Culottes are mentioned, seemingly without shame, in Paula Jones's deposition taken last fall by President Clinton's attorney Robert Bennett. They are described in enough detail to make the aesthetically sensitive cringe. In the modern age, culottes should not be worn by anyone. Alas, Jones wore them not once, but at least twice, and as recently as 1991. And now they are part of the historical record.
Culottes are a garment that looks and hangs like a skirt, but is actually a pair of pants.
They are knee-length. They are noncommittal. They were billed as the perfect garment a couple of decades ago because they could be worn where a skirt was required or preferred, yet they were as comfortable and practical as a pair of trousers. Designers and manufacturers in the '80s tried to convince businesswomen that a pair of culottes and a matching jacket were just the things to wear to the office. Most working women across America did not believe Seventh Avenue.