025. For instance, London-based content creator Marilyn Nwawulor-Kazemak styled her oatmeal-colored pair with suede Miu Miu sneakers and a matching brown argyle sweater. Meanwhile, in New York ahead of the Met Gala, Bieber was spotted outside of La Garçonne in SoHo wearing black oversize culottes with a cropped black T-shirt, a vintage Mercedes hat, and heeled thong sandals from Toteme. Stylist Georgina Downe wore a cream pair with a gray knit and vintage-looking black pumps, and outside of the Nanushka S/S 25 runway show in New York, a guest was photographed in an all-white take with super-strappy sandals and an ab-baring top.

The possibilities, as they say, are endless. All it takes is you being willing to put aside your past opinions about culottes and approaching them now as a blank slate. To start, scroll down. From Zara to Chloé, there's a pair of culottes for everyone interested in giving the 2025 version a go in the mix ahead.

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