It's seems pretty befitting that culottes would make a comeback for spring/summer 2014. Midi skirts have been so popular now that it just makes since that such a similar silhouette would follow suit.
And for a lot of women, I'm sure they'll appreciate the longer hemlines since culottes are a great alternative to shorts and clam diggers.
For my culottes, I dug way back and deep into my pattern cabinet because I knew I had several options to choose from. These were pretty popular around 2006. The pattern I re-visited is (OOP) Butterick 4861. I used a white ponte knit. I cut the size 16, and added 3 inches to length to achieve that mid-calf hemline. I had to take them in a tad at the center back. I interfaced the 1 1/4" hem.
I wanted the hem to be crisp and clean and slightly weighed down. Even though the pants are knit, I still wanted them to have a tailored appearance.
For my top, I used New Look 6735. It sewed perfectly out of the envelope without a single alteration. I used this great red and white striped nautical knit fabric from Joanns.
It has great stretch recovery, which is the key element I look for in a knit fabric for this type of garment.
I love creating garments that I foresee in the making, that I'll receive major mileage out of. And that a striped top and white culottes will be worn many, many times this season!
And never mind if you wore these back in the day. They were awesome them and even better now! I can't wait to make a pair in a wool herringbone tweed and wear them with tall leather boots!
